Our experienced experts are used to supporting clients in acquiring, selling or leasing retail, hospitality and leisure premises. We combine legal expertise with commercial sense. To take you through every step, including:

• Working with real estate agents to agree heads of terms for a proposed transaction
• Negotiating and agreeing leases and any ancillary documentation
• Dealing with contracts for the acquisition and disposal of existing leases or freehold property
• Working with lenders and their solicitors regarding the provision of financing
• Development (commercial, residential and mixed use), including construction, refurbishment and fitting out
• Corporate and Business Occupation Requirements
• Landlord and Tenant and Property Management
• Receivership and Insolvency issues
• Property due diligence on corporate transactions

You may be a new retailer to the UK market. Or a mature multinational retailer with hundreds of stores. Whatever your situation, we’re experienced in providing a full service of commercial real estate litigation advice, including:

• Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 / security of tenure: disputes in relation to contested and uncontested lease renewals and arguments about lease / licence.
• Asset management: disputes about rent arrears, or service charges, rent reviews, assignments, sub-lettings and dilapidations.
• Possession: disputes relating to claims for possession of property.
• Forfeiture: claims for forfeiture, or relief from forfeiture
• Squatters: claims for possession against squatters
• Applications for injunctions
• Claims arising from insolvency
• Restrictive covenant, boundary and adverse possession disputes.
• Rights of light, party wall, rights of way, scaffolding, oversailing and basement disputes.

How do you structure your business? What operating vehicle do you choose? And what’s the most tax efficient strategy? These are just some of the issues our specialist corporate and commercial team can advise you on. And if you’re based overseas and looking to enter the UK market, we’ll help you set up a UK branch or buy an existing business. In short, we’ll give your business the springboard it needs for commercial success. Our specialist advice and guidance includes:

• Establishing a UK branch
• Buying an existing UK business
• Financing, including tax incentives for investors or business owners such as Business Entrepreneur’s Relief and relevant enterprise investment schemes
• Managing intellectual property (IP) from creation to protection and exploitation
• Copyright, trademarks, designs and securing confidential information
• Franchising, licensing, agency, distribution and collaboration agreements
• Manufacturing agreements and standard terms and conditions of business
• Confidentiality, non-disclosure, joint venture and cooperation agreements.

Setting up a business in the UK? Then you need to know the ins and outs of employment law. It’s a complex area. So it’s essential that you get it right. That you understand your legal obligations. And your workers’ rights and benefits. We’ll support you through every stage. From recruitment to post-termination. We advise on a wide range of areas:

• Negotiating and drafting employment contracts and service agreements
• Preparing and implementing staff handbooks and policies
• Resolving employment disputes, including disciplinary and grievance procedures
• Employment tribunal litigation, ACAS conciliation and mediation
• Protecting intellectual property and confidential information, both during and after employment
• Contractor service agreements
• Managing recruitment risk – particularly for senior employees
• Drafting internal policies on areas such as social media use, discrimination, data use, whistle-blowing, sickness absence and equal opportunities
• Managing restructuring, reorganisation and redundancies including information and consultation requirements
• Managing dismissals and negotiating exit packages
• Preparing and advising on settlement agreements
• Business transfers including advice on TUPE provisions

Changing rules. Uncertainty. Brexit. If your business wants to recruit people into the UK from overseas, you need someone who understands the evolving legal implications. We’re highly experienced in immigration matters. And we have the legal expertise to develop a flexible, tailored solution to meet your specific immigration needs. This might include: 

• Points Based System applications, appeals, residence and nationality applications
• Immigration risk and compliance audits so your company is fully compliant with its sponsorship obligations and illegal working laws
• Strategic immigration solutions
• Support with sponsor licence and employment visa applications for:
  • Tier 1 – investors, entrepreneurs and exceptional talent
  • Tier 2 – sponsored skilled workers/sportsperson
  • Tier 4 – students
  • Tier 5 – Temporary workers
• Immigration training and support
• Business traveller risk and compliance