Get legal support where your business needs it most.
How Straight Line Legal can support your business
Straight Line Legal offers a one-stop shop service for SMEs, where you can get support with the numerous legal and commercial challenges affecting your business.
I know all too well how difficult it can be to manage a business and for many, the legal aspects of running a business are put on the backburner because tackling them feels too messy, time consuming, or simply expensive. But dealing with legal issues early on, before they escalate, is critical and that is why I put so much focus on guiding my clients through essential legal matters with the least amount of fuss and cost to them. You can trust SLL to take on your legal burdens, so you can tick that off your to do list and focus on what you do best!
SLL can offer assistance and legal input in the following areas (and more):
Your standard Ts and Cs for supplying goods and/or services to customers.
Your route to market - including agency, distribution, and franchising agreements.
Property queries and disputes, including leasing and licensing.
General business and legal compliance matters.
Dispute Resolution (pre-litigation), including debt recovery.
Company and corporate matters, including preparing documents such as shareholder agreements and bespoke articles of association.
Investment strategies and advice (non-financial), including preparing investment agreements.
Business transactions, including sales/acquisitions and mergers.
There are other areas where SLL may be able to assist you - if you’re not sure whether SLL can help with your legal issue / query, please get in touch and I will assess it and let you know.
There are some limited areas SLL does not advise on including: formal litigation, conveyancing, taxation, or other personal legal matters (such as wills). However, I may be able to refer you to trusted partners if you require assistance with these types of matters.
Services
I want to make it as easy as possible when choosing a legal service and I want to ensure that clients are only being charged for the work they need. Based on my years of working closely with clients and their businesses, I believe there are four key areas where legal input is needed. They are:
Legal Advice
Document Review and Drafting
Business Transactions
Dispute Resolution
Within each area there are various options to suit differing needs and with varying levels of time input, which we can discuss during your initial free consultation.
If you don’t know where to start, I would always recommend getting an initial advice, so that we can first properly understand the problem before working out what further work might need to be done. You can then select other services if you need additional work following the advice (although that choice will always be yours!).
Alternatively if you know what you want, select that service and we can get started solving your problem right away!
A note on fees
All of my fees are fixed and agreed in advance. I don’t use estimates in order to create more certainty for all involved.
Any prices stated are the total price you will pay and no VAT is charged.
For less predictable matters we may need to approach the matter in stages but you will receive a fixed fee quote in advance of each stage so there are no surprises.
Legal Advice
Have you ever come across a tricky commercial/legal issue and wished that there was someone on the other end of the phone to talk through the problem and get things sorted quickly? Well that is exactly what I offer! No need to formally instruct big city firms, involving reams of unnecessary paperwork and toing and froing. In a single, focused discussion (via video or audio call) we can cut through the problem and work out a clear strategy to deal with it. I have tackled all sorts of legal issues for various clients, and I am on hand to assist with yours.
2. Document Review and Drafting
Having worked in commercial dispute resolution for many years in situations where significant damage is already done, my strongest advice to clients is that prevention is better than cure! Business dealings don’t always go according to plan and when things go south, a robust agreement is essential to ensure that you are fully protected.
Whether you need Ts and Cs to protect your business operations with your customers, or a shareholder agreement for tricky corporate matters, SLL will deliver a legally robust document that perfectly aligns with your business needs and minimises the potential fallout from future conflicts.
SLL also offers a document review and audit service to strength test your existing agreements and give you insight into the key legal risks - so you know exactly where you stand.
For negotiated contracts, SLL can also act on your behalf in negotiating with the other party(ies) to maximise the chances of your terms being accepted.
3. Business Transactions
SLL has substantial experience in delivering expert legal solutions tailored to the unique needs of each business transaction. Transactional matters come in all shapes and sizes and SLL is on hand to help with a range of issues including the sale/acquisition of shares, the sale/acquisition of business assets, business mergers (including support with collaborations and joint ventures), and other business investment.
SLL can do as much or as little as you like to match your specific needs and budget including, but not limited to, preparing acquisition agreements, organising due diligence, reviewing disclosure documents, and general advice concerning strategy.
4. Dispute Resolution
Most businesses at one point or another will experience a dispute - whether it is with their own customers or other third parties, it is difficult to avoid conflict completely. The key is how a business manages it. Having helped many clients over the years to resolve their disputes, I understand what skills are required to achieve a quick and cost-effective solution. My clients always appreciate my passion for creative problem-solving, which is particularly useful for commercially sensitive and/or complex dynamics.
The packages I offer are billed in stages, to allow us to review and take stock as the situation develops and so that you do not pay more than you need to if the dispute resolves quickly. The first stage typically includes reviewing your case, advising on the merits, sending an initial letter, and reviewing the other side’s response. If this resolves the matter you will only pay the agreed fee. If liability is disputed or if further negotiations are required, we will discuss your options, next steps, and any additional fees.
Additional Services and Charges
For matters with large volumes of documents/material, I may need to charge a supplemental fixed fee to cover the additional reading or investigation time. Any additional fees will be discussed with you before you commit to any service(s).
I may be able to assist with other legal problems not covered above - including preparing legal notices and filings - so please do get in touch for a free initial chat on whether I can help.
“To me, a lawyer is basically the person that knows the rules of the country. We're all throwing the dice, playing the game, moving our pieces around the board, but if there is a problem the lawyer is the only person who has read the inside of the top of the box.”
— Jerry Seinfeld.
Let’s Get Started!
1
Make an Enquiry
Give me a call on the number provided for a brief (free) initial chat about your problem. We will discuss what service(s) might suit you best, the cost, and what is involved.
2
Tell me about your problem
If you choose to go ahead, I will send you a client questionnaire for you to complete and return. I will also issue a quote (with full details of your chosen service(s)) and my terms of service.
3
Solve your problem
Once payment is made, we will arrange a formal consultation to discuss your problem in detail, including possible solutions and next steps. The timescales and exact process will depend on which service(s) you have chosen.