We are delighted that Helen Gerrard, Partner and Head of Corporate and Corporate Finance at Ignition Law, has been ranked as a Band 2 lawyer for SME-focused firms in the Chambers UK Guide 2027.

The ranking recognises Helen’s work advising businesses, founders, investors, lenders and management teams on the corporate and finance decisions that shape a business’s next stage of growth. Her approach is technically rigorous, commercially focused and refreshingly straightforward.

Corporate and finance advice for growing businesses

Helen advises on corporate transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, business sales and purchases, investment, funding arrangements and restructurings.

Her finance practice includes corporate lending, acquisition finance, real estate finance, shareholder and director funding, bilateral and syndicated facilities, and complex restructurings. She acts for both borrowers and lenders, giving clients a practical view of what matters on each side of the deal.

Whatever the transaction, the aim is the same: make the structure clear, identify the risks early and keep the deal moving.

Corporate and finance experience on both sides of the table

Before joining Ignition Law, Helen worked at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in London and New York, O’Melveny & Myers in New York and London, and Linklaters in London. She has also completed secondments with Goldman Sachs, Alcentra, Barings, Barclays Bank and The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi.

That breadth of experience gives Helen a strong understanding of the priorities of companies, founders, investors, banks and alternative capital providers.

This perspective is particularly valuable on transactions involving several stakeholders, competing commercial demands or detailed finance documents. Anticipating the other side’s position helps clients focus their time and negotiating leverage on the points that will make a real difference.

A trusted corporate and finance adviser

Client feedback gathered through the Chambers research process captures Helen’s approach:

“Helen is a trusted adviser to our business. She is responsive, highly knowledgeable and pragmatic. She’s also incredibly easy to work with.”

Chambers UK Guide 2027 client feedback

That trusted-adviser relationship matters most when a business is buying or selling a company, raising capital, negotiating new finance, restructuring or preparing for its next phase of growth.

At those moments, clients need more than a line-by-line explanation of the documents. They need clear advice on what they are agreeing, where the material risks lie and how the proposed structure may affect the business in practice.

Protecting clients in corporate and finance negotiations

Helen works with clients to identify what is required, prioritise the points that matter and keep transactions moving.

Another Chambers contributor said:

“Helen is always able to discern exactly what is required, replies promptly and acts assertively to protect our interests when negotiating with third parties.”

Chambers UK Guide 2027 client feedback

Her combination of responsiveness, technical expertise and commercial judgement helps leadership teams negotiate confidently while keeping the wider business objective firmly in view.

Commercial advice shaped by entrepreneurial experience

Helen is also an entrepreneur and co-founded SnowDrone Transfers, an airport transfer business based in Val d’Isère and operating across the French Alps.

That first-hand experience gives her an additional perspective on the practical realities of building and running a business, from managing risk and cash flow to making decisions under pressure.

It complements her legal and transactional experience and helps inform the commercial and pragmatic approach she brings to client work.

Helen Gerrard on her Chambers UK 2027 ranking

“I’m delighted to receive this recognition, but for me it is really about the clients we work with every day.

Working with people who are building businesses they care so much about is one of the best parts of my job. Being able to help clients through big decisions is hugely rewarding. My role is to understand what the client is trying to achieve, protect their position and provide practical advice that helps them complete the transaction and move forward with confidence. Of course, getting deals over the line is always a team effort and I’m lucky to work with such a brilliant team at Ignition.”

Helen Gerrard, Partner, Head of Corporate and Corporate Finance

How Ignition Law can help with corporate finance

Helen advises founders, companies, investors, borrowers and lenders on corporate transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, business sales and purchases, equity and debt funding, shareholder arrangements, acquisition and real estate finance and restructurings.

Whether a business is preparing for its first institutional investment, negotiating a new finance facility or managing a complex restructuring, Ignition Law can help the leadership team understand the issues, protect its position and structure a practical route forward.

Get in touch with our corporate finance lawyers at Ignition Law. Complete our quick online enquiry form, and a member of our team will be in touch promptly.