SERVICES
FOR BUSINESS
COMMERCIAL SOLICITORS IN READING & HENLEY
From your initial enquiry through to the conclusion of your legal matter, we will make every effort to tailor our services to meet the precise requirements of you and your business. We take a holistic approach to build long-term relationships with our clients, pooling the expertise of specialist commercial teams and looking ahead to the future.
We will ensure we explain your options in plain English and provide a transparent breakdown of our fee structure, meaning you can have complete confidence about the choices you make and how they fit with your overall priorities. You can decide on the level of support and contact with which you feel comfortable.
Start-up and funding
We provide common sense, commercial and value-added legal advice to entrepreneurs, start-ups and early stage businesses. Our primary goal is to provide you with the legal advice that you need to succeed which supports, rather than frustrates, the growth of the business during the start-up and scale up phases.
We advise start-up and scaleup clients on a broad range of legal matters, including:
- the appropriate business structure and drafting shareholder agreements
- private equity, venture capital and angel fundraising
- share schemes
- intellectual property issues
- privacy and data protection, including GDPR compliance
- contract formation and contract management
- employment contracts, policies and procedures
- the grant of leases and sub-leases of commercial property.
THP Solicitors have strong contacts with angel and seed funds, venture capital and private equity firms, banks and other sources of funding and have helped our clients get the much needs cash injection they require to help their business grow and develop. Our team works on a full spectrum of transactions, from incorporation through to successive financing rounds and exits. We are experienced with helping secure funding for our clients from major institutional lenders and independent lenders and can help with your financing needs.
We are very aware of the budget limitations of small businesses and factor that into our advice, including an initial free consultation to advise you on the best steps forward. Contact Sanjay Soni or Malcom Head to see how we can help with your business.
Terms, Conditions & Contracts
Properly drafted terms, conditions and contracts are the bedrock of any successful business. As your business grows and you introduce new products or services, you’ll need to review your general terms and conditions of business, or the contracts which reflect particular transactions or relationships with customers and suppliers. A well drafted agreement can add significant value to your business whereas poorly drafted documents can be worse than no document at all.
Terms and conditions may all look much the same if you just skim them briefly but in fact they vary greatly because they can cover many different situations and should reflect the business they are written for. We unfortunately spend quite a lot of time advising people who have ‘copied and pasted’ T&Cs without understanding them and find out too late they are not fit for their business when they need to rely on them.
It is vital to understand and be able to enforce your rights in any business relationship, we will ensure that you set the right tone in your negotiations and that you manage the progress of your contracts to ensure the best results for you and your business.
Terms & Conditions, contracts and commercial agreements need to reflect your business, so we strive to understand how you work and we tailor our agreements to fit your business requirements. We can draft, advise and negotiate on a range of commercial contracts for the provision of goods and services and make sure that your business is protected by written agreements that meets your needs and protects you interests and assets. Contact Sanjay Soni or Malcom Head to see how we can help with your business.
Corporate Structures
- Share allotments and new issues
- Creating different classifications of shares
- Subscription and Investment Agreements
- Shareholder Agreements and Joint Venture Agreements
- Off market share purchases
- Share cancellations
- Sub-division of share capital
- Loan notes
- Reducing share capital
We act for businesses of all sizes, from sole traders looking to move to larger premises to large companies or investors wanting to expand or dispose of their property portfolio, with vacant possession or subject to occupational leases.
We understand the commercial imperative that lies behind the need for professional legal support in commercial property sales or acquisitions, and we keep the business objectives in front of mind so that our legal advice is credible, cost-effective and practical in their marketplace.
Shareholder Agreements
The structure for running a limited company is set out in its Memorandum and Articles of Association as registered at Companies House. However, in a small privately owned company this does not give the owner necessary protection and appropriately document the relationship between shareholders.
It is vital that the shareholders prepare a Shareholders Agreement which documents what happens if:
- a shareholder wants to leave, how the relationship is terminated, how the assets are valued and whether the shares remain with the shareholder or whether they are required to return to the company
- if a shareholder dies what happens to their shares, how they are valued and whether they are passed to their beneficiaries or whether they are required to come back into the company
- there is an arm’s length transfer of shares or an offer for the company
- on a day-to-day basis, how the business is run, what decisions need to be unanimous and what can be left to individual shareholders
Mergers & Acquisitions
We have many years of experience both buying and selling all types and sizes of organisations. If you are considering purchasing or selling a business then take advantage of our initial free interview to prepare you for the process and outline the type process you will need to follow.
We are experienced at guiding businesses and their management team from the early stages of negotiation all the way through to completion. We understand that if you are buying or selling that there is a need to move as quickly as you require without compromising the protections you need.
- the need for Non-disclosure and Confidentiality Agreements at the beginning or prior to negotiations
- all aspects of Legal Due Diligence
- preparing Heads of Terms
- preparing, negotiating and concluding the sales/purchase agreements for the business, and the warranties and disclosure letters which underpin the transaction
Partnership Agreements
Choosing the appropriate partnership structure for your business venture is important because it affects many aspects down the road such as legal protection and levels of taxation. It also not a simple matter to change structures later.
Whilst there is no legal obligation requiring a business partnership to put in place a Partnership Agreement it is very important to do so in order to regulate the business relationship because the law does not adequately provide for many issues which can arise in the modern world.
It is vital that Partners in a business address and document the following:
- on a day to day basis, how the Partnership is run, what decisions need to be unanimous and what can be left to individual Partners
- how profits and losses of the business are to be distributed
- how the decision-making process is to be implemented and votes are distributed
- if a Partner wants to leave, or dies, how the relationship is terminated and how the assets and the profits of the business are divided
Franchising, Agency & Distribution
- franchise operation structure and documentation
- agency and distribution agreements
- intellectual property usage and protection
- compliance and the necessary registrations
- confidentiality agreements
- data protection
- consultancy and outsourcing agreements
- legal implications for franchisors, franchisees, agents, agencies, distributors