Our specialist commercial property team will guide you through your commercial lease, adopting a pragmatic approach to these transactions with the aim of minimising your exposure to risk.

Whether acting for a landlord to draw up a watertight lease or assisting in managing tenants, or acting for a tenant taking on such a lease, we have the knowledge and expertise to ensure your interests are protected.

What is a Partnership Agreement?

A Partnership Agreement is a written agreement between two or more individuals who wish to go into business together with the intention of making a profit. This is an essential step when venturing into business with others, as disputes and circumstantial changes can massively impact a business. Having a Partnership Agreement is the only way to ensure the business and the individuals involved are protected.

How can our Commercial Law Solicitors help?

When entering into a business partnership, specific terms and conditions of the relationship between the partners must be clearly established. It is essential that you seek legal advice with a view to having a proper Partnership Agreement prepared. The agreement will allow each of the partners to manage the business according to agreed objectives and clarify at the outset the rights and obligations of the partners, including the financial contribution required from them.

A Partnership Agreement will provide a mechanism for:

• Protecting assets
• Distributing profits
• Determining the outcome of the death of a partner/if a partner chooses to leave
• Setting out how disputes will be resolved.

Morecrofts’ specialist team of commercial law solicitors can advise you on the best possible way of achieving a successful partnership. We can assist with producing an agreement that ensures your partnership is effective from its early stages, and address issues that may arise during the lifetime of the business. Email our team directly at BusinessTeam@morecrofts.co.uk

Forming a company involves navigating complex legal requirements and regulations.

Our specialist solicitors can give you the essential expertise to ensure all legal obligations are met, such as drafting and filing the necessary documents, creating a legally sound business structure, and advising on compliance with local laws and regulations.

As well as this we can help avoid common pitfalls that might lead to legal issues or financial penalties in the future.

At Morecrofts, our specialist Commercial team regularly handle mergers, acquisitions, disposals, reconstructions and similar transactions for businesses of all sizes – from smaller local businesses to national operators with multi-million pound turnovers.

We understand that it is critical to obtain a clear understanding of your objectives and requirements from the outset. That understanding, combined with our experience and knowledge, means that we can offer a highly specialised service which will be actively managed and coordinated to achieve your target objectives within your timescales.

To find out more or to speak to someone, call: 0151 236 8871, email: info@morecrofts.co.uk or use our contact form.

Insolvency

We provide lenders and other stakeholders, companies and the directors of financially troubled businesses with advice on how to avoid formal corporate insolvency proceedings, wherever possible.

Also, when this is not possible, our experienced team of insolvency experts have successfully acted for those who appoint receivers or the directors of failed businesses in seeking the best outcome for creditors. Although control of the business is lost to the receivers, often the directors assist the receivers to find a buyer for the business and to recover monies due to the business.

Sometimes directors have given personal guarantees to the bank to support the business lending and we are adept at advising them on the enforceability of such guarantees, on acting for them should they wish to purchase the business assets from the receivers and how to protect their own position.

Administration

At Morecrofts, our experienced team of insolvency experts have successfully helped many struggling businesses to enter into administration. This is a constructive process of trying to save a company. It is designed to hold a business together while plans are drawn up to rescue the business, sort out the problems and allow the company to restructure.

The making of the administration application or the filing of the notice of intention to appoint administrators gives immediate protection from all creditors including the landlord, hire purchase and lease creditors. In other words, all the company’s assets are protected to enable a plan of action to be put in place.

Liquidation

Our experienced team of insolvency experts have successfully acted for liquidators or the directors of failed businesses. We can advise you on which option is best for you and guide you through the process. Directors should always take legal advice before closing the business to ensure that their own position is protected. We often wind up companies through the court at the directors’ request where funds are insufficient to wind up a company voluntarily. We offer a fixed price for this service with no hidden costs.

Restructuring a company is a complicated process with a lot of strategy needed to mitigate risks. We can help you in navigating this, with a team of experts in governance, contract negotiations, employment law and corporate restructure.

We’ll help you avoid costly legal disputes and any unneeded financial penalties and keep you on track to achieve your short-term and long-term business goals.

When a business has failed and the company is placed into liquidation, directors may face personal liability for any loss suffered by the company as a result of their actions.  We can advise and assist in dealing with these issues.

At Morecrofts, our specialist Dispute Resolution team have a proven track record of providing sound practical and cost-effective advice in what is a complicated, and sometimes very expensive, area of the law.

We can help to resolve business disputes wherever possible, avoiding recourse to the courts, and will provide prompt and practical advice to seek an efficient and satisfactory resolution. We will also work with you to ensure, if possible, that a framework for avoiding and addressing future disputes is put into place.

