— Starting a Business
Buying a Business
Buying a business is an exciting opportunity, but it also comes with important legal and financial considerations. From reviewing contracts and due diligence to understanding liabilities, employees and assets, getting the right legal advice early can help protect your investment and ensure the purchase runs smoothly.
A few of our clients:
Depending on the type of purchase, there are different factors to be aware of
If you are thinking about buying a business, then there are two main options – you can buy the shares in a limited company from its shareholders or you can buy the assets of a business from a limited company, sole trader or partnership.
There are important differences between the two:
Buying Shares
If you buy the shares in a company, you acquire the company as a whole. The company continues to own its assets and remains responsible for its existing liabilities and obligations – including any liabilities which you may not know about when you agree to buy it.
The business will generally continue as before, with its contracts, employees and other arrangements remaining in place. However, because you are effectively taking the company “as is”, the purchase agreement will usually contain detailed warranties and other protections for the buyer against any liabilities which have not been disclosed.
Buying Assets
If you buy the assets of a business, you can usually choose which assets and liabilities you want to take on. These might include equipment, stock, intellectual property, customer contracts, goodwill and employees.
This gives a buyer greater flexibility, but an asset purchase can sometimes be more complicated because the individual assets need to be transferred. Third-party consents may also be needed, for example to transfer particular contracts, licences or property.
The right structure will depend on the business you are buying, what you want to acquire and the risks involved.
How can we help?
We can help you decide which structure is right for you and carry out the legal due diligence needed so that you have a clear picture of the business before you buy it.
We can prepare and negotiate the purchase agreement, identify areas of risk and make sure that appropriate protections are built into the deal. Our aim is to help you understand exactly what you are taking on and minimise the risk of unwelcome surprises after completion.
plenty of protection built in and you can feel confident that you are in for no nasty surprises.
Choose your package
Choose the level of legal support that fits your business now, with a clear route to scale as your needs grow.
Not ready for a retainer? Book a consultation for a fixed fee quote.
— CLEARLY CORE
Starting from
£199/month
Introductory Retainer
Best for: Businesses wanting light but regular support.
- 1 hour per month
- Commercial legal support
- Routine advice
- Document reviews
- Straightforward agreements
Popular
— CLEARLY BUSINESS
Starting from
£495/month
Monthly Retainer
Best for: Businesses wanting more regular Business As Usual (BAU) support.
- From 2 hours per month
- Commercial contract support
- Employment support
- Data Protection support
- Light corporate work as agreed
— CLEARLY BESPOKE
Monthly fee
on request
Bespoke Retainer
Best for: Businesses wanting broader corporate or more tailored support.
- From 2 hours per month
- Tailored monthly retainer
- For higher complexity requirements
- Strategic legal guidance
- Business support
Why Clearly Business Law
Clearly Business Law brings a fresh approach to legal support for SMEs.
Experienced lawyers
No junior hand-offs or bloated teams.
Fee certainty
Clear fee structure – choose a monthly retainer package or a fixed fee quote to suit your budget before work begins.
SME focused
Legal support built around your business from our SME specialists.
Human advice
Clear, approachable advice from our friendly staff, without unnecessary legal jargon.
Flexible & fast support
Use us flexibly whenever you need on any business legal issue, or just to bounce ideas.
Trusted by growing businesses
Real feedback from business owners using Clearly Business Law for practical, approachable legal support.
“Clearly Business has supported our marketing agency for many years, providing practical legal advice that fits our needs perfectly. Emma, our main contact, is extremely approachable and has a real talent for making complex legal matters easy to understand. The retainer means we always have support available when we need it, whether that’s a quick call to discuss a legal question, detailed feedback on a contract or more in-depth work on business documentation..“
Adam Blackford-Mills, Director – MRS Digital
“Clearly Business Law played a vital role in helping us complete our most recent funding round smoothly and on schedule. Their team brought a clear, commercially minded approach to every stage of the process, giving us confidence that the legal fundamentals were in expert hands. Their responsiveness, practicality, and understanding of our business made them an invaluable and trusted partner. We’re grateful for their support and look forward to continuing the relationship as Relode expands its Power Park network across the UK.”
Mikey Clark, CEO of Relode
“Clearly Business Law have been highly responsive and professional throughout, providing excellent support when instructed by Phi. Their attention to detail, clear communication and prompt service have made them a pleasure to work with’”
Fola Allam, Phi 1.618
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