Commercial & Corporate solicitors

At the points where the cost of getting it wrong exceeds the fee: contracts with major customers or suppliers, taking on investment, bringing in shareholders or directors, buying or selling the business, and any dispute that reaches the stage of lawyers' letters. Routine day-to-day matters your team can usually handle.

A private contract between the owners of a company covering the things the articles of association do not: how shares are transferred, what happens if someone wants to leave or dies, decision thresholds, dividend policy and deadlock resolution. It is one of the cheapest protections a growing company can buy, and far easier to agree before money is at stake.

Most settle through negotiation or mediation without a trial. Courts actively encourage alternatives to litigation because they are faster and cheaper, and many contracts now require mediation or arbitration before proceedings. Your solicitor's first job in any dispute is an honest costs-versus-benefits view, not a claim form.

Due diligence and the sale agreement carry the weight. The investigation covers accounts, tax, contracts, employees, property and litigation; the agreement converts what you found into warranties and indemnities that protect you after completion. The quality of that drafting is usually the difference between a safe purchase and an expensive surprise.