Commercial & Business

Much of our commercial work is for family-owned and closely held businesses, and we are proud of that. These are clients for whom the business is rarely just a balance sheet — it is the product of years of effort, often built across generations, and bound up with relationships that matter. Advising them well calls for more than technical drafting: it calls for commercial judgement, discretion, and an understanding of the people involved.

We act for founders, directors, shareholders and the next generation on the full life of a business — from how it is structured at the outset, through the contracts and relationships that sustain it, to its eventual sale or transition to the family members who will carry it forward. Because we stay close to our clients over time, we come to understand the business and the family behind it, and we can advise on decisions before they become problems.

How we can help

• Business structuring and establishment, including company and trust structures
• Buying and selling businesses, including due diligence and completion
• Shareholder, partnership and unitholder agreements
• Commercial contracts, terms of trade and supply agreements
• Franchising, licensing and distribution arrangements
• Governance and shareholder arrangements for family businesses
• Succession and exit planning, and intergenerational transition of ownership

Counsel for the family business

Family and private businesses face questions that public companies do not: how to bring the next generation in fairly, how to balance the interests of family members who work in the business against those who do not, and how to plan for succession without fracturing relationships. We help our clients put sensible structures and agreements in place early, so that the business is protected and family harmony is preserved.

A commercial perspective

We approach every question with your objective in mind. That means advice proportionate to what is at stake, documents that work in practice, and a focus on getting transactions done without unnecessary cost or delay.