Business Law

Business Contracts and Agreements

If Cashflow is the lifeblood of a business, contracts are its immune system. The fact is, damaging disputes can easily arise if you don't protect your interests effectively with the right contracts.

We'll tailor your contracts precisely to the needs of your business, to protect your position in crucial areas such as payment terms, ownership in goods, retention of title, delivery of goods and performance of services, and any restrictions on your liability as the supplier.

Our expertise means your terms and conditions will minimize the potential for problems arising in the future.

Business Law – it's crucial that the relationships within and between businesses are well defined.

There are three key business benefits you should enjoy when contracts are well thought through and clearly drafted – clarity, protection and credibility.

 
Clarity – we'll ensure that everyone affected by a written contract knows exactly where they stand.

Protection – setting up a business and making it succeed almost always demands considerable time, effort and money. So you'll clearly want to avoid being in a position where someone else could take advantage of your hard work. Our contract expertise will give you the protection you and your business deserve.

Credibility – well drafted contracts say a lot about your company. They demonstrate that you're thoroughly organized, professional and generally 'on the case' in the way you do business.

Partnership Contracts
All too often, business partnership agreements fail to truly reflect the reality of business relationships.
This can become a problem if partners in a business have disagreements, if a partnership dissolves or a partner dies.
Having a realistic agreement in place means everyone knows where they stand, with partners having a clear understanding of their rights and responsibilities. Using us to arrange such an agreement now can really save time, money and stress when circumstances change in future.

Shareholders Contracts
As in the case of partnerships, it's important to set out clearly in legal terms the rights and responsibilities between the limited company and its shareholders. Such contracts are particularly useful for small and family-run businesses.
We can work with you to decide what will happen when, for instance, a shareholder wants to leave the business, or if a shareholder dies or is made bankrupt
Often the agreement will offer the option for remaining shareholders to buy the shares of the outgoing holder.
The agreement will also usually provide a mechanism for taking important decisions relating to the business, and we can additionally incorporate dispute resolution procedures.

Franchise Agreements
This is a particular specialism for our company; we have wide ranging experience of advising both franchisors and franchisees.
If you're selling the franchise, it's important that the agreement is written to closely fit your particular operation. The franchise brand and intellectual property rights remain yours, and as such they must be protected. With our input you'll maintain uniform control over the whole franchise operation.
If you're considering buying a franchise, it's obviously essential to gain a full understanding of the agreement before you commit to it. We can help to give the full picture of the impacts and possible pitfalls of the proposed agreement, so you can make a truly informed decision. We'll also give you a fixed fee estimate for our advice and guidance in this crucial area.

We can't emphasize enough that working with us when it comes to drafting contracts can be essential in reducing future contractual disputes, and the costs they create. 
 

Whether you're starting out on a new venture or simply need existing contracts updating, contacting us now can bring you real protection and peace of mind.