LEADING Trafford solicitors, Slater Heelis LLP has been recognised as one of the most active law firms in the North West last year.

The Slater Heelis Corporate team was ranked 10th for deals by volume in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland M&A Review table produced by data company Experian with a total of 21 transactions announced in 2016.

This is the second year in succession the corporate team has achieved this ranking.

The value of the deals completed by the firm was £181 million.

Key deals include a €45m deal for Polish bio-tech company Mabion, a £3 million fundraising round for pharmaceutical company Blueberry Therapeutics and the multi-million-pound sale of Aflex Hose Limited.

Simon Wallwork, a partner in the Corporate team at Slater Heelis - which has offices in Sale and Timperley - said: “The Manchester corporate finance community remained buoyant throughout 2016 defying fears that Brexit and Governmental changes could result in a slowdown in the deals completed.

“We have the market leading team in the North West of England for life sciences work with over 30 clients in this sector. We also act for a wide range of companies in the digital and telecoms sector and are prominent in the healthcare market for acquisitions and disposals.

“The team has a healthy pipeline of deals involving a range of businesses in the region and beyond in 2017 which we’re looking forward to completing.”

Chris Bishop, managing partner at Slater Heelis, said: “The corporate team has made huge progress over the past two years and this ranking is a testament to the skill and expertise within the team.”