Investors, Entrepreneurs and Business Owners

Building a business is personal. Every decision matters – for you, for your family and for what you are trying to build.

We’re more than just legal advisers; we work alongside founders, private investors, entrepreneurs and business owners, partnering with you to build sustainable growth over the long term.

So, whether you are an internationally mobile entrepreneur at the very beginning of your start-up journey or an established family business seeking private equity backing to take your growth up a gear, we help you make confident decisions as the business develops - including personal tax, succession and estate planning, and the future transfer of ownership and wealth, during the life of the business and beyond.  

Legal advice for business owners at every stage

From scaling operations and attracting investment to preparing for an exit and preserving wealth across generations and jurisdictions, your priorities evolve as your business grows - and the decisions often become more complex, not less.

We offer integrated and strategic personal and business advice that is in step with your ambitions. By bringing together corporate, tax, disputes and our private client expertise, we help you align commercial success with your personal wealth and succession objectives, supporting both the business you are building today and what comes next for you and your family. 

Estate planning for business owners

Estate planning is not just a consideration for exit or later life. While you are actively running the business, we advise business owners on succession, ownership and tax planning to help protect value, preserve control and ensure personal arrangements work effectively alongside corporate governance.

Working closely with our corporate and tax colleagues, we advise on Wills and estate planning that take account of business interests and available tax reliefs, including Business Property Relief where relevant, as well as the succession of shareholdings — who shares should pass to and what rights and control they carry.

This joined‑up approach also supports planning for incapacity and longer‑term succession, including lifetime gifting or trusts where appropriate, particularly for family‑owned businesses.

Starting and scaling your business

When you’re starting out in business, the early decisions you make lay the foundations for everything that follows. Getting things right at this stage can protect relationships, avoid future friction and give you the freedom to focus on growth.

We advise on incorporation and structuring, ensuring that matters related to ownership, governance and tax are right from the start. As you raise capital, we guide you through investment rounds and funding negotiations, helping you balance ambition with control, put robust shareholder arrangements in place to minimise the risk of disputes and negotiate critical commercial contracts to put you on the path towards sustainable growth.

Growth, investment and strategic expansion

As your business matures, opportunities often come with increased scrutiny and complexity. Our lawyers work alongside you on mergers and acquisitions and strategic partnerships that support your growth strategy and put in place the employment frameworks and leadership incentives you need to build a culture that attracts and retains top talent.

With scale comes greater regulatory exposure. We help you navigate that risk with clarity, ensuring your expansion, both in the UK and internationally, is appropriately governed and aligned with your wider objectives.  

Preparing for exit, sale or transition

Our experience tells us that the most effective exits are planned well in advance. Even if a sale feels some distance away, early preparation can make a material difference to value and optionality.

Our lawyers support pre-sale structuring, tax alignment and shareholding optimisation to maximise value and reduce risk. Because our corporate and private client teams work closely together, we can also integrate succession planning where appropriate, helping you prepare not just for the transaction itself, but for what life looks like after it.

Protecting and structuring wealth beyond the business

With growth or an exit, your focus will inevitably shift to include wealth preservation. For many business owners, this is the moment when personal priorities, family considerations and long-term legacy come into sharper focus.

As a full-service firm, we can help you navigate trusts, estate and succession planning with confidence, as well as the most complex cross-border tax issues. Through our wider private client network, our expert lawyers can advise on asset protection, family governance and philanthropy - preserving capital and supporting your long-term legacy.

Our services for investors, entrepreneurs and business owners

Corporate and commercial services

Our lawyers for entrepreneurs advise across the full business lifecycle - from corporate structuring and governance that support long-term value, to investment and funding rounds that balance growth with governance.

Private client and personal advisory services

We support on a wide range of  issues including family governance, tax and succession, reputation management and disputes affecting shareholders or families, recognising that the personal relationships surrounding a business are often just as important as the commercial outcomes. Our approach is discreet and strategic focus as the organisation itself.