Team Member

Overview

Charles is the managing partner and founder of the firm and specialises in corporate law combining a personal approach with pragmatic commercial advice.

Charles can advise and act on mergers, acquisitions and disposals, management buy outs, private equity transactions, shareholder agreements, joint ventures, share options, partnership agreements, company group restructures and all forms of commercial agreements and matters with a regulatory or corporate insolvency flavour.

Charles has very strong links in both the investor and business community and has a particular reputation as one of the leading “deal makers” in the region. Charles has extensive experience of working with private companies, public companies, financial institutions, partnerships, private individuals and entrepreneurs.

Previous

Charles trained at City firm Laytons and then qualified into the corporate department. He worked at regional firm Thrings as an Associate before leaving to set up Cook & Co Solicitors in 2008. He sold Cook & Co to the management team in 2018 and founded Cook Corporate choosing to focus purely on his corporate client practice.

Other

Trustee of the Clifton Club, Company Secretary and co founder of Bristol Private Equity Club and Company Secretary of JLC Distribution. Formally non-executive director of Cooper Associates, the Clifton Club, Ascot Group and Gloucestershire County Cricket Club (Charles sat on the board for 3 years where he was heavily involved in, amongst other things, the £6m redevelopment of the Bristol County Ground, the successful bid for the cricket world cup in 2019 and England v India 2014 ODI, England v Sri Lanka 2016 ODI). Charles was also formally Clerk to the Governors at independent school, Tockington Manor.

Experience