01Practice 01 of 05
Corporate &Commercial
For founders, boards and investors at the moments that shape a business.
We advise on the full life of a company: how it is set up, funded, governed, grown and, when the time comes, sold or passed on. Our work is commercial first. We read the deal the way our clients do, and then make sure the documents carry it.
Clients range from founders preparing for a first outside investor to family groups reorganising across several companies. The partner who takes the first call stays with the matter to completion.
01What we advise on
Corporate & Commercial
What we advise on
- 1.1
Mergers & acquisitions
Buying or selling shares or a business, from heads of terms and due diligence through to completion and the obligations that follow it.
- 1.2
Investment & fundraising
Seed to growth rounds for companies and investors: term sheets, subscription and shareholders’ agreements, and the approvals behind them.
- 1.3
Shareholder arrangements
Agreements between founders, families and investors that settle decision-making, deadlock, exits and transfers before they are tested.
- 1.4
Joint ventures
Contractual and corporate joint ventures, including governance, funding commitments and how the venture ends.
- 1.5
Commercial contracts
Supply, distribution, services, licensing and agency agreements written for how the business actually operates.
- 1.6
Corporate governance
Board process, directors’ duties, conflicts of interest and statutory records for private and growing companies.
02Typical matters
Described generically
The kind of workwe are asked to do.
These describe situations, not clients. AUREL & TAN is fictional, so there are no real matters, results or client names here — only the shape of the work.
- A
A founder-led company taking its first institutional investment, needing a shareholders’ agreement that still lets the founders run the business.
- B
A family group consolidating several operating companies under one holding company before bringing in an outside investor.
- C
The sale of an owner-managed business to a trade buyer, with warranties, a deferred payment and a transition period for the seller.
- D
Two established businesses forming a joint venture for a new market, with a clear route for either side to exit.
- E
A board reviewing its decision-making and records after an investor raised governance questions in due diligence.
03How we approach it
Corporate & Commercial
How we approach it
- 01
Commercial first
We start from what the client is trying to achieve, then decide what the documents must do — not the other way round.
- 02
Proportionate documents
A shareholders’ agreement for a two-founder company should not read like one for a listed group. We draft to the size of the risk.
- 03
One team across practices
Where a transaction touches property, employees or a family’s succession plans, those colleagues join early rather than at the end.
04Who leads it
3 lawyers in this practice
The lawyersyou would work with.
All people
05Questions clients ask
Before youask us.
When should we involve a lawyer in a transaction?
Earlier than most people expect — ideally before heads of terms are signed. The commercial points agreed at that stage are hard to reopen later, and a short review costs far less than renegotiating.
Can you work with our existing company secretary and accountants?
Yes. Most corporate clients already have advisers they trust. We agree at the outset who does what, so that work is not duplicated and nothing falls between advisers.
How are corporate matters usually priced?
Defined pieces of work, such as a shareholders’ agreement, are usually quoted as a fixed fee. Transactions are estimated by phase, and the estimate is reviewed with you if the scope changes.
06Related insights
Related insights
Consultation
Begin with ashort request.
The request will open with Corporate & Commercial already selected. Describe the situation briefly; a partner reads every request.
- 01Matter
- 02Outline
- 03Availability
- 04Review
Concept site: the request is a working demonstration and nothing is sent. Read the notice.