Commercial Agreements, Property Conveyancing, Mergers & Acquisitions
We offer a comprehensive service to companies of all sizes and take a practical and pragmatic approach to all aspects of business and corporate legal services. Our expertise in this area is not simply limited to the extensive range of business premises property conveyancing but encompasses company formation, commercial and contractual agreements, business sale / purchase and asset dispersal and company formation including Limited Liability Partnerships (LLPs). We ensure that all areas of your legal requirements are covered regardless of your market sector or specific corporate requirement.
Business M&A is fraught with risk. We assist our clients to minimize this risk and exposure thorough years of experience in business purchase and asset acquisition. At the earliest stage we are involved in the due diligence process confirming that the prospective company’s assets and balance sheet are viable and verifiable. Beyond this we act for both the vendor and the prospective buyer of a business at all stages of the process. A selection of the aspects we cover include:
- TUPE (Transfer of Undertaking Pertaining to Employment)
- Property title investigation, assessment & review
- Property lease transfer or review
- Management of restrictive covenants on either party
- Cancellation or imposition of guarantees and warranties
- Restructuring of banking arrangements
- Tax implications
Formation of well structured commercial agreements at the outset of a business relationship ensures harmony in a business relationship from the earliest stage. Provision of a structure by which parties in the future may readily understand and refer to the terms of an agreement ensure the avoidance of unnecessary disputes and stressful litigation.
Years of experience combined with unrivalled understanding of contemporary business issues, markets and legislation ensure that your commercial agreements will not only support and enhance your business activities but safeguard your business from harm should a disagreement occur further down the line. A selection of the contractual agreements we can provide include:
- Corporate Terms & Conditions
- Supplier onboarding and compliance agreements
- Commercial property leases
- Regulatory affairs management
- Licensing agreements
- Non-disclosure agreements (NDAs)
- Restrictive covenants
As a full service Law Firm we offer and end-to-end service which also deals with the administrative duties of company formation. Regulatory corporate secretarial duties, completed accurately from the outset ensures clarity in the registration of a business names at Companies House at the formation stage.
We maintain a range of memorandum and articles of incorporation for specific forms of company from standard Ltd companies and the appointment of Directors and allocation of share capital to companies limited by guarantee and those relating to the acquisition of freehold buildings on behalf of flat owners (which normally provide that only flat owners are entitled to be members).
Specific memoranda and articles can be tailored by our team in particular circumstances whether or not in conjunction with an appropriate shareholder agreement, resolutions and/or minutes as required by an individual situation.
LLPs were previously the mainstay of professional services firms but have, in recent years, become more widely utilised as vehicles by entities wishing to enable a number of different objectives. The objectives range from enablement of individual, professional consultative practice within a group of consultants through to supporting a genuine sense of ownership from a company’s workforce as well as a compliance with a range of legislative and regulatory factors. Our team of experts can advise you as to whether this type of company formation is appropriate for your business and your partners.
The merits and demerits of establishing an LLP need to be addressed in order to ensure both compliance and understanding for both partners and their clients. The absence of issued share capital combined with the liability for tax based upon profit share, as opposed to net profit subject to corporation tax, will need to considered by all parties within an LLP.
Provision of robust partnership agreements at the outset is the cornerstone for success of the working relationship and as the company matures: departure of partners or even dissolution of the partnership in full may need to be considered and managed by your legal practitioner. Ashley Wilson Solicitors can assist in all of these areas.
The High Court has now issued its much-anticipated judgment in Arc Time Freehold Income Authorised Fund and others -v- Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government [2025] EWHC 2751 (Admin), firmly rejecting the judicial review brought by several of London’s largest landed estates.
The King’s Speech on 17 July 2024 promised a number of changes to the current state of leasehold and rental law – some of which we have covered in previous articles. Here we will discuss the proposed changes to No-Fault Evictions under section 21 of the Housing Act 1988.
Currently, once the contractual term of an assured shorthold tenancy ends, landlords can evict tenants without providing any reason. They just need to serve a “Section 21” notice on their tenants, providing a minimum of 2 months’ notice and satisfy certain pre-conditions. If the tenant does not leave during the notice period, they can issue court proceedings to obtain possession. Proceedings for possession cannot be commenced less than six months after the s.21 notice is given (with exceptions).
The King’s Speech confirmed that the government will ban no fault evictions as part of the Renter’s Rights Bill. This is part of a plan to give greater rights and protection to people renting their homes.
The Bill is currently at the report stage in the House of Commons, having had its first and second readings and has now passed through the committee stage with some amendments.
The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, which had its first reading in the House of Commons on 10 July 2025, contains an unexpected ban on upward-only rent review clauses in new commercial leases. The Government has stated that the policy behind this ban is supporting smaller businesses who are struggling to keep up with open market rent reviews that only allow rent to rise, not fall.
The measure has generated concern among landlords and investors, particularly given the surprising lack of prior consultation on such a major reform in a sector that has historically operated with minimal statutory intervention. For now, the Bill remains in its early parliamentary stages and is highly susceptible to changes following lobbying, with its Second Reading due in September.
This article sets out the scope of the proposed ban and its implications for the commercial rental sector if passed as it currently stands.
