Lawbright

We bring light to law

We help people in business to:

Start up

When you first establish a business, it’s crucial to start out on the best legal footing. One that gives you and your business the protection of a legal framework that helps both the business and the relationships within it run smoothly from the outset.

Many new companies simply adopt the arrangements set out on the model articles of the Companies Act. But this is a ‘one size fits all’ approach that doesn’t offer the best setup for you and your business.

It’s generally worth investing in bespoke articles and a written shareholders’ agreement customised to your specific requirements.

  • What happens if a shareholder retires or dies

    We help you agree in advance what will happen to the shares in your business if a shareholder leaves, retires or dies

    We help you to decide whether or not you want to establish a ‘first option to buy’, this is where shares are offered to existing shareholders first

  • Who can make important decisions

    We help you put agreements in place to make sure everyone knows how, and by whom, important decisions about the company and the running of the business can and cannot be made

    These may include setting up agreed thresholds and permissions for sign-off to borrow money, enter into contracts and sell the business

  • Dividends

    We help you decide whether or not to have a dividend policy (and, if so, write it)

  • Agree initial and future funding

    We help you agree initial and future funding by the shareholders, and whether this is considered an equity investment or a repayable loan to the company

  • Protect the business

    You may wish to protect the business from shareholders establishing a competitive business, or leaving to join competitors, or poaching employees and customers

  • Help to avoid potential disagreements

    We help you create clarity to help to avoid potential disagreements, for example, in respect of the services and assets shareholders are bringing to the business

Our client stories

When Amanda left a leadership position at a large corporate to set up her own business, she brought with her a wealth of experience in training and development.

We helped her establish her initial terms of engagement, determine how the initial funding and shareholdings would be structured, and put a strong legal framework in place to help her new venture thrive. Having a clear set of contracts in place helped her as she brought new clients and investors on board, and meant she could focus her efforts on developing the business from a really strong position.

Get in touch

Whether you’re working out whether you need legal advice, want to speak to a different solicitor about an ongoing issue, or need to refer your own clients for specialist advice, we’d be pleased to help.

We offer an initial free consultation to talk through how we can help you and your business.

Lawbright.

Please call us on 01794 336552
or email us at

paul@lawbright.co.uk

caroline@lawbright.co.uk