A structure for the people building it.
Ownership, authority and the arrangements that hold a new business together.
Read the practice guideCounsel for business owners
Legal advice
for your next
business move.
Formation, commercial agreements and disputes. Work that begins with understanding what the business needs to do.
The practice
The document matters.
So does the decision behind it.
An agreement records what each business expects from the other. Company documents set out how owners work together. A dispute can put those arrangements under strain. We start by understanding the business behind the legal question.
Counsel works with owners on defined projects and ongoing questions. We organize the issue, explain the work being proposed and keep the business decision in view.
How we work togetherWhere the work begins
A business changes.
The legal questions change with it.
A new company or ownership arrangement
Put the important decisions into words.
Formation work connects the structure on paper to how the owners intend to make decisions, contribute to the business and handle change.
Business formationAreas of work
An agreement people can work with.
Commercial terms, responsibilities and a clear account of what happens when plans change.
Read the practice guideUnderstand your options in a dispute.
The documents, sequence of events and commercial priorities behind a disagreement.
Read the practice guide
Our people
Elena Mercer
Business counsel
The conversation begins with the people making the decision. Elena leads the discussion of scope and the legal work, with attention to the business relationships behind the documents.
About Elena and the practiceBetween major decisions
A regular legal conversation
can have a practical purpose.
New customer terms, a proposed partnership or a question from the team may not fit a single large project. Ongoing counsel creates an agreed route for that work, with a defined scope and a way to set priorities.
Ongoing business counselWorking together
Know what the
engagement includes.
Establish the context
Identify the business, the decision and the relevant relationships.
Agree the work
Set out scope, timing, responsibilities and the basis for fees.
Work through the options
Connect the legal detail to the decision the business needs to make.
From the reading room
Useful questions,
before the meeting.
Before we talk
A focused first conversation.
What belongs in an initial enquiry?+
A general description of the business and the kind of work you are considering is enough to begin. Confidential documents and detailed accounts of a dispute belong in a separately agreed process.
Can we begin with one agreement?+
Yes. A defined review or drafting project can be scoped on its own. The first conversation establishes the document, its purpose and the decisions the business needs to make.
How are scope and fees agreed?+
The proposed work, responsibilities, timing, fee basis and expected expenses are discussed before an engagement begins. A later change in scope should be a separate conversation.