Corporate lawyers based in Manchester, Sale and Chester
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We’re natural dealmakers, and your business is our business. Our corporate lawyers and business solicitors in Sale, Chester and Manchester give businesses straight-talking advice and stick to tight deadlines. Selling up, taking on an investor or rewarding your team? We keep the deal moving. We also work with your accountant or tax adviser, so nobody is left guessing.
Talk to one of our corporate solicitors on 0330 111 3131 or via our online enquiry form.
Corporate law services we offer
Corporate law is the legal side of running, funding, buying, selling and handing on a business. Our corporate law solicitors cover all of it, from share purchase agreements and shareholders’ agreements to employee share schemes, joint ventures and exit planning, for businesses at every stage from start-up to exit. We advise from our offices in Chester, Manchester and Sale.
Buying and selling a business
Our corporate lawyers act for buyers and sellers on mergers and acquisitions and on smaller business sales and purchases, from heads of terms to completion. That includes due diligence and the paperwork that follows, such as share purchase agreements, warranties and indemnities.
Shareholders’ agreements and articles of association
We draft and negotiate shareholders’ agreements and bespoke articles of association, including growth shares, alphabet shares and good leaver and bad leaver provisions. Whether you’re setting up with a co-founder or bringing in new shareholders, we make sure the paperwork matches the deal you agreed.
Many owners assume the articles cover everything. However, articles are public and set the basic rules for the company, whereas a shareholders’ agreement is private and deals with who makes decisions, what happens if you fall out and how someone leaves. Most businesses with more than one owner benefit from both.
Private equity, venture capital and funding
We advise founders and businesses taking on investment, from private equity and venture capital to EIS and SEIS fundraising, where we work with your accountant or tax adviser on advance assurance and the tax reliefs. We also advise on corporate finance, funding and complex debt finance, and our corporate finance solicitors explain the terms in plain English before you sign.
Employee share schemes and employee ownership
We set up share option and incentive schemes, including EMI schemes and EMI2’s, previously known as CSOPs, so you can reward and keep your key people. If you’d rather sell to your team, we advise on employee ownership trusts. We work with your accountant or tax adviser, so we work with them from the start and take care of the legal steps.
Share buybacks, capital reductions and restructuring
We handle share buybacks and share capital reductions, and restructure companies, including reorganisations and demergers. This work is often tax-led and arranged with your accountant or tax adviser, so we work with them from the start and take care of the legal steps.
Joint ventures and partnerships
We advise on joint ventures, LLPs and partnerships, and on how to set up a new business so the structure fits from day one., Our team acts for banks, PLCs, private companies and partnerships, and Scott Sands advises on joint ventures.
Succession and family wealth
We help owners plan who takes over, whether that’s a sale, a management buyout, an employee ownership trust or the next generation, through business succession planning. We also set up family investment companies for owners and families who want to hold and grow wealth across generations. We work with your accountant and tax adviser on the tax side of both.
Governance and everyday corporate support
We advise on corporate governance and directors’ duties, charity and not-for-profit governance, company restorations, and international trade and expansion. We also draft, review and negotiate contracts, and our company secretarial services look after your statutory records and filings.
Who our business lawyers help
Our corporate lawyers help owner-managed and family businesses, larger companies, wealthy founders and investors, and the directors and shareholders who run them. We work closely with owners, entrepreneurs and key stakeholders to get the deal done properly
Owner-managed and family businesses
Our business law solicitors act for owner-managed and family businesses, from start-up to the day you sell up or hand on. You don’t have time to chase lawyers, so we keep the advice practical and tell you what we think. As a full-service firm, we can also bring in our commercial property, employment and wills and probate colleagues when your business and personal affairs overlap.
Larger and established companies
If you have a finance director or an in-house legal team, you want a clear scope, clear fees and the same team from start to finish. We act on acquisitions, disposals and restructures, and we can work alongside your in-house lawyers. Our business lawyers also act on multi-jurisdictional mandates that span several practice areas, and we relish the challenge.
Founders and investors with significant wealth
If you’ve sold a business, or you’re about to, the deal is only part of it. We handle the sale and the planning that follows, including family investment companies, succession planning and EIS and SEIS investing. We keep things confidential and keep the circle small.
Directors and shareholders
If you’re a director or a minority shareholder, we explain your duties and your position in plain English and tell you what your options are.
We act across Greater Manchester, Cheshire and the wider North West, and further afield when a deal needs it. We work in all industries and know several sectors well. They include life sciences and healthcare, manufacturing, technology and education.
How our corporate lawyers work with your accountant and tax adviser
Our corporate law solicitors work alongside your accountant and tax adviser on every deal, so the legal and financial sides stay in step. We bring them in early, agree who is doing what, and keep them copied in on anything that affects the price or the tax.
Your accountant knows your numbers, and your tax adviser knows how the deal will be taxed. We turn their advice into documents that stand up. That means the share purchase agreement, including completion accounts, warranties and the tax covenant. It means the board and shareholder paperwork for a restructure or share buyback, and the growth shares or EMI scheme that follow a valuation. It also means supporting your SEIS or EIS advance assurance application. We’re clear in our advice and transparent with our fees, so your accountant or tax adviser can see where the legal costs sit in the deal.
