If you’re considering selling your business, you will know that the process can be both exciting and daunting. It can be a long, complex, and stressful process, especially if your business isn’t ready for the legal process involved. The Corporate Team at Leathes Prior are here to guide you through the whole process, from preparation of the business for sale, through to a successful transaction in whatever form that may look like for your business. Offering expert advice and guidance along the way, we are committed to making the process as time and cost effective as possible whilst taking the time to understand the needs of the client.
Whether you’re looking to retire, move on to other ventures or simply exit the business, our experienced team of business lawyers have the expertise to guide you through the process, from negotiating the terms of the sale to drafting the necessary documents to close the deal. Our goal is to help you achieve the best possible outcome for your business sale, while protecting your interests and minimising your legal risks.
We advise both buyers and sellers of businesses, of all sizes from small businesses >£100,000 to large national businesses in excess of £30 million giving us the experience and knowledge to guide you through a full range of transactions including MBO’s and EOT sales.
You may be prepared to sell, but is your business?
To help you to evaluate how prepared your business currently is for the sale process, Leathes Prior have developed a simple and easy-to-use tool, powered by AI, to help you identify the areas of your business that may need some attention ahead of the sale process in order to make the transaction as smooth as possible.
All you need to do is answer a few questions about the key areas of your business using the drop-down responses. You will then receive an email report identifying which areas of your business need further attention.
Completing the Company Sales Tool will only take approximately five minutes of your time and will give you a better understanding of how ready your business is for sale. To get started click below:
Please note that the information in the Company Sales Tool and corresponding report are only intended to be general guidance and specific advice should be sought before proceeding with any legal sales process.
what our clients say
We have looked at different succession options for some time. The most important thing for Canham Consulting is that the culture and values we work so hard at, continue to develop. The only way we could be sure of this, was to transition to an Employee-Owned business, and form an EOT. The EOT process requires true collaboration, and transparency. It was essential for us, that we surrounded ourselves with practical, pragmatic, and truly understanding legal support. Alex Saunders and Jack Horwitz have guided us through the EOT process and been an integral part of the team. Their knowledge and collaborative approach have made the process enjoyable for everyone. I cannot praise or recommend Leathes Prior high enough. Thank you for your support.
When that once in a lifetime opportunity knocks, its essential to get it right. We did our groundwork, and on recommendation, we chose Leathes Prior. They did the job, above and beyond. If we had to do it all again I’d chose them, and we would recommend them to anyone with a business to sell. Our team (Alex Saunders, Jack Horwitz and Milan Pandit) was the ‘A’ Team (‘A’ for advice, ability, accuracy, approach, and attitude). In my view, its essential to have the right people, have the full set of expertise on hand, and rely on their expertise to get you through the tough bits. Now we are all going to the races to celebrate!
I wanted to drop you a line to say what a fantastic job Nina did on our recent business sale. She worked tirelessly throughout often working out of hours to complete on a deal which had its ups and downs along the way. This is the second deal Nina has worked on for us and interestingly on the first deal we did with her the buyers were so impressed that they are using her on a deal of their own! A very nice lady who goes the extra mile to get the deals done!
After a lifetime running businesses, and building YTKO Group to 100+ people and £7m turnover, I thought carefully about various exit and succession options for some time. Establishing an Employee Ownership Trust was the best way to ensure that our values endured for the next 40 years and that our dedicated team would be able to reap the rewards of their hard work, commitment, loyalty, and passion. Choosing the right professional advisors to help us through the process was essential. Alex, Nina, and the Corporate team were outstanding, not just in terms of the legal due process, but in how they supported us - swift and practical replies, often out of hours, great availability by phone/teams, a super attitude, and a real team push to get us over the line when we encountered a last-minute obstacle. They really felt like an integral part of our senior team. I would absolutely recommend them without reservation.
Leathes Prior did an excellent job acting for us during the sale. Their attention to detail, availability to help and sense of humour held us in good stead to ensure the right outcome in the right timeframe. Thanks, in particular, go to Alex and Jack for all their hard work, it was appreciated.
From start to finish Paul and Nina were in complete control of our affairs offering nothing short of perfection in communication to complete the acquisition of my company.