Why You Need an M&A Lawyer: Creative Deal Structures, Fees, and Choosing the Right Advisors | Natalie Knight WickensHost Charlie Tanner speaks with M&A lawyer and Spencer West partner Natalie Knight Wickens about what M&A lawyers bring to transactions and why having one is essential. Natalie outlines her 20-year career advising buyers and sellers, plus her roles as a non-executive director, former audit committee chair at HFL Education, chair of school governors, and co-owner of Ave Estate Company. They discuss March as a peak deal month, why deals with more cash on day one close faster than deferred payments, and how buyers can make offers attractive through vision and legacy, while using legally safe structures like charges over assets/shares, earnouts, consultancy arrangements, and equity at group level. Natalie shares pathways into M&A law, the importance of persistence and social media, and tips for choosing advisors: transparent fees (often fixed), clarity on who runs the deal, avoiding excessive team billing, and using M&A-experienced accountants and tax specialists to manage due diligence, earnout risk, and tax planning.00:00 Podcast Welcome00:52 Meet Natalie Wickens01:53 Board Roles Beyond Law03:17 March Deal Rush04:42 Creative Deal Structures08:47 Broker Jargon Problems11:09 Becoming an M&A Lawyer14:43 Social Media For Lawyers17:10 Acquisition Collective Events22:52 Growing Reach This Year25:24 Brokers vs Lawyers26:12 No Money Down Myth27:25 Shopping Around Pros29:44 Picking the Right Lawyer32:17 Corporate vs Independent34:38 Accountants for M&A37:18 Tax Planning After Exit39:23 Day Two Reality Check41:43 Buying Simple Businesses42:27 Unsexy Businesses Boom43:35 Events and Wrap Uphttps://www.linkedin.com/in/natalieknight-wicken/@frocksinthedock