In House Legal Services

There are significant weaknesses to the ‘as and when’ approach to getting legal support. By the time you instruct a solicitor, you may already be at a disadvantage with a legal issue further down the line than it might otherwise have been, or it may have been avoided altogether if you got legal advice earlier e.g. before a contract was signed.

Our close knit and experienced commercial lawyers will work together as an extension of your management team, saving you time and money, providing consistent and quality legal advice, helping you spot opportunities, and reduce risk.

A key benefit of in-house legal support is the development of ‘trusted adviser’ relationship with your solicitor. With that, comes a sense of security for you that your legal adviser already knows you, your business operations, and aspirations well, and that this knowledge will form an integral part of that solicitor’s legal advice and support.

We work with our clients to identify and proactively manage risks and threats which, if not addressed, may cause significant disruption to their current business operations, as well as future plans and strategies. We are also often used as a ‘sounding board’ enabling management teams to check out issues they are unsure of without the additional expense of instructing external solicitors.

At the outset, our team will

• take the time to become familiar with your business and the market it operates in
• develop working relationships with key members of your team, engaging with your company’s management from sales to IT to manufacturing and finance and at board level
• identify the areas where your business needs legal advice and support and co-design with you how best to deliver it
• provide proactive legal support and direction based on an understanding of your organisation’s regulatory environment.

We will agree in advance a retainer fee, with support tailored to your requirements which can bring significant cost efficiencies. Should any one-off legal matters occur that go beyond the planned retainer we will be able to advise you on any additional fees and have specialist legal experts on hand should their skills be required, ensuring that you get the advice you need in a targeted way.

Our clients have the security of knowing they have access to qualified, experienced lawyers who know their business and who are on hand exactly when needed.

• Advise in relation to customers and supplies – Responding and reviewing contracts and terms and conditions issued by your customers and suppliers whose strength in the marketplace demands you work with their documents.
• Creating strong commercial agreements – Drafting and structuring the content of your contracts and terms and conditions which you can use when your negotiation position gives you the strength to insist.
• Operational – Advising on the legal commercial structure and administration of your business, including corporate compliance in board meetings and shareholder communications.
• Commercial Property – Negotiating leases, selling and acquiring premises.
• Corporate – Due diligence and deal structure for mergers, acquisitions, and company divestments.
• Dispute resolution – Advising on a case should a commercial disagreement escalate including potential legal actions and proceedings.
• Employment law – Drafting employment contracts and advising on disciplinaries and dismissals.

We know that no two businesses are exactly alike, however, certain types of organisations and the environments they work within do have common attributes. Our experience of working within these vertical sectors means we have in-depth knowledge of the common issues and pitfalls and can give strategic advice on both cross-spectrum company law and more sector-specific regulatory issues.

• Creative Industries – We work with theatres, festival and performance companies, venues, photographers, designers and advertising agencies to help them protect, diversify and develop their creative businesses. Whether you are a creative entrepreneur, or an established creative business, we can support you with a wide range of legal services including contracts & creative rights management, data protection & privacy laws, regulation & entertainment licensing, mergers and acquisitions, employment, property and leases.
• Healthcare – We provide practical legal solutions and support to health care professionals and can provide you with a full range of specialist solutions tailored to your needs whether you are seeking to acquire or sell a practice, manage the retirement of a principal, have regulatory concerns or employment issues. We act for social care providers of all types including care homes, residential homes, nursing homes and domiciliary care providers. This enables our solicitors to identify common areas on which you may need specialist legal advice and offer you affordable legal solutions.
• Manufacturing – Our solicitors offer expert legal advice to businesses of all shapes and sizes, with particular expertise in the industrial sector and manufacturing. We know the pressures businesses in these sectors face including increased regulations, tighter margins and brand protection. Our team will work with you to ensure that your business runs smoothly, and you are well placed for any hurdles you may encounter including negotiating contracts, corporate matters, dealing with disputes, commercial property, employment matters, mergers, acquisitions, disposals and exits.
• Technology – We are experienced in helping clients in the technology sector at all stages of their growth, from start-ups needing funding to established businesses looking to acquire or exit. We have particular expertise in software, services and AI, and understand what is critical to business success in the technology sector. We advise clients on suitable contracts to manage the risks associated with IT supply, procurement and delivery.
• SMEs and OMBs – Small and medium enterprises and owner-managed businesses are at the heart of our client-base. Whilst SMEs may span many industry sectors, they often share the same issues of limited time and resources and the need for cost-effective, practical legal advice. We can relieve owner-managers, directors, shareholders and investors of the burden of many of the increasingly complex legal administrative tasks they need to undertake to be legally compliant, enabling them to concentrate on running their business, and making compliance with law and regulation less onerous.
• Partnerships – We understand the legal complexities of partnerships and can advise on the commercial and strategic issues involved. Our Corporate & Commercial team have prepared Partnership Agreements for all types and sizes of business and can guide you through all of the compliance requirements which are necessary to put in place to establish and register a partnership.
• Franchises & Agencies – We have a comprehensive understanding of franchise and agency businesses and can provide advice on transactions and legal matters for the complete range of the franchisors and franchisees, agent and agency, business and legal needs, from establishing and growing systems to managing relationships.
• International – We have a track record of advising overseas clients on setting up and running their businesses in the UK, across a wide range of sectors. We work with the subsidiaries of overseas corporations, who value the local legal expertise we can provide for their UK-based operations. We are used to liaising with remote headquarters as well as local management to ensure a smooth and consistent approach to their legal requirements, with proportionate support and costs.