Corporate Law Solicitors

Acquisitions and disposals

Our award winning and top ranked corporate team is renowned for its strength and expertise in successfully delivering mid-market corporate sales and acquisitions. The team is one of the largest and most active in the Midlands and regularly advises on many of the prominent deals in the region.

Our clients and work in this area range from supporting owner managers of family businesses/SMEs on the sale of their business to working with large corporates on their plans to grow by acquisition, and everything in between. We work across a broad range of sectors which provides us with an understanding of the commercial challenges which may be relevant to your business and any corporate transaction.

Irrespective of the size or nature of any deal, our team are always fully committed and focused on ensuring that you receive proactive, responsive and commercial advice. Any sale or acquisition can be a high-pressured process, particularly for owner managers, and we always seek to tailor our approach and partner with you in such way to take the stress away, avoid disruption to the business and ensure you get the best deal for you.

Private equity, fundraising and investments

We are trusted advisors in relation to venture capital and private equity investments, regularly guiding investee companies, management teams and funds through the complete investment life cycle.

Our specialist lawyers have deep knowledge and experience in these sectors and we are one of the most active venture capital advisors in the region.

Whether you are an emerging start up or an established business we are well versed in helping you unlock growth opportunities and ensuring your investment transactions and exits have a solid legal framework.

We can help with direct share subscriptions, SEIS and EIS considerations, advanced subscription agreements and convertible loan notes and guide through seed, series A, series B, and beyond.

Management buyouts and buy ins

We have a wealth of experience of working with owners, investors, funders and management teams on all forms of management buy out and buy ins.

Such deals can be complex and early preparation is key. Our corporate and tax specialists are able to explain your options and ensure that any deal is structured tax efficiently for all parties. Our team can also provide advice and assistance with the funding of the deal and we are specialists in private equity investment work.

Once terms have been agreed, we will work with you to ensure that the transaction is completed on time and cost effectively.

Banking and finance

Our banking and finance team have experience acting for both borrowers and lenders in relation to all aspects of non-syndicated finance and security matters.

Finance and security documents can often be lengthy, daunting and complicated. Whether you are a lender or a borrower we will work closely with you to ensure your requirements are fully realised and your funding and security arrangements (where applicable) are appropriately documented.

The team acts for a number of UK clearing banks and also private lenders and is able utilise its vast network to ensure businesses are able to source the funding required to support their plans.

Employee ownership trusts

Our corporate and tax specialists have significant experience in advising and supporting owner managed businesses with transitioning to an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT) structure.

Since being established in 2014, EOTs have become increasingly popular and provide business owners with another potential exit route when considering their succession plans. When implemented correctly a sale to an EOT can improve workplace engagement, ensure company cultures and values are maintained whilst facilitating a tax efficient sale for the shareholders.

The team at Higgs will be able to explain the advantages of a sale to an EOT and whether that is appropriate for you and your business. We are able to advise on the terms of the sale, the associated legal documentation and navigate you and your team through the process. In addition, we advise businesses who have already made the transition to an EOT with their ongoing corporate governance and legal requirements.

Company formation and corporate governance

We can provide advice and guidance on the formation of the right corporate vehicle for your business, and give peace of mind concerning the ongoing administration of your company.

The Companies Act 2006 and many other relevant regulations impose a multitude of duties on the officers of companies. If not complied with, a company could be struck from the register and its directors may be exposed to fines or even imprisonment.

Filing duties for the submission of confirmation statements and accounts are subject to strict deadlines. With the demands of running a company, it is not surprising that these obligations can be overlooked. We provide a range of services at a fixed annual fee for you to select, including statutory register maintenance and compliance services in which we will handle annual filing obligations and deal with changes to company’s officers and other notices to Companies House. We offer a registered office service and we can also act as your company secretary.

Franchising

Our franchising team provides specialist legal advice to franchisees and franchisors, drawing on our considerable franchising-specific experience and bringing together specialists from our corporate, tax, commercial, employment and property teams to provide a holistic service that meets all of the legal needs of businesses and their owners in the franchising space.

Buying or selling a franchised business can be very different from non-franchised business transactions, with each franchise network typically having its own process and documentation. We are well versed in the particular features common to franchise resale transactions, guiding our clients through these efficiently and with a down to earth, straightforward approach.

We regularly act for with franchisees from a number of prominent franchise networks in the UK, and we are a preferred supplier to many of these. This franchising expertise spans a number of different sectors, including quick service restaurants, property management and retail, and we are also an affiliate member of the British Franchising Association.

We work with our clients through the lifecycle of their franchise business, whether making a new investment, growing your network or realising the value built over many years on an exit. Our experts advise on franchise agreements, franchise leases, legal due diligence, sale and purchase agreements, buy-backs by the franchisor and closures.

Tech and high growth

Our dedicated tech and high growth team specialises in providing comprehensive legal support to fast growing businesses, enabling them to innovate, scale and thrive in competitive markets.

From the early seed investment rounds through to securing venture capital, scaling up operations and navigating complex private equity deals, we’re here to guide those businesses, founders and management teams through every step of the way.

Our specialists are adept at helping high growth businesses with fundraising and investment support, implementing employee incentive schemes, managing data privacy and compliance and drafting, negotiating and enforcing contracts related to technology, software and intellectual property.

We also have extensive experience of acting for angel investors, family offices and venture capital funds, guiding them on investments, portfolio work and exits.

Care

We understand that successfully completing a transaction in the Care sector can be challenging. The team has significant experience of advising existing operators, healthcare professionals, organisations, investors and new entrants in this space. We are one of the most experienced and active care legal advisors in the region.

Our specialist lawyers deliver a common sense approach to remove the uncertainties of investing into or selling a care business. We have advised on a significant volume of transactions including early year education providers, primary care, private hospitals, care homes providers and retirement village operators as well as doctors, dentists, pharmacists and optometrists.

From due diligence to post-merger consolidation, we integrate with experts across the firm to provide a complete solution for clients on corporate, tax, employment and property aspects of healthcare transactions and an efficient process for our clients.

Charities and not for profit

Our top-ranked charity and not for profit team have extensive experience advising a wide range of charities and not for profit organisations, as well as those who work with them.

We understand that, particularly in this sector, each organisation is unique in its combination of objectives, activities and structure, as well as the challenges that arise as a result. Our specialist charity and not for profit lawyers have a detailed understanding of the law specific to charities and not for profit organisations and appreciate the regulatory and commercial concerns such organisations may have in addition to those experienced by for-profit entities. We are able to draw on the experience of teams across Higgs LLP to provide expert advice to our clients in all aspects of their operation.

We work with charities and not for profits throughout their life span; from their establishment and administration, ongoing regulatory and governance requirements, and all aspects of our clients’ relationships with third parties, to their dissolution. We support our clients to achieve their objectives.