Partner Paul Edels and senior paralegal Paul Rabbette are based in Bermans’ Liverpool office after both moved from Prosperity Law.

Paul Edels, who was head of corporate and commercial and head of healthcare at his previous firm, has acted for buyers and sellers of dental practices on more than 100 transactions across England and Wales over the past five years.

He has also advised on deals for pharmacies and children’s nurseries, as well as transactions involving manufacturing, insurance, property and construction businesses.

Alongside mergers and acquisitions, he acts for healthcare providers involved in disputes and litigation matters, and carries out commercial work including shareholder agreements, articles of association and contracts.

Before Prosperity Law, Paul worked at Goodman Grant Solicitors and then Acuity Law, which acquired the practice in 2022.

Paul said: “Bermans has a great reputation in the corporate field and I think of the firm as a regional powerhouse.

“The support across the practice is crucial for the work I do. This comes from our busy and successful corporate department, along with the excellent commercial property, full-service employment and finance teams, whose expertise complements the business transactions and improves the service to my clients.

“It’s an ideal time to join Bermans as the practice looks to expand its offering to the Liverpool and regional business community.”

Paul said the general mood in dentistry is one of concern following last month’s Budget.

“The sector took a battering, like all small businesses. The increases in employer’s national insurance and the minimum wage will hit them hard,” he said.

“Of particular concern is that the increase in employment allowance to ease the pain is not available to any business carrying out more than half of its work in the public sector, and therefore a large number of dental practices offering NHS treatments will be excluded. The government promised to help dentistry, yet this Budget has done the opposite.

“We may find more dentists move over from NHS to private work as a result, meaning NHS appointments will be even harder to find.

“The Budget will increase costs for businesses, which will affect all suppliers to the dental industry and will put further inflationary pressure on their goods and services, creating a knock-on effect for dentists.

“However, on the flip side, falling interest rates will help with finance and funding and will make purchases more affordable, so this will likely result in more dental practice transactions.”

Paul Rabbette joined Goodman Grant Solicitors in 2013 as an apprentice business administrator then switched to become a paralegal. He moved to Prosperity Law in June 2023.

During his legal career he has advised on corporate transactions across a range of sectors, including dental practices, pharmacies, construction and hospitality businesses and children’s nurseries, as well as providing advice on litigation matters.

He said: “Bermans is a well-known and highly reputable law firm with a vast wealth of lawyers who offer an excellent level of legal expertise across many sectors. I’m extremely excited to join the practice.”

Bermans is part of MAPD Group, which was founded by Brian Cullen and Joanna Kingston-Davies in 2020 to power the growth of local law firms nationally through acquisition. The initials stand for Making a Positive Difference.

Jon Davage, managing director of Bermans and the firm’s head of corporate, said: “The arrival of Paul Edels and Paul Rabbette bolsters our corporate offering in Liverpool, where we continue to work closely with the business and professional community.

“We appreciate that clients in the area want their advisers to understand the local market. With their extensive experience and knowledge of the region, we are confident our new recruits will fit into the Bermans culture and provide the high standard of service which our clients are used to.

“We are looking forward to welcoming further significant new arrivals over the next few months as we continue to grow all of our commercial teams with the backing of the MAPD Group.”