Charles Russell Speechlys has advised the founders of Microsoft 2018 Worldwide Partner of the Year, Content and Code, on the sale of the business to technology services and solution provider IT Lab.

Content and Code is the UK's largest SharePoint consultancy and Microsoft’s leading Office 365 partner. In 2018 Content and Code was named Microsoft Partner of the Year for Customer Experience and became a Microsoft Partner of the Year finalist in the “Modern Workplace Teamwork” category.

IT Lab Chief Executive, Peter Sweetbaum, described the deal as "transformational" for IT Lab and Content and Code, adding that it would improve on Content and Code's already industry leading excellence in key Microsoft propositions, including Office 365 and SharePoint, along with IT Lab’s managed, cyber and infrastructure services.

Tim Wallis, Founder of Content and Code (who will take on the role of Chief Digital Officer of IT Lab), commented on the transaction “The demand for IT services is growing at a rapid pace and we had been looking to join forces with another organisation for some time to take advantage of the opportunity. Finding an organisation which could not only help us compete with the bigger providers in the market, but which also shared the same vision, ethos and culture as Content and Code was a challenge until we began talks with IT Lab. It is clear that this new partnership shares all the ambitions and values that we wanted. The Charles Russell Speechlys team were brilliant from day one and were my trusted advisors all the way through the deal, providing immense comfort as difficult situations always come during a deal. I would wholeheartedly recommend them.”

Kim Simmonds, of Simmonds Law (a Commercial firm with a niche in Microsoft technologies) helped coordinate the legal affairs of Content and Code. She commented: “We were really impressed with Charles Russell Speechlys. The team was diligent, hardworking and committed and provided practical advice and solutions throughout the transaction”.

Mark Howard, Client partner and co-Head of Charles Russell Speechlys’ TMT sector commented: “We are delighted to have worked alongside Tim, Kim and the Content and Code team on this transaction, which further adds to our experience in IT services and software, a key aspect of our TMT sector offering. We look forward to see how the business develops with the new combined proposition, and wish them every success with their partnership with IT Lab going forward.”

The Charles Russell Speechlys team was led by Corporate partner David Coates and Corporate Senior Associate Charlie Ring. Associates Laura Melody and Hannah Dawson, trainee James Scott and solicitors from Corporate Tax, Commercial, Real Estate and Employment made up the wider team.