Mergers & Acquisitions

(Share Sales & Purchases / Business Sales & Purchases)

We have considerable M&A experience, our team members having represented parties in a wide variety of industries. Whether you are looking to expand by acquiring another business or looking to exit an existing business, we can assist you.

Depending on how the business and assets are owned, there may be a choice as to whether the transaction proceeds by way of a sale of shares or by the sale of the business and assets.

Tax is often an important feature of transactions which means we often work closely with clients’ tax advisers and accountants.

As with many things in life, a bit or early preparation goes a long way and it’s often beneficial to seek legal advice early on:

• If you are thinking of selling your business, having its affairs in order and legally compliant makes the sales process easier and can make the business more appealing to potential buyers. We can assist with pre-sale preparations, reviewing key areas to identify issues that might cause potential buyers concern, so that they can be addressed in good time.
• As a seller, you may be about to divulge confidential information about you and your business. We can provide a confidential agreement / NDA (non-disclosure agreement) which sets out what the buyer can and can’t do with your information.
• Heads of terms set out the key terms of the transaction and advice should be sought before agreeing to them. We can assist in assessing whether the terms can be improved upon and whether you are getting a deal that’s right for you.
• If you are a buyer, before committing any significant time or expenditure to the transaction, you may wish to consider having an exclusivity agreement, whereby the seller agrees that it will not negotiate with other potential buyers for a specified period.

Many transactions involve land, buildings and employees, in relation to which we work closely with the firm's Commercial Property and Employment teams.