Addleshaw Goddard has announced the appointment of corporate heavyweight, Richard Hunt, as a partner in its Leeds based corporate practice – six months following the appointment of another leading dealmaker, Pete Wood from Pinsent Masons.

Richard joins from Squire Patton Boggs, where he is Head of the Leeds Corporate team advising on all aspects of M&A. He recently advised the shareholders of Poundworld Retail Holdings Limited on the sale to US private equity firm TPG Capital, a deal valued at £150 million.

Richard has built up considerable experience and industry recognition while at Squire Patton Boggs.  He is ranked in both Chambers & Partners 2018 and Legal 500 2017 with clients describing him as "always excellent, pragmatic and commercial."

Yunus Seedat, Addleshaw Goddard Corporate Division Managing Partner, said:

"Richard is a significant and exciting hire. He is an established name in the Yorkshire market, known and respected by the whole community with a great transactional record and stellar client following. His appointment alongside Pete Wood and the existing five-strong AG Corporate partner team, provides a market leading capability to attract and resource a greater share of corporate work locally as well as from across the UK.

"We want to be, to the extent we aren't already, the first choice for every significant mandate in the local Yorkshire market and so we are delighted that Richard and Pete were sufficiently persuaded by our track record and ambition, both in Corporate, and more generally across the business, to want to join the team."

Addleshaw Goddard's seven partner Leeds-based corporate practice is distinguished in the local market by its size alongside its pre-eminent reputation in private equity and M&A as well as for retail financial services transactions where it is the market leader outside of London.

It is ranked by Experian as one of the most active dealmakers in the Yorkshire market. In 2017, the team completed 40 plus deals with a combined value in excess of £2billion including several of the market's largest and highest profile assignments:

• 3i and LDC’ : exit from MKM building supplies (the UKs largest independent builders merchant), to Bain Capital
• two IPOs : including the AIM listing of Sumo Digital
• Go Outdoors : sale to JD Sports
• Northedge Capital : £103m sale of Fine Industries
• Stadium Group : multi-million sale of four retail parks
• Metro Bank: acquisition of a portfolio of UK mortgages from private equity group Cerberus European Residential Holdings B.V. for approximately £597 million