Which corporate agreement do you need?
The right document depends on what you’re trying to do. Selling a company, bringing in an investor, rewarding staff and going into business with a partner each need a different agreement, and most businesses end up needing more than one. Here is how the main ones compare.
| Agreement | What it does | When you need it |
| Articles of association | The company’s public rulebook. It sets out share rights and how the company is run. | Every company has them. Bespoke articles matter once you have different share classes, investors or leavers to plan for. |
| Shareholders’ agreement | A private contract between the owners on who decides what, what happens if you fall out and how someone leaves. | When there is more than one owner, or before an investor comes in. |
| Share purchase agreement | The contract for buying or selling a company’s shares: the price, the warranties and who is responsible if something turns out to be wrong. | When you buy or sell a company. |
| Investment or subscription agreement | The deal with an investor: what they pay for their shares and the rights they get in return. | When you raise money from private equity, venture capital or an EIS or SEIS investor. |
| Share option agreement | Gives chosen employees the right to buy shares at a set price in future. | When you want to reward and keep key staff without handing over shares today. |
| Joint venture agreement | Sets out how two or more businesses will work together on a project or through a new company. | When you go into business with a partner. |
| Share buyback agreement | The company buys shares back from a shareholder. | When an owner is leaving and the company, rather than the other owners, will buy them out. |
Start with what you’re trying to do. A sale needs a share purchase agreement, new money needs an investment agreement, and co-owners need a shareholders’ agreement. The articles sit underneath all of them, so they need to match. Not sure which you need? Tell us what you’re trying to do and we’ll tell you plainly.
How a corporate transaction works
Most corporate work follows five steps, whether it’s a sale, an investment, a shareholder’s agreement or a restructure.
- First conversation
We listen to what you want to achieve and who needs to be involved. Then we agree a plan with you and your accountant or tax adviser (if required).
- Agreeing the plan and terms
We help you agree the structure and the main terms with everyone involved. Where necessary, we will prepare heads of terms which is mostly not legally binding, but confidentiality and exclusivity can be.
- Information and checks
You and your accountant gather the information we need. Where the work calls for checks, such as due diligence, we manage them and the that follow.
- The documents
We draft and negotiate the legal documents the work needs and agree them with everyone involved. Your accountant or tax adviser usually leads on the numbers and the tax, and we make sure the documents reflect them.
- Completion
We manage signing and completion, including making sure everything is in place on the day. Afterwards we file what needs filing, such as at Companies House, and update the company’s records.
Why choose Slater Heelis as your corporate lawyers
Recognised excellence in corporate law
We’re commended in The Times’ Best Law Firms guide for 2027. The Legal 500 recognises our corporate and commercial team in its 2026 North West rankings. Chambers ranks Scott Sands in Band 3 for corporate work, and we were finalists for Corporate/Commercial Team of the Year at the Manchester Legal Awards 2025. With over 2,000 reviews and an average rating of 4.9/5 on ReviewSolicitors, our clients trust us enough to recommend us to other businesses.
Over 250 years of excellence
We’ve been providing legal advice to businesses and families since 1773. With offices in Manchester, Sale and Chester, we’re rooted in the communities we serve and understand the issues businesses face. We have strategic partnerships with start-up hubs. We also advise clients across the UK from offices in London, Liverpool, Leeds, York and Sheffield.
Experienced corporate lawyers
Corporate deals turn on the detail: who owns what, who is responsible if something goes wrong and what the other side will ask for. Our corporate lawyers in Sale, Manchester and Chester are led by Scott Sands, Head of Corporate. They work with our commercial property, employment and wills and probate teams, so you get advice on the deal, the property and the people in one place. We’re proactive and commercial, and we keep our advice clear and our fees transparent.
Now you know how we can help, tell us what you’re planning and we’ll tell you plainly what it involves. To find out more about the specialist corporate services our solicitors can provide to your business, call us on 0330 111 3131 or contact us via our online enquiry form to arrange a consultation with our corporate solicitors.
Our offices in Manchester, Sale and Chester are open for face-to-face meetings, and we also work with clients across the UK, with meetings at other locations, such as London, Leeds and Liverpool, available by appointment.
Speak to our corporate lawyers today
Highly rated and trusted by our customers
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"I really appreciate all the help and trusted guidance Slater Heelis have given me during this multi-million pound transaction. I apologise for being so ‘green’ about it all. Thank you in particular for keeping it all on track so expertly." Oliver Marsden, Director at 360 Solutions
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"We were faced with a defendant whose resources significantly outweighed our own. I therefore approached Sunil Mohindra who provided clear, concise and commercially focused advice. We were extremely impressed with Sunil’s advice, the result achieved and the support we have received. I would not hesitate to recommend Sunil as an expert corporate solicitor." Jonathan Craft, Solicitor at Regency Factors plc.
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"This is just a short note to recommend Slater Heelis for their work for Crushed, our fast fruit snack business based in Altrincham. They have been thorough and understanding of the pressures of a small start-up such as ourselves. Richard Riley deserves special credit for his patience." Deborah Ewing-Chow, Crushed Ltd.
