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Our company and commercial law solicitors cover a full range of legal services to help a business navigate the various company and commercial events that may arise in its lifetime.

We give a highly responsive, personal service in a straightforward manner, with reasonable prices. In most cases we can offer small businesses a free initial consultation and fixed prices on any legal issue. Our legal team can advise on:

Mergers and Acquisitions

If you are selling the shares in your company or buying a business and its assets, we will protect you from the start with experienced business advice that identifies the pitfalls and keeps you informed from the start. Buy or sell a company with the backing of lawyers who have done it all before hundreds of times.

Business Disposals

The exit strategy and sale process can often start many months before a buyer is identified. We can talk to you at an early stage about what to expect in a company share sale and how to best prepare your business for sale. We have a wide range of contacts, including accountants and financial advisers who can help you with financial planning to ensure that your exit is structured in the most tax efficient way.

Management Buy-Outs

A management buy-out involves the business being sold to its existing management team, or to other key employees who are stepping up into the management role. Although the relationship between seller and buyer is often good and a high level of trust exists, a management buy-out or ‘MBO’ can be among the trickiest transactions. Funds are often tight and creative solutions are usually required to allow payment over a long period of time in a way that protects the departing seller.

Renaming, Sub-Dividing or Varying Share Rights

We specialise in all flavours of share reorganisations. Often these are instigated by the company accountant who is able to find a structure that is most tax efficient for the shareholders, but involve re-jigging the way the shares are held. Perhaps, this will be giving shares to spouses, or creating voting and non-voting shares, or incentivising a key employee by awarding shares linked to continued future employment. In all cases we work with the business owners to ensure that they are protected against individual circumstances changing in the future or people leaving the business.

Commercial Contracts

A company may come across with a wide variety of contracts in its lifetime, from simple terms and conditions with a supplier, to non-disclosure agreements with key clients, to franchising, distribution and sales agency agreements. Other common business contracts are licensing deals, royalty agreements, introducers or commission agreements, freelancer or sub-contractor agreements, service level agreements, guarantees, indemnities and joint ventures. You name it, we’ve likely seen it(!) and can guide you through what to look out for in the small print.

Intellectual Property

We are able to protect you and your business by advising on the assignment and licensing of the major forms of intellectual property, and for the protection and effective utilisation of confidential information. The right type of intellectual property protection will prevent people from copying or stealing your idea.

Terms and Conditions

For most businesses, a standard set of terms and conditions is the minimum legal requirement to begin trading. We help a broad range of businesses in a wide variety of sectors and can draft a set of terms and conditions tailored to meet your needs.

Start-Ups and Entrepreneurs

We love meeting new start-ups. Some of our commercial lawyers have themselves run their own business and they understand the ups and downs. We value the need to keep things simple and reasonable.

Partnerships, LLPs and Joint Ventures

Without a partnership agreement the business partners have to look to the Partnership Act 1890 – one of the oldest laws still in common use (which usually means having to consult a business solicitor). A well drafted partnership agreement can protect a partnerships, LLP or joint venture and reduce the possibility of expensive and acrimonious disputes in the future.

Cross-Option Agreements

A cross-option agreement deals with what happens within a company upon the death or critical illness of one of the shareholders. There are potentially some undesirable outcomes for the unfortunate shareholder and also the company. A cross-option agreement can protect against things getting messy.

Franchising

From cleaning services to food outlets, our team of franchise solicitors act for franchisees and franchisors of any size and at any stage of their business lifecycle. We have a broad range of expertise which covers franchise agreement drafting or reviews, leases, employment law, disputes and mediation, trademarks, business sales and purchases and much more.

Online Trading

From website trading terms and conditions, to dealing with trade names and domain names, to download licences or GDPR issues, the right legal help can help you stay compliant when trading online.

Please get in touch if you have a specific company or commercial law enquiry. Our solicitors can advise on the options available to you.

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