Business/Share Sales & Purchases
The sale or purchase of a business can be an elaborate process – that’s why we make the complex simple for our clients by working with you every step of the way.
Purchasing a business
This is a big step regardless of if it’s your first business purchase or one of many. We offer pragmatic and commercially sound advice to all potential business purchasers and will work with you to get/do what is in your best interest at every stage of the journey.
Our experienced and dedicated Commercial Law team have worked successfully with purchasers of businesses of all sizes. We have special expertise in:
- Contract Negotiation: Reaching an agreement that is in your best interest while ensuring that you understand the complexities and obligations of any such agreement;
- Due Diligence: Advising on the steps to be taken to ensure that you fully understand the business you are looking to purchase, its past performance, any potential liabilities and any contracts you would be taking on;
- Corporate Structure: We can discuss with you the various ownership and shareholder structures you may wish to put in place. With the purchase of a new business you may also be considering changing the structure of an organization, such as reducing hierarchical levels, downsizing the employees, redesigning the job positions and changing the reporting relationships;
- Settlement: Our specialist legal and accounts team will handle all elements of the transaction for you, making sure that you are fully informed and consulted every step of the way. Receiving all the necessary keys, passwords, accounts and contact details is on the to-do list for any business purchase and we will support you to ensure this goes smoothly; and
- ‘The Unknown’: We know that our role in your business purchase doesn’t end once funds change hands and the keys are in your pocket. There can be issues or challenges that were unforeseeable (despite everyone’s best efforts!) and we will be there to support you through this and help you to solve any problems that arise.
Selling a Business
The sale of your business can happen for many reasons. You may be at the point of retirement or just want to take a step back, you may be looking to capitalise on your success to invest in other projects, or you may just have been made an offer you cannot refuse.
Whatever the reason, there are a lot of steps when it comes to selling a business and our Commercial Team are able to advise you at every stage of the process, no matter how big or how small your business is. From finding a broker to selling privately, reviewing offers to deciding a settlement date, our experienced and dedicated Commercial Team are with you to deliver sound commercial advice and reach an agreement that is in your best interests.
Getting the top dollar may not be what’s most important to you, there are other factors to consider like your reputation and that of your legacy, your intellectual property and whether or not you are retaining the rights to it. You may also wish to ensure that a new business owner takes care of your most loyal staff. While each agreement is different, we will help you to negotiate what’s most important to you when selling your business.