Neil Cook

My Approach

I have a business background having trained and worked in commerce and owned my own business (Care Home). I seek to achieve my client’s objectives by providing a no-nonsense approach that expedites transactions in an efficient and professional manner whilst keeping the client informed of progress at all times.

Area of Expertise

• Business acquisitions and disposals
• Care Home regulation and law
• Company/Partnership formations/dissolution
• Company mergers and takeovers
• Shareholders' agreements
• Enterprise management incentives (EMI) share option schemes
• Loan agreements
• Share issues
• Commercial contracts and agreements
• Terms and conditions of trade
• Directors duties and liabilities
• Distribution agreements
• Shareholder disputes
• Corporate restructuring
• Insolvency work

Recent Work

• Representing the major shareholders in an engineering company in a multi million pound sale to a management led team
• Multiple sales and purchases of high value care homes in the South of England including the multi-million pounds Birds Hill in Poole
• Acting for both companies and Shareholders in share buy-back transactions
• Acting for a director/shareholder in complex loans and security arrangements as part of a property joint venture
• Acting for companies and, in other cases, shareholder employees in incentive share flowering schemes
• Acting for local companies in the implementation of EMI option schemes and other employee incentive matters
• Acting for a local international footwear branch in a seven figure exclusive distribution agreement for their products in Australia and New Zealand
• Acting for Swanage Railway in the implementation of its plans to extend its track and services to the Main Line at Wareham
• Acting for a local training company in its acquisition of Dutch and German Companies
• Working with Insolvency practitioners on pre-packs

Professional Associations & Qualifications

• Recognised as a key contact in Chambers & Partners UK Guide 2026 - "Ellis Jones provides a pragmatic approach with members of the team having run their own businesses."
• Recommended Lawyer by The Legal 500 2026 for Business Services
• Recommended Lawyer by The Legal 500 UK 2025 for Business Services - ‘Neil Cook brings real world experience of being in business to the strong professional services skills that he has.’
• Recommended Lawyer by The Legal 500 UK 2024 for Business Services - described as "good to deal with, commercially minded and with sound advice"
• Recommended Lawyer by The Legal 500 UK 2023 for Business Services - described as thoughtful, incisive and practical
• Recommended Lawyer by The Legal 500 (UK 2022) for Business Services – recognised for his substantial experience in care home transactions both locally and nationally and praised for understanding of commercial issues.
• Recommended Lawyer by The Legal 500 (UK 2020) for having 'extensive experience of the care home industry'.
• Recommended Lawyer by The Legal 500 (UK 2019) for having a 'good commercial background'.
• Recommended Lawyer by The Legal 500 (UK 2017) for being a 'highly personable' department head with increasing involvement in the care home sector
• Qualified as a solicitor in April 1981
• BA (Hons.) Law
• Admitted as a Solicitor and to the New York Bar

Press

• Expanding care home group purchases fourth home in Dorset