Birmingham and London law firm SGH Martineau was again appointed to the panel of law firms advising Santander, following the banking giant’s review at the start of the year. For more than 10 years, lawyers from the law firm’s Banking and Financial Services team have offered advice on property finance, corporate finance and due diligence matters, working closely with Santander’s business banking teams across the Midlands.

SGH Martineau banking partner Naomi Tudor commented: “Although we have enjoyed a long and successful relationship with Santander, it is still good to be re-appointed and have the quality of our past work confirmed. Santander is continuing to increase its presence in the business banking market and this is leading to a growing workload for us, particularly from the bank’s Wolverhampton and Birmingham based business unit.

“There are synergies in our businesses that help strengthen the relationship. Our understanding of the sectors in which Santander is building a good reputation, including education, healthcare, medical and private care homes, allows us to see the context of the issues on which we are consulted. This ensures Santander pay only for the application of our expertise, not the time taken for our lawyers to get up to speed with the unique issues and challenges faced by each particular sector.”

Michael Gascoigne, Relationship Director at Santander, commented on the appointment: “We contract the support of a wide and varied panel of law firms, but one thing they all have in common is the consistently high quality of their advice, particularly those like SGH Martineau who have worked with us for many years.

“The determination of firms like SGH Martineau to engage with the sectors in which we operate and provide pragmatic, cost-effective advice, shaped by their genuine understanding of our needs is a major factor in our ongoing relationship. Sharing their knowledge and ensuring individuals connect at every level within our businesses, adds value to what is already an important association.”

Banking and Financial services remains one of the key sectors for SGH Martineau and is core to the firm’s recently revised sector-focussed strategy. This approach channels resources and talent to help the firm’s lawyers develop and demonstrate a deep knowledge of the selected sectors and understand the wider context of the matters for which they are engaged.

Naomi Tudor concludes: “Although the appointment process is relatively painless, maintaining a place on the panel confirms the quality of our service and the increasing workload is evidence of our ability to add value beyond the advice for which we are paid; we’re easy to work with and clearly that is an important consideration these days.”