Buying & Selling

EMW serves diverse sectors, which means the legal team understands industry-specific issues. For instance:

– Retail & leisure: acquiring retail outlets, managing lease/licence complexities.

– Technology and creative agencies: where IP, equity and retention issues matter.

– Property development and investment: commercial/industrial/residential holdings.

– Professional services firms: mergers, management buy-outs, employee ownership trusts.

For example, we advised an architecture consultancy entering an employee-ownership transition with EOT structure and also helped a retail chain negotiate multiple leasehold acquisitions.

Speed and clarity are important when a transaction window opens. EMW aims to:

– Offer an initial engagement conversation quickly, to identify your objectives and key issues.

– Be proactive in identifying things that can slow the process (e.g., title issues, regulatory licences, shareholder disputes) and setting them out upfront.

A client acquiring a business in Milton Keynes had a 6-week completion window – Our team identified all third-party consents needed early, tracked them, and completed ahead of schedule.

At EMW, we provide comprehensive legal services, with offices in Milton Keynes, Northampton, Watford, London and Brighton and the capability to support our clients across England & Wales. Whether you’re an individual needing assistance locally in Milton Keynes or a business seeking advice in London or Brighton, our team is ready to help.

Our strength is combining local knowledge with national reach, ensuring you have the right solicitor in the right place.

Our approach recognises that a business (or property investment) has a lifecycle: formation → growth → exit (or acquisition → holding → sale). For instance:

– In early stages you might need financing/debt or equity, structuring the business or acquiring your first assets. EMW assists with funding agreements and structuring support.

– During growth you may expand property holdings, acquire another company or restructure your business. We help restructure groups, negotiate acquisitions and support expansion.

– When planning your exit (or selling property), we help you design the right route – whether that’s a trade sale, management buy-out, sale to an employee ownership trust or portfolio sale of property assets.

Transaction work can be costly and risky – EMW helps you manage both. We offer:

– Transparent cost-discussions upfront so you understand the legal budget (or estimate) before you commit.

– A pragmatic focus: we don’t over-lawyer everything; we concentrate on the critical areas (e.g., key warranties, conditions precedent, high-risk liabilities) to save time and cost.

– Risk mitigation: for example in a property deal we’ll advise on hidden liabilities (planning, construction defects, environmental issues) early on so you don’t get unpleasant surprises at completion.

Yes, many clients face financing or debt-related issues during a transaction and EMW advises accordingly. For example:

If you are acquiring a business with existing debt or you’re refinancing property assets, we’ll review the debt documentation, advise on covenants, negotiate security and clarify responsibilities.

If you are selling and concerned about outstanding debts or contingent liabilities, contact us and we will help you structure the deal to limit post-completion exposure.

We support a broad array of property types and development stages, including:

– Commercial & mixed-use development: structuring option agreements, forward sales, pre-lets and construction contracts.

– Residential development: from option/promotions agreements, through to sale of individual plots or house-building schemes.

– Investment portfolios: acquisitions and disposals of warehouses, retail/leisure outlets, industrial premises, and negotiating leases/licences.

A developer in Northampton reached out and worked with us when acquiring land under an option agreement, we negotiating the forward sale, planning obligations and then completing the sale once the plots were built and sold out at profit.

Governance and structure play a big role in transaction success. For example:

– If you’re selling your business you may need to ensure the corporate structure is clean, shareholder/ director relationships are well documented (shareholders’ agreements) and governance arrangements are fit for due diligence.

– If you’re buying or investing, you may need to review target governance, compliance history, data-protection arrangements and employee liabilities.

– In property holding entities you might review company secretarial records, correct ownership chains and ensure group overheads are properly allocated.

A private equity fund acquiring a Northampton company asked EMW to prepare a data-protection remediation plan and restructure the target’s holding companies to streamline the acquisition and reduce post-deal cost and risk.

Transactions often raise issues beyond purely legal contracts – especially when trading arrangements or regulatory/licensing issues are involved. For example:

– If a leisure-sector business is being acquired, acquiring the right licences (e.g., premises licences, temporary events licences) is essential. EMW advises on these.

– If a business operates internationally, or holds consumer data, EMW can review data-protection compliance, licensing and reputational risk.

– When property is being acquired for occupation, retail or manufacturing, lease terms, environmental regulations or licensing may need legal review.

Even well-planned transactions can face post-completion issues – EMW provides services to manage or reduce these risks. Examples include:

– Negotiating strong warranties and indemnities to limit seller liability; advising on escrow and holdback mechanisms.

– Including mediation/arbitration clauses in the sale agreement to minimise future litigation risk.

– For property deals, ensuring latent defect provisions or construction warranties are in place; for business deals, employment liability and contingent tax risk are properly allocated.

For everything buying and selling and legal advice, contact our experienced team today.