About Us
Robin Hartley — Primary Advisor
For nearly two decades I've specialised in employee ownership and exit planning, advising business owners on the commercial, financial and structural decisions involved in selling a business to an employee ownership trust (EOT). Over that time I've advised on sales with a combined value in excess of £500 million, helping owners understand the trade-offs between seller value, management incentives and long-term employee benefit.
My career has been centred on employee ownership throughout, including while working in major commercial law firms, Big-4 accountancy and financial services. Over that time, I have advised businesses of all sizes — from owner-managed SMEs to private-equity-backed groups and global PLCs — across a wide range of sectors and transaction types.
That experience spans mergers and acquisitions, distressed and turnaround situations, the sale of employee-owned businesses, and the design and implementation of employee reward and incentive arrangements. My work has consistently combined corporate, tax and financial analysis, with employee ownership at the core of the advice.
About Level
Level is a different kind of law firm — one built around expertise, collaboration and a modern way of working. It is an award-winning, London-based firm that brings together specialist lawyers who are not only expert in their fields but also committed to a collegial, supportive culture that benefits clients and colleagues alike.
Level has been recognised in The Times Best Law Firms and ranked in both Chambers and Legal 500, including Band 1 rankings in key areas. The breadth and quality of its lawyers — covering corporate, commercial, dispute resolution, employment, media, technology and more — means clients working in complex commercial environments benefit from deep, practical expertise across disciplines.
Unlike traditional hierarchical law firms, Level embraces a progressive and collegial structure that emphasises equality, inclusion and collaboration. The firm's fee-sharing model and flat internal culture encourage shared responsibility, peer learning and stability — attributes that matter when advising on significant, multi-year transitions like employee ownership.
Why This Matters for You
Employee ownership transactions are cross-disciplinary by nature: they touch on corporate, tax, financing, governance and employment issues. Having a primary adviser experienced in the financial and commercial nuances of exits — backed by a firm with depth across legal disciplines — means owners get both strategic insight and technical execution.
Level's structure supports this:
- Lawyers operate with real autonomy but also shared standards and shared knowledge.
- The culture is collaborative, not hierarchical, which means solutions are shaped by reasoned argument and experience, not internal politics.
- Clients benefit from a team that understands the commercial realities of modern business — not just legal checklists.
In short, when you work with me you're supported by a firm that combines real-world experience, respected legal authority and a modern way of operating — all of which align with the way you think about planning, value and long-term success.
The Team Behind the Advice
Level is made up of a broad range of specialists across legal disciplines, from corporate and M&A to employment, intellectual property and dispute resolution. This breadth means tax, structuring and deal execution are informed not just by isolated expertise but by integrated legal judgement.
Our collective experience means that even highly technical or sensitive aspects of a sale — whether that's resolving contractual ambiguities, managing regulatory engagement or aligning incentives — are handled in the context of your business objectives.
Our Philosophy
Two principles guide how we work:
- Clarity over complexity. We explain options in business terms, not legalese.
- Collaboration over hierarchy. Solutions come from discussion and judgement, not edicts.
Level's culture and structure reinforce both: lawyers are empowered to contribute, challenged to think rigorously, and supported to deliver outcomes that are commercially sound and practically implementable.
Contact
If you'd like to explore whether an employee ownership exit makes sense for your business — or simply want to understand what value and incentives could look like in practice — I'm happy to talk it through:
A first conversation is exploratory and confidential, with no obligation to proceed.