Commercial

Real people, ready to act

We build lasting relationships with the businesses we advise. Rather than passing you between departments, you'll work directly with a primary contact who understands your priorities and is always just at the end of the phone. It's the expertise of a leading City practice, delivered with the responsiveness of a close-knit team.

By your side, whatever your size

From ambitious start-ups to established organisations planning their next move, we understand the pressures of running a business. Our role is to make the legal side straightforward, with pragmatic advice, clear answers and no surprises.

Across our four offices, our partners and associates provide joined-up commercial guidance that covers: 

Commercial contracts

We draft, review and negotiate a wide range of commercial agreements – supply contracts, cross-border agency and distribution arrangements, franchising, collaboration or R&D agreements, and terms of business. We’ll construct something that’s clear, workable and holds up when it matters.

Terms and conditions & website documentation

Standard terms and online documentation often receive less attention than they deserve. We advise on drafting and updating terms and conditions, template supply contracts, privacy policies and related documents. We’ll make sure they reflect how your business actually operates and provide protection where it’s needed.

Shareholder documentation

Disputes between shareholders or directors tend to reflect arrangements that were never clearly defined in the first place. We advise on shareholder agreements, Articles of Association, governance frameworks and ownership structures, usually with future investment, growth or succession in mind.

Debt and equity finance

We regularly assist business clients with their fundraising. This can be borrowing from high street or private banks, private equity or individual lenders. We also advise on all types of equity investment, whether from large private equity investors or friends and family.

Corporate transactions 

We help founders, shareholders and investors to navigate complex transactions - whether you’re expanding, attracting investment, restructuring or planning an exit. Find out more here.

Fees

We discuss fees at the outset of any engagement. Commercial work varies considerably in scope and we give clear estimates at the start and keep clients informed if anything changes.

FAQs

Do I need written terms and conditions? Not always as a matter of law, but almost always as a matter of commercial best practice. Written terms define the relationship, limit exposure and give you something to rely on if things go wrong. Terms put together from templates or copied from competitors tend to have gaps that only become apparent when a dispute arises.

What goes wrong with poorly drafted commercial contracts? Usually: genuine ambiguity about what was agreed, provisions that seemed sensible at the time but don't work in practice, and gaps that favour the other side. Good drafting is largely about anticipating those problems before they occur rather than resolving them afterwards.

When should I take commercial legal advice? Before things are agreed, where possible. Once heads of terms are signed or a deal is announced, options narrow. Early advice tends to be both cheaper and more useful than dealing with the consequences of arrangements that were not properly thought through.