Buying or selling
Stand on one side of the table, and stay there
We represent the buyer or the seller, never both. These are the stages we walk through, whichever side you’re on.
- 01
Step 1: Before the offer
What the business owns, owes and depends on, and what a fair price has to account for.
- 02
Step 2: The letter of intent
The few terms worth fixing early: price, what’s included, how long the seller stays on.
- 03
Step 3: Due diligence
Contracts, leases, licenses and liens read before you’re committed to anything.
- 04
Step 4: The purchase agreement
Who promises what, what happens if a promise is wrong, and how the price gets paid.
- 05
Step 5: The lease and the licenses
Landlord consent, transfers and permits lined up before closing day.
- 06
Step 6: Closing and after
Signatures, funds and keys, then the handover period written down.
What owners ask about buying and selling
Can you represent both of us if we agree?
No. A buyer and a seller want opposite things from the same paper. Each of you gets your own lawyer, and we’ll act for one.
Do I need a lawyer before the letter of intent?
It’s the cheapest moment to have one. Terms fixed in a letter are hard to move later, even where the letter says it isn’t binding.
What do you need from me to begin?
The draft offer or letter if there is one, a list of the business’s leases and loans, and the name of your accountant.
Do you value the business?
We don’t set prices. We work with your accountant or a broker on value and make sure the papers carry out what you agreed.
Got an offer, or making one?
Send us nothing confidential yet. Tell us what kind of business it is and which side you’re on, and we’ll start from there.
A first call doesn’t make us your lawyers; a signed engagement letter does.