Douglas Roberts
Douglas has over 23 years’ experience of advising on corporate legal matters including M&A, equity investments and corporate advisory work across a broad spectrum of clients, including SMEs, family businesses and start-ups. His general corporate experience spans a broad spectrum of sectors, including healthcare, technology, finance, retail, hospitality, engineering, energy supply and property.
Douglas is recognised as one of Scotland’s leading solicitors on employee ownership, having assisted with more than 35 transitions to employee ownership. He has also acted for Capital for Colleagues plc regarding investments in employee owned companies.
Further Douglas has developed a specialisation in sports law, acting for a number of sports clubs, governing bodies and individuals. He successfully represented clients in one of the highest profile sports law disputes in Scotland this century. Douglas worked in-house at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games regarding sponsorship, merchandising, broadcasting and ticketing.
Jurisdictions: Scotland, England & Wales
Practice Area
Panel
- Contributing Author
Qualified Year
- 2000
Experience
- Lindsays (Corporate Partner, Director, Partner) (2015 - 2023)
- MBM Commercial LLP (Associate) (2013 - 2015)
Membership
- The Law Society of Scotland
- The Law Society of England and Wales
Qualifications
- LLB (Hons) (1997)
- Diploma in Legal Practice (1998)
Education
- University of Aberdeen (1993 – 1998)
- The Edinburgh Academy (1984 - 1993)
2 Contributions by Douglas Roberts
PRACTICE NOTES
Disposals to Employee Ownership Trusts: UK legal, tax and transactional guidance on structure, funding, valuation, governance, risks, HMRC clearances and disqualifying events, including changes in Finance Acts 2025 and 2026.
What is an employee ownership trust
An employee ownership trust (EOT) is a distinct form of employee benefit trust (EBT) that must satisfy defined statutory conditions. EOTs were brought in by the Finance Act 2014, alongside particular tax advantages made available both to companies owned by an EOT and to individuals who transfer shares to an EOT. Where the strict legal requirements are not met in relation to the EOT, those tax reliefs will not apply. These statutory thresholds and conditions are central to qualification for any associated tax reliefs available under EOTs. For more information on EOTs and the legislative tests they are required to meet, see Practice Note: Employee ownership trusts. For guidance on pitfalls and frequent errors to watch for when establishing and running an EOT, see Practice Note: Pitfalls of setting up and operating an employee-ownership trust. EOTs can provide a robust route for succession planning and a substitute for more conventional exit options, including a third-party trade sale, or a management or private equity-backed buy-out. However, although the potential tax reliefs available to individuals who dispose of a controlling interest to an EOT can be highly attractive, moving to an EOT structure can be a...
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PRACTICE NOTES
Employee ownership trusts in the UK: statutory compliance, funding, valuation and governance pitfalls (including trustee independence), disqualifying events and employee incentives (2024–2025 reforms)
What is an employee ownership trust?
An employee ownership trust (EOT) is a distinct type of employee benefit trust that must satisfy specific statutory conditions. The EOT framework was introduced by the Finance Act 2014, together with certain tax advantages available to companies owned by an EOT and to individuals who dispose of shares to an EOT. If those statutory tests are not met in relation to the EOT, these reliefs will not apply. For general information on EOTs, including an overview of the key features and tax reliefs, see Practice Note: Employee ownership trusts. For more on the issues and considerations when selling a company to an EOT, including the necessary documentation and the overall sale process, see Practice Note: Sale of a business to an employee ownership trust. For guidance on a sale by the trustees of an EOT of a company already held within that EOT, see Practice Note: Sale of a company out of an employee ownership trust.
What are the pitfalls?
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