As corporate and innovation lawyers, we spend our time advising entrepreneurial businesses in all aspects, but we also appreciate that when working with family businesses there is an increased level of complexity that may impact on our advice and proposed strategies.
Our deep experience of acting for families and their businesses enables us to bring, along with our application of the law and commercial approach, an assurance that, at all times, we will be working with you to ensure that the values of the family and the business are accurately reflected and aligned.
It is critical to understand the values and ethos that drive a family business. Once you understand them, you can help, as appropriate, to address, institutionalise and perpetuate them.
Alignment - assisting you with achieving alignment both between family members or branches of the family and, once the family is aligned, between family members and management from outside the family. This is fundamental to the maintenance of a successful business.
Purpose – the business is an outward representation and reflection of the family and its values. We will work with you to ensure that the business is best placed to address the future cognisant of the family and its values.
Business Building – we appreciate that family businesses tend to be focused on building business for the long term rather than exiting. We work alongside those tasked with driving the family businesses as a guide, philosopher and friend.
We understand that no two businesses or families are the same and that every family business has individual requirements. Our highly experienced team of lawyers work flexibly to deliver tailored advice to each family we work alongside, solving any issues that conflict with the best interests of the family. We work with our clients to develop bespoke ESG strategies which deliver against their specific business needs and objectives in order to best reflect the family values they wish to represent and uphold them over future generations. We appreciate the sensitivities of bringing all stakeholders into alignment and the family motivations that drive their business forwards.
Our multi-disciplinary team’s insights span many sectors, with a particular specialism in the tech, life sciences, manufacturing and engineering sectors.
This means we can help you identify and capitalise on opportunities early on, co-ordinate parallel legal workstreams involved in progressing your business plans and provide dynamic, comprehensive, cross border support.
Our key services for Family Businesses
- Business acquisition or sale
- Business restructuring and recovery
- Succession and estate planning, including wills and wealth preservation
- Ownership governance for family businesses
- Trust creation and administration
- Shareholder relations and commercial disputes
- Debt funding and refinancing
- Commercial contracts and intellectual property audit
- Employment and HR issues
- Operating premises lease and ownership issues
- Protecting/insulating business from relationship breakdown