Services > Corporate, Business & Employment Law

Corporate and commercial services

Our specialist skills and experience can help you start a business, obtain finance agreements, draw up and agree contracts, buy and sell a business or put shareholder and partnership agreements in place. We can also ensure your copyright, trade mark or other intellectual property rights are protected. At the opposite end of the scale we can supply debt recovery services or deal with insolvency issues.

Buying and selling businesses
Businesses evolve and change all the time, while new opportunities arise for diversifying, changing or even selling the type of business you are involved in. Irrespective of whether you wish to buy or sell a business, our team of specialists can guide you through the various stages and agreements required to provide smooth passage, ensuring no surprises or liabilities emerge in the future.

Shareholder and partnership agreements
Our team can help you to set up your limited company, appoint the directors and obtain the Certificate of Incorporation for a Private Limited Company or unlisted Public Company and the Memorandum and Articles of Association required to commence trading. We can also provide a critical reference point for guidance on the duties and responsibilities of Directors and Officers of the company.

There are various issues to consider at the outset: for example, who the partners are, the division of shares and how profits (and losses) are shared. Advice from our team of specialists during this stage is vital and the agreement should also be reviewed periodically to take account of any changes e.g. the inclusion of new shareholders or partners.

Copyright, trade mark and other intellectual property rights
Copyright gives the creators of specific types of items the right to decide how they are used. Original literature, documents, typographic or published editions of work, software, sound recordings (such as CDs) and films (including VCRs and DVDs) are all classed as being protected by copyright.

Trade Marks give the owner the exclusive right to a name as an indicator of origin. Trade Marks can be an important and valuable part of the goodwill of any business.

If these are key to the success of your business, it is vital you protect your rights in the event that a competitor or other source uses them, or adapts them for their own purposes. We can provide advice on your rights and the scope for pursuing legal means to exploit your copyright and prevent infringement.

Corporate finance and capital raising
We can help with raising extra capital whether to fund expansion, by organic growth or by acquisition. Our team regularly acts in debt and equity deals, helping to ensure that the strategic aims of our clients can be achieved.

Business start-up
Setting up your own business can be the most exciting and satisfying decision you ever make. But while the potential rewards can be enormous, so can the risks. Our dedicated team can ensure you receive help and advice to provide a sound platform to start your business venture.

During the initial discussion or meeting we can help you decide if you should operate as a sole trader, form a partnership or form a limited company. We can also examine if more recent alternatives, such as self-employed agencies or franchising, provide better scope. Whatever your plans, our expertise and experience is designed to help make your venture a success.

Finance agreements
We can help you with advice on financing and acquiring premises (where required). In addition, we can assist with drawing up and preparing your business plan, so that you obtain the financial support you need to secure the start-up funds for your business proposition.

Contracts
If your business is to be fully protected in the event of a dispute, it is essential that you get professionally drafted contracts, or standard terms of business, drawn up. A written contract enables you to have an exact record of what you will provide as a service or goods for customers. It should also encompass related matters, such as the method and timing of payments due.

We can draft contracts and terms of business to ensure your business is protected at outset.

Insolvency
Our practitioners specialise in helping business clients faced with severe financial difficulties. The complex laws surrounding the issues of receivership, bankruptcy, liquidation, administration, winding up and the disqualification of directors, require expert professional advice to ensure the process runs as smoothly as possible.

Our team can recommend the best course of action to deal with bankruptcy, individual or company voluntary arrangements, administration orders and winding up petitions.

Share Schemes
Setting up a share scheme can seem like a daunting task. We can help set up the scheme and prepare the documentation necessary to make sure your scheme is a success.

Regulatory Compliance
Businesses face a daunting array of regulatory requirements. Our team can help you review your operations to ensure compliance and where necessary liaise closely with regulators such as Financial Services Authority, Takeover Panel, Serious and Organised Crime Agency and the Office of Fair Trading.

Franchising
Whether buying a franchise or looking at expanding your business by way of franchising we can help. Our team can guide you through the necessary documentation to ensure your venture is a success.