A business that runs without legal advice usually shows no sign of trouble early on. The trouble appears when a counterparty stops performing, when shareholders fall out, or when a government office comes to inspect. At that point what settles the question is the paperwork done at the beginning, not what the parties remember agreeing verbally.
Work in this group is therefore preventive: setting up the shareholding, drafting agreements that can actually be enforced, and keeping the company's registered particulars accurate. Getting the documents right at the outset costs a fraction of litigating the same point later.
We act for businesses not yet incorporated, for established companies whose records have fallen behind, and for companies with foreign shareholders, where additional requirements apply.
What this group covers
- Corporate law: shareholding structure, directors' authority, meetings and the changes that must be filed with the registrar.
- Company registration: name reservation, objects, and registered capital set at a level that matches what the business will later need.
- Contract services: drafting, reviewing what a counterparty has sent, and tightening agreements already in use.
- Legal risk analysis for joint ventures and acquisitions, and due diligence on a counterparty before committing.
Where small and mid-sized businesses go wrong
- Using a downloaded template without adapting it, then finding the clause that matters was never covered.
- Agreeing terms verbally or over chat and never reducing them to writing, which leaves the agreement to be proved by witnesses.
- Never agreeing in advance how a departing shareholder is bought out, or who has the right of first refusal.
- Letting the registered particulars drift from reality — the office address, the directors, the signing authority — so that documents signed may not bind the company.
- Setting registered capital lower than needed, then discovering it will not support the work permits the business requires.
What to bring
- A company certificate issued within the last six months, with the shareholder list.
- The agreements currently in use, or the draft a counterparty has sent.
- The latest financial statements, for joint venture or acquisition work.
- What the business actually does, which is not always what the registered objects say.
This page is general information, not advice on your business. Requirements differ by sector; tell us what the business does and the applicable rules can be checked.