Helen Dobson
Legal Director
+44 (0)118 952 7157
[email protected]
View Full ProfileBusiness contracts & commercial agreements lawyers
Our commercial contract solicitors are experts in drafting and negotiating commercial agreements that drive your business, protect your interests and support growth.
Every supply or purchase or other deal your business makes is built on a contract, but a poorly written agreement can cost you time, money, and opportunity. Our expert team of commercial contracts lawyers help businesses secure clear, robust contracts that reflect your objectives, protect your interests, reduce risk, and enable you to focus on business operations.
Our business contract services
Our contracts services include:
- Contract review – We review contracts based on your business’ risk appetite and advise on potential consequences and alternative commercial measures and legal positions to manage or mitigate risks identified.
- Contract drafting - We prepare business contracts that are precise, practical, and aligned to your business' objectives and sensitivities. Our commercial contract solicitors ensure every clause is clear and enforceable, helping to reduce risk of disputes.
- Contract negotiating – We advocate for your business and work to secure terms that support your objectives and protect your interests, while supporting you and the third party to create strong, lasting relationships.
- Breach of contract & dispute resolution – If the agreement is not performed as planned, we assist in protecting and enforcing your contractual rights. Our teams work to resolve disputes swiftly and cost-effectively. We prioritise commercial and/or out-of-court solutions wherever possible, but we are fully prepared to represent you in formal legal proceedings if needed.
- Ongoing contract governance – As your business evolves, so should your contracts. We can review and update existing terms of business and commercial agreements to reflect changes in the law, your operations, and your commercial goals, to ensure your contracts are effective at every stage of growth.
- Termination and renewal – If your contract is due to expire, or you wish to end a business relationship, we can advise on your rights to renew or terminate. We assist with preparing notices, negotiation of extension or replacement contracts, and processes for transition.
Business contracts & commercial agreements
Successful business relationships are underpinned by well-structured agreement. We support businesses of every size, industry, and stage of growth, helping them put the right contracts in place, including:
- Supply agreements – Clearly defining expectations in relation to the nature and characteristics of goods being supplied, as well as the manner of delivery, to reflect your business needs and operations is key to effective supply chain arrangements.
- Service agreements – Ensuring services, deliverables, responsibilities, dependencies, service levels and payment terms are clearly defined and agreed with your clients or contractors supports smooth service delivery.
- Consumer trading terms – If your business sells to consumers, you need written contractual terms that comply with consumer legislation and are readily understood by consumers.
- Sponsorship and marketing – Partnering with other companies or media outlets can significantly extending your business’ visibility and reach. These need to be aligned to and protect your brand and reputation.
- Technology, IP and data agreements – From software licensing, commercialising intellectual property or data to ensuring compliance with data protection obligations and information security needs, we design contracts that secure your innovations and enterprise.
- Distribution and reseller agreements – In supply chain relationships, clearly defining the scope of each party’s rights and responsibilities and any performance standards will protect your interests in relationships with or as a supplier and distributor.
- Sub-contracting agreements: When your business is operating as part of a wider supply chain, we ensure that the parties’ responsibilities and risks are appropriately backed-off to ensure your business isn’t unduly exposed for the actions of other delivery parties.
- Franchise agreements and business licensing – We help structure agreements that balance brand and market expansion with effective long-term relationships and commercialisation of the franchise assets and IP.
- Collaboration agreements and R&D – Sharing resources and know-how with another party can be a powerful way to develop your products and services and grow your business. In these relationships, protecting your proprietary rights in IP and materials shared and clearly defining both parties’ rights of ownership and use of the collaboration outputs is essential to avoid dispute.
- Confidentiality & Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) From new ideas and trade secrets to sensitive financial data, we ensure, we make sure your information stays secure and legally protected.
- Joint venture agreements – When joining with another party for a specific, mutually beneficial business project, we can support with establishing a suitable corporate vehicle and defining the terms of the joint arrangement at board and shareholder level, including each party's duties, liabilities, and profit/loss sharing.
- Partnership & shareholder agreements – We help establish clear rules for ownership, decision-making, and profit-sharing arrangements.
- Workforce agreements - Robust agreements and policies set out the roles, responsibilities and expectations for your employees, consultants, and contractors. Tailored to your specific business needs, these are key to successfully managing your workforce and getting the best from your teams.