We can also assist you by taking/defending court proceedings should this ultimately be required. To find out more or to speak to someone, call: 0151 236 8871, email info@morecrofts.co.uk or use our contact form

Setting up a new a business can be an exciting but also potentially a challenging experience, particularly if you are striking out on your own for the first time. Obtaining specialist legal advice at a very early stage is time well spent and, in many cases, may save you from later expense.

We can advise you on the various factors which should be considered when the choice of business vehicle is made.

We provide a complete range of business services that will address all the legal and practical issues faced by any new business, and we will deliver pragmatic advice tailored to your needs.

To find out more or to speak to someone, call: 0151 236 8871, email info@morecrofts.co.uk or use our contact form.

All too often small business owners become so focused on the day-to-day management of their business that they simply don’t have the time or the financial resources to step back, take stock and ensure the business has sufficient legal protection. Today’s seemingly non-urgent issues become tomorrow’s desperate fire-fights.

We provide a complete range of business services that will address all the legal and practical issues faced by any business, and we will deliver pragmatic advice tailored to your needs.  Why not take our free Business Check and find out what issues you should be thinking about, what issues you should be dealing with, and what issues you have to deal with now.

Our Business Check provides you with a free, no obligation consultation to discuss the legal aspects of your business in which we will review:

• Your business structure: Sole Trader, Partnership, Limited Company,
• Your employees: employment contracts, employment policies
• Your premises: review of your lease or licence
• Your contracts: review your terms of business
• Your intellectual property protection

Following the consultation, we will prepare a report which will identify issues which require further action and include fixed fee quotes for each area identified.

In addition, we offer cost effective bolt-on services to our Business Check package.  Why not call us now to hear more about our Intellectual Property bolt-on or our Website Compliance bolt-on. To find out more about our first class legal services, call: 0151 236 8871, email info@morecrofts.co.uk or use our contact form.

How much should I expect to pay for licensing?

Price information for businesses in relation to applying for a new premises licence or to vary a premises licence to allow those premises to be used for one or more licensable activities (Applications for a premises licence under Section 17 of the Licensing Act 2003 and Applications to vary a premises licence under Section 34 of the Licensing Act 2003).

Our fixed fee costs for applications for a new premises licence and to vary an existing licence are set out below. These are exclusive of VAT and disbursements:

• Simple application: £1,700 (based on 10 hours at an hourly rate of £170)
• Medium complexity: £5,000 (based on 20 hours at an hourly rate of £250)
• High complexity: £10,000 (based on 40 hours at an hourly rate of £250)
• Vary existing licence: £1,700 (based on 8 hours at an hourly rate of £170)

Factors which determine whether an application for a premises licence is likely to be a simple application or one of medium or high complexity include whether there is a cumulative impact policy in place, the type and size of the premises, or whether it is in a residential area. High complexity may include large scale public events.
Additional costs are payable for submitting and advertising the application.

Disbursements

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as the application fee. We will pay the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

• Application fee (payable to licensing authority) £*see below
• Advertising fee, £250-£750*
• Enquiry agent fees to display public notices, £150
• Special delivery fee to serve the application, £10
• Printing additional copies of plans if necessary, £50

*These fees vary depending on the individual premises and where it is located. We have reproduced below the fees payable to Liverpool City Council as a guide. The fees can on occasion be higher than the ranges given above. We will give you an accurate figure for each item as soon as we are able to do so. The fee is based on the non-domestic rateable value (NDRV) of the premises (not the business rates which you pay). The NDRV, rather than your business rates bill, will determine the fee level to be paid with the licence application and the annual fee thereafter so it is important that this information is correct. The NDRV of any premises can be checked on the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) website www.2010.voa.gov.uk. Premises that do not have a non-domestic rateable value are treated as falling into Band A for licensing fee purposes.

Application fee for new licence

As stated above the application fee is based on the non-domestic rateable value (NDRV). It is this figure that must be used. The table below gives those rates and the corresponding application fee. The multiplier only applies to premises used exclusively or primarily for the sale of alcohol.

How long will my application take?

Matters usually take 4-8 weeks from receipt of full instructions from you. This is based on the application being relatively straightforward and you being able to provide all the necessary documents promptly. If your matter is more complex, for example, if there is substantial opposition from interested parties, or if there is a delay in receiving the documents we need, it may take longer.

Licensing is dealt with by David Tournafond.

We can provide you with the services of a specialist team dedicated to the recovery of money owed to you. We can handle the matter from the initial letter before action, through the issue of court proceedings, if necessary, to judgment and then enforcement of that judgment.

We can advise you at every step of all the options that are open to you, including enforcement by the bailiff or sheriff, attachment of earnings orders, charging orders if the debtor owns property, third party debt orders and, if need be, the issue of bankruptcy or winding up proceedings.

We offer services to assist our clients through the process of debt recovery.