Heads of terms set the shape of a deal while shaping it is still cheap.
Get them right and the lawyers spend their time documenting an agreement rather than discovering that the parties never agreed. Get them wrong, or skip them, and fundamental disagreements surface weeks later with costs, momentum and pride already committed.
They also carry a specific trap in that a document labelled non-binding can still bind you if the wording is careless, and the parts that should bind, confidentiality and exclusivity, are often the parts left out.
Heads of terms record the main commercial points of a deal before full documents are drafted.
Typical uses include:
- acquisitions and disposals;
- investment rounds;
- joint ventures and major collaborations; and
- significant commercial contracts with a long negotiation ahead.
We pin down price and how it is paid, structure, conditions, timetable and who does what next, and we are deliberate about what binds and what does not.
Such as confidentiality and exclusivity being binding, but the commercial terms not, and the document needs to say so expressly. Because heads of terms come at the start, speed matters, and we turn them around quickly so the deal keeps moving.
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
