Xabier de Beristain Humphrey

Partner

t / +44 (0) 203 909 9591

XABIER heads up the commercial and sports law department at Scornik Gerstein at our Oxford Street office.

Xabier helps busy business owners and HNWIs put in place the legal protections they need to be able to grow their businesses without being impacted by legal disputes (including High Court litigation and IP disputes), so that they can sell their company for maximum value. He takes care of the legal issues so you can focus on growing your business.

Unlike other English lawyers, Xabier can advise his clients in English, Spanish, French and German. Xabier has advised foreign heads of state and companies listed abroad in French and Spanish.

Having worked in banks, manufacturing and magic circle law firms in Paris, Munich, Madrid and London, he has an in-depth understanding of how different sectors operate.

After 10 years working of working across Europe, he decided he wanted to advise international business owners, rather than listed conglomerates, in a more holistic way: Xabier has set up, run and sold his own companies so he understands the challenges involved in running your own business and can provide commercial, as well as legal, solutions.

Now, Xabier serves as a ‘consiglieri’, Legal and Commercial Director and inhouse legal adviser for a range of international companies, business owners and CEOs.

Although we have offices in the City and Mayfair, our prices compete with regional firms.

Examples of Xabier’s recent work include:

Successfully running a €4M High Court claim (London) for a listed Spanish steel manufacturer. He ensured that after 2 years of failed negotiations by his client, they were paid the outstanding sum in full, plus interest;
Advising on the public sale of a UK software company to US-based software leader as part of $42M transaction. He restructured the payment mechanisms so that both directors received significantly more tax-free income;
Drafting Convertible Loan Note Programme for Anglo-Italian financial advisory company. He advised the company on a range of complicated loan structures, selected the most efficient solution, then drafted the relevant documentation accordingly;
Prosecuting an IP claim for a British insurance company against a US rival. A rival in the US operated an identical business under a similar name; Xabier successfully ran an infringement claim against them. This resulted in the US rival changing its trading name and his clients being able to grow their business in the US.

Xabier’s passion for sport also led him to found Division X Sports, a Sports Agency focussing on representation and negotiation of footballer’s contracts from the Premier League, English Football Leagues and La Liga to France, Argentina, Cyprus, Poland as well as advising in Premiership Rugby and World Title boxing contests.

If you’re planning to buy or sell a company, or are involved in a dispute, contact Xabier for a free initial 30-minute consultation to discuss your situation and plan your next steps.