Buyers price risk as much as profit, and the discounts are predictable.
A business that depends entirely on its founder, a customer base dominated by one or two names, key contracts that cannot be found or do not survive a change of control, IP that was never assigned by the contractors who built it.
Each of those is either a reduction in price, an amount held back from it, or a reason to walk away. The work that removes them takes months or years, which is why it cannot be done once a buyer is at the table.
Exit preparation gets the business into a state where a buyer or investor finds nothing unexpected.
We help with:
- exit readiness reviews, based on what a buyer’s lawyers will actually ask for;
- corporate structure, share ownership and statutory records;
- key contracts, change of control clauses and assignability;
- intellectual property ownership and chain of title;
- employment and contractor arrangements; and
- data protection compliance, which now features in most due diligence.
The Legal Health Check is usually where this starts, because it is essentially the diligence exercise a buyer will run, done early and on your side of the table.
When the transaction itself arrives, see Mergers & Acquisitions. Tax planning around an exit is for your accountant and tax adviser, and the earlier they are involved the better.
Our Approach
Legal advice that makes running and growing your business easier.
We start with your business, not the law.
Before we open a document, we want to understand what you are trying to do commercially. The legal answer is only useful if it serves that.
We get to the point.
You get a clear view of what matters and what does not, in plain English, with the real risks separated from the noise.
We give you an answer.
Not a menu of options and a shrug. We tell you what we would do, why, and where there is a genuine judgment call for you to make.
We stay available.
Whether you work with us on a single project or on a subscription, we are here for the follow-up question. We would always rather you asked.
Ways of working together
Fixed-fee projects
A single, defined piece of work for an agreed fixed fee, communicated before we engage. Reviewing a contract, drafting your terms, handling a negotiation.
No surprises and no hidden fees
Flagship Subscription
Ares Access
Ongoing support on a fixed monthly subscription, for businesses that need commercial legal input regularly rather than as the occasional one-off.
- Dedicated lawyer
- Fixed monthly fees
- Commercial advice on demand
From £500 plus VAT per month
Legal Health Check
Fixed fee of £2,000 plus VAT
Any questions?
Phone: 02382 420035
