Equitable Law’s legal advice and assistance services may be considered as akin to that which might be provided to a business by a highly experienced and expert in-house General Counsel (but with the advantages of being a flexible, outsourced resource – to be called on in an “as / when / if we can assist” basis).

We seek to provide our legal services in a wide range of business-related practice areas, following a mantra that we can either service our clients’ requirements (or we will aim to work in close liaison with other professional advisors recommended by us – who are more appropriate to advise and assist our clients).

Our core areas of legal advice and assistance services – cover business law aspects and issues relating to:-

+ Business Ownership, Management and Profit Share Arrangements (Inc. Incentivisation Arrangements)

Comprehensive involvement with all forms of business-related structuring (and restructuring) arrangements, including Shareholders Agreements (plus Articles of Association and other formats of business governance bye-laws); plus Share Option Schemes (Enterprise Management Incentive (EMI) Plans, and Other Staff Incentivisation Schemes and Arrangements).

+ Mergers And Acquisitions (‘M & A Deals’) – Business And Corporate Structure-Based Transactions

Extensive involvement with both domestic and cross-border focussed business transactions, including public and private company acquisitions, sales/disposals, takeovers, mergers, de-mergers, reorganisations and various other corporate actions (on the buy, sell and intermediary side).

+ Private Securities Finance (Venture Capital & Private Equity)

We also regularly act for management teams and investee companies in receipt of such finance (especially crowd-funding, and ‘business-angel’ investments under the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) and the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS), as well as from Venture Capital Trusts (VCTs) and venture capital/private equity funds.

+Joint Venture Arrangements (JVs)

In addition, we have considerable experience in the formation, evolution and dissolution of joint venture arrangements (using a wide range of structures and methodologies – as utilised both in the U.K. and various other worldwide/international jurisdictions).

+ Partnerships

Legal advice upon and assistance with Partnerships, Limited Partnerships (LPs), Limited Liability Partnerships (LLPs) and all other forms of business entities – Formed (and existing) both under British and other jurisdictions.

+ Public Securities And Markets Finance (Plus Financial Services Regulation)

Considerable involvement with flotations, IPOs, secondary fundraisings and other arrangements for the admission of securities to trading on public securities markets (both in London and on other global stock exchanges); together with ongoing regulatory and transactional advice and assistance to participants in such financial markets (of all descriptions).

+ Debt Finance (Including Banking) And Security Arrangements (Plus Restructuring And Insolvency)

Significant involvement with a range of structured finance facilities (with related security arrangements) on behalf of lenders and other debt finance providers (of all types) – Plus the experience of acting for borrowers.

In addition, we frequently advise clients on business (& related personal) insolvency and restructuring issues.

+ Commercial Agreements And Mercantile/Trading Arrangements

Major ongoing involvement with preparing, reviewing and amending business contracts of all manner and description, covering numerous agreements covering myriad areas of trading and commerce, including Advertising and Marketing, Agency, Bailment and Leasing, Betting and Gaming, Competition, Confidentiality, Consumer, Consultancy (& Service Agreements = Employment), Data Protection, Distribution, E-commerce, EU-law, Exclusion of Liability, Franchising, Intellectual Property, Information Technology, Life Sciences, Media, Outsourcing, Preliminary Agreements (‘Heads of Terms’), Supply of Goods and Services, Telecoms, Terms of Trading and Trade Finance.

+ Taxation and Taxes (Primarily Business Related And Also Covering Interested Party Individuals)

All-encompassing involvement – Usually in close cooperation with clients’ established tax advisers – Upon the taxation implications of the transactions and other commercial arrangements in which we are involved.

As regards aspects and issues not specifically mentioned above – i.e. Those areas of law which we do not habitually or regularly deal with – Please feel free to ask for our recommendations of / referrals to associated firms who do deal with such matters (and with whom we work closely).