arch.law has expanded its corporate and commercial capabilities with the appointment of experienced corporate lawyer Stephen Jarman as a Portfolio Member.
Based in the North West, Stephen joins arch.law following senior roles at a number of regional firms, including Taylors and Bermans, and latterly at national practice Clarke Willmott, bringing more than 35 years’ experience advising businesses, entrepreneurs, investors and management teams on a broad range of corporate transactions and strategic matters.
Stephen has particular expertise in mergers and acquisitions, shareholder arrangements, business structuring, private company investments and wider commercial advisory work, acting for clients across a multitude of sectors including engineering, software development and SAAS.
His appointment continues arch.law’s strategic growth across senior legal talent and follows a sustained period of expansion for the international legal business, which recently completed its third acquisition in five years and now has 140 lawyers and professionals across its UK and international hubs.
Recent transactions Stephen has advised on include:
- the sale of Darlington EMS Limited to Swedish listed company Storskogen (Storskogen acquires leading UK electronics manufacturer – Storskogen)
- the reacquisition of One Iota Limited by its original founders (Serial entrepreneurs return to acquire tech business they formed in 2010)
- the acquisition of Peter McCallum Transport Limited by Heaunique Group (Group Announcement We’re proud to announce that Heaunique Group has acquired Cars in Camera, ACH Special Vehicles Ltd, and Straight Eight Special Vehicles Ltd. • Heaunique – time-critical 1–2… | Kyle Hewitt)
- the secondary MBO of Woodcock & Wilson, industrial fan manufacturers in Huddersfield
- the MBO of Lyndon Systems, a vehicle conversion business, in Doncaster
- the sale of Chapmans Seafoods, frozen fish processor in Grimsby
Speaking about his move, Stephen Jarman said:
“arch.law’s model is genuinely aligned with how many experienced lawyers now want to work and support clients. The ability to combine entrepreneurial freedom with high-quality infrastructure, international reach and a collaborative community was a major attraction for me.
“Clients increasingly expect commercially-focused, responsive legal advice delivered in a more agile way, and arch.law provides a framework that supports that approach. I’m looking forward to building my business further as part of arch.law.”
Andrew Leaitherland, CEO of arch.law, added:
“Stephen is a highly regarded corporate lawyer with an excellent reputation in the North West market and beyond. His appointment reflects the calibre of senior lawyers continuing to join arch.law as we expand internationally and further strengthen our offering to businesses, investors and entrepreneurial leadership teams.
“Over the past five years we have built a collaborative international business designed around how experienced lawyers increasingly want to operate – combining flexibility, technology, cross-border opportunities and strong client relationships. Stephen’s commercial approach and market experience make him an excellent fit for arch.law.”
Founded in 2021, arch.law operates a distributed legal model, supporting experienced lawyers to build and grow their own practices backed by shared infrastructure, technology, compliance and international collaboration.
The business continues to expand across the UK and internationally, including growth across Australia, Canada and the Middle East.
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