News & Views

It has been said that too much agreement kills a chat. But when it comes to shareholders, the existence of a shareholders’ agreement will almost certainly improve a chat.

There is certainly no shortage of legal advice in the world - most of it completely free and much of it, no doubt, technically correct. A Google search for ‘legal advice’, for example, produces over two billion results.

Unit Chambers, which opened 3 years ago as the only barristers’ chambers in the North West exclusively undertaking Family Law work, has now obtained an alternative business structure (ABS) licence from the Bar Standards Board [BSB].

O'Connors has advised Express Solicitors on the acquisition of Manchester law firms Amelans Solicitors and Jefferies Solicitors, increasing the firm's total staff to around 650. No financial details were disclosed.

Thomson Hayton Winkley Solicitors and the Rural Law practice ('THW') has been acquired by MAPD Group. The firm is one of Cumbria’s largest law firms, with 60 staff across six offices in the Lake District; it also has estate agency and financial services arms.

Law firm, Bromleys, which has been trading for more than 180 years, has been acquired by MAPD Group. Located in Ashton-under-Lyne with a 58-strong team serving commercial and individual clients across Tameside and Manchester, Bromleys has one of the largest childcare teams in Greater Manchester and is well-known for its Court of Protection work.

A question that sellers often ask corporate lawyers when they are about to start selling their business is how to share information about the business as part of buyer’s due diligence process i.e. the process by which a buyer seeks to understand the business with a view to identifying risks and verifying the price offered for it.

Having made a strategic decision to convert your business to a limited company - whether from being a sole trader or a traditional partnership - there are some potential bear traps to avoid when doing so. Here is our guide to some of the main ones and what you can do to avoid them.

Sport England has recently reaffirmed the common principles shared by organisations that demonstrate good governance. These common principles are structure, people, communication, standards & conduct, and policies & processes. In this article we focus on the first, and arguably the most important, of these common principles, namely structure.

Almost every day another company becomes B Corp certified, reflecting their exacting standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability. B Corp companies are verified by B Lab UK, a not-for-profit network transforming the global economy to benefit people, communities and the planet, enabling people to use businesses as a force for good.