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Business Start-Up & Director Duties

Making sure the legal foundations of your business start-up are rock-solid is the key to getting things off to the strongest possible start. This means:

  • Setting up the company properly and securing banking and finance.
  • Agreeing on the perfect shareholders' agreement or articles of association.
  • Investing in your underlying commercial contracts and employment contracts.
  • Reviewing your financing documentation and making sure your legal interests are protected.

All these tasks require specialist legal advice to reduce the risk of disputes arising and provide the framework to help your business start-up grow.

At Wosskow Brown Solicitors, our team can offer a wide range of corporate and commercial law advice to businesses and professional individuals with particular expertise in supporting business start-ups, early-stage businesses and individuals looking to set up a business.

Commercial lawyers with real business start-up experience

Many of our commercial lawyers have owned their own businesses and have real business experience. The chances are that we’ve been exactly where you are now – which is why you can count on us 100% for informed advice and support from genuine, understanding experts. We have helped 100s of directors and stakeholders set up their new businesses. We understand the decisions that need to be made.

We’ll work with you to give your business the best possible start. We believe it’s our job to do the legal legwork so you can concentrate on what you’re good at. And we’ve We have proved – over and over again – that this approach is the very best recipe for success.

We will help you with:

  • Deciding the best business structure for you
  • Formation of the new company
  • Securing VAT registration
  • Helping with finance and securing a bank account
  • Company registration requirements
  • Having the right Articles and Memorandums of Association
  • Shareholder agreements
  • Partnership agreements
  • Dealing with franchise agreements
  • Personal guarantees
  • Joint ventures with third parties
  • Employment contracts and other employment law advice
  • Leases for new premises and other commercial property advice
  • Debt collection

Understanding Directors’ Duties

We can help you with a whole range of company law matters – whether you need advice on the interpretation of the Companies Act 2006 or want a new set of Articles of Association drafting.

Our business start-up lawyers can also help you with drafting documentation for company registrations, reorganisations and company share buy-back/exchanges.

Our clients are quite often concerned about the responsibilities and liabilities associated with becoming a director, so we can provide you with guidance on the associated responsibilities and risks which may be involved.

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We’re a team but we’re also proud of the individual people who work here. We’re confident you will find us approachable, understanding and experts in our field.

Commercial Legal Services

How we can help your start-up business?

Corporate and commercial law

Strong businesses need strong foundations. When starting up a new business venture, it is essential to think about structure and to put in place all the legal contracts and agreements you need to grow and build shareholder value.

Thinking about corporate and commercial matters doesn’t just help to enable your entrepreneurial goals; it defines exactly how your business will operate and can even reduce the risk of future disputes.

We can provide advice about a wide range of corporate and commercial law matters, such as:

  • Deciding how to structure a new business, whether that’s by setting up a limited liability company or entering into a partnership or LLP.
  • Advising on joint ventures and other arrangements for going into business with your associates.
  • Helping secure business finance and advising on lending documents.
  • Drafting and reviewing articles of association and shareholder agreements.
  • Drafting and reviewing partnership agreements
  • Advising on all company law issues
  • Advising on directors’ responsibilities and liabilities
  • Reviewing finance documents and advising on the legal implications, including advising you on personal guarantees.
  • Advising on commercial contracts, terms & conditions and service & supply agreements, including franchise agreements, and agency and distribution agreements.

Employment law

If you have employees or you are planning to hire employees for the first time, you need to be clear about your obligations and rights as an employer. The work and dedication put in by employees can make your business possible, but employment disputes can be complex to handle.

We can assist employers with a broad range of employment law matters, from putting in place the contracts and policies you need to protect yourself to employment dispute resolution advice.

Visit our Employment Law page for more information.

Commercial property

Your business premises, whether it is an office, retail premises, hospitality or leisure premises, warehouse, or industrial site, will be vital to your success and growth. So, it is essential to get all the legal matters right when securing your premises.

We can assist new and early-stage businesses with all their commercial property needs, including:

  • Negotiating and drafting the terms of commercial leases and associated documentation, such as Licences for Alterations.
  • Advising you on your responsibilities as a commercial landlord or tenant.
  • Commercial property conveyancing – handling the sale and purchase of a commercial property.
  • Advising on assignment and subletting if you find your business has outgrown its premises or it does not suit your commercial needs.

Visit our Commercial Property page for more information.

Debt recovery

Debt management and unpaid invoices can cause major issues for early-stage businesses. If your cash flow is struggling, we can provide credit control and debt recovery services to recover money from your debtors and help you stay on track.

We can also help with debt finance options such as factoring and invoice discounting.

Visit our Debt Collection Solutions page for more information.

Get in touch with our business start-up solicitors in Sheffield and Barnsley

Setting up your own business? Get in touch with our experienced commercial lawyers in Sheffield and Barnsley for all the advice and support you need.

We have local offices across Sheffield on Attercliffe Road and in Gleadless and Hillsborough, plus an office in Barnsley.

Give us a call at your nearest branch or fill in our online enquiry form, and we will give you a call back as soon as possible.