Print Friendly, PDF & Email

FROM START-UP TO SELLING, CHOOSE A STRATEGIC PARTNER IN BUSINESS

Whether you are looking for savvy contracts to minimise your business risk, ways to expand and grow, or the time has come to sell or wind up your business, we can help.

Our business team are experts in commercial law, and know the fishhooks you need to look out for in your commercial contracts, or when eyeing up a new opportunity.

We’ll guide you through business growth and re-organisation, doing due diligence, sorting out ownership structures, branding and intellectual property, employment matters, deals between shareholders and partners, and much more.

We work for clients large and small in a variety of sectors.

Buying or selling a business can be an exciting, but stressful time. Our role is to keep a clear head and act in your best interests, ensuring your due diligence is thorough and your contract terms will best serve your needs. We work hand in hand with your accountant to ensure your financial and tax arrangements work for you. Our lawyers are known for being thorough, practical and pragmatic in their approach. Common matters we assist with include:

  • Sale and purchase agreements
  • Business structures and asset planning
  • Due diligence (of prospective purchases and purchasers)
  • Premises lease issues and assignment or variation
  • Equipment lease issues
  • Supplier arrangements
  • Employment arrangements
  • Financing
  • Personal Property Security Act issues

Good commercial contracts are an essential part of a successful business. We help clients prepare and negotiate a broad range of commercial and business contracts. By getting us involved early on, we make sure you’ve negotiated the best terms and used the right contract, before it’s too late.
Common contracts we help with include:

  • Premises lease agreements and assignment or variation
  • Equipment lease agreements
  • Supply agreements
  • Employment contracts and performance management processes
  • Financing

Every time your business buys or sells goods or services it is entering into a legal relationship with the other party. We advise our clients what consumer laws will and do apply if something goes wrong (e.g. the Consumer Guarantees Act and Fair Trading Act), and how to be proactive and protect your business during your dealings, for example creating and advising on when to rely on terms of trade or business terms and conditions.

Corporate governance can be complex, and is an area of law that has changed significantly in the last few years. We advise clients on a wide range of corporate governance issues, from assisting with company formation, restructuring and Companies Act compliance to advising on best practice and risk management for Directors (including appointing and removing Directors). We also regularly advise on the sale and purchase of shares and Shareholder agreements.

You’re doing well and it’s time to scale up! Now what? We advise on licensing and franchising arrangements, capital raising structures and transactions, and supply agreements. We also help you to look ahead with corporate succession planning.

We advise borrowers and lenders (including banks and finance companies) and borrowers on a wide range of banking and financial services law, including:

  • new lending/ borrowing for businesses and individuals
  • refinancing of existing borrowing
  • finance for acquisitions
  • the Personal Property Securities Act and the Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Act, and
  • registering security interests.

Compliance for financial services and financial advisers has also changed significantly over the last five years and continues to evolve. We assist finance companies and other providers to ensure they remain on the right side of the law.

Our business team is also home to commercial property specialists. We help clients to proactively manage their commercial property matters, including:

  • buying and selling commercial property
  • ownership restructuring
  • leasing
  • creating or amending Body Corporates
  • Local Government issues and consents
  • refinancing
  • subdividing property, and
  • construction and building contracts.

Intellectual Property (IP) is a significant and valuable asset in your business portfolio. We help businesses to protect and maximise the value of their IP through:

  • identifying and auditing IP
  • brand protection
  • Trade Mark procedures with IPONZ
  • licensing and franchising
  • manufacturing and supply agreements
  • protecting confidential information and trade secrets
  • preparing Non-Disclosure Agreements
  • structuring ownership of IP,
  • working with specialist IP and Patent Attorneys as required.

When things go pear-shaped, good advice and the right course of action is essential in maximising any returns to creditors, or securing viable assets at a reasonable price. We work with:

  • companies which are undertaking restructuring, dealing with insolvency and creditor claims
  • directors, advising on their duties when their company is facing insolvency
  • creditors owed money by insolvent companies
  • specialist insolvency practitioners holding appointments, and
  • purchasers seeking to buy business assets from liquidators and receivers of insolvent companies.

We advise on a diverse range of matters, including:

  • liquidation, receivership and administration
  • corporate restructuring
  • enforcing security
  • Voluntary Administration
  • Statutory Demands
  • creditor disputes and compromises
  • liquidators’ powers and duties
  • voidable transactions, and charges and transactions at undervalue
  • Directors’ duties and liability when facing insolvency, and
  • the sale and purchase of business assets from liquidators and receivers.

OUR TEAM

Profile Picture

Chris Taylor

Director

Office: Whangarei

Read Full Bio
Profile Picture

Chloe Davenport

Director

Office: Kerikeri

Read Full Bio
Profile Picture

Jared Cains

Director

Office: Whangarei

Read Full Bio
Profile Picture

Patrick Steuart

Director

Office: Warkworth

Read Full Bio
Profile Picture

Simon Davies-Colley

Director

Office: Whangarei, Kerikeri

Read Full Bio
Profile Picture

Tania Beckham

Director

Office: Whangarei

Read Full Bio
Profile Picture

Clive Jackson

Consultant

Office: Whangarei, Dargaville

Read Full Bio
Profile Picture

Courtney Clarke

Associate

Office: Whangarei, Warkworth

Read Full Bio
Profile Picture

Kathryn Candy

Associate

Office: Whangarei

Read Full Bio
Profile Picture

Rosie Allen

Associate

Office: Whangarei

Read Full Bio
Profile Picture

Lina Khan

Senior Lawyer

Office: Dargaville

Read Full Bio
Profile Picture

Keegan Jones

Lawyer

Office: Whangarei

Read Full Bio
Profile Picture

Sam Bickers

Lawyer

Office: Warkworth

Read Full Bio

RELATED SERVICES

Construction

For sites large or small, work with Northland’s dedicated construction law specialists. More Info

Property

Whether you’re buying or selling, choose the legal team you can trust. More Info

RELATED ARTICLES

The new Incorporated Societies Act 2022 is here – Is your Society ready?

The Incorporated Societies Act 2022 requires every Incorporated Society to re-register before 5 April 2026, or the Society will be de-registered and will lose essential rights and protections that allow it to function.… Read More

Five Steps to Selling Your Business

For those leasing commercial premises, you may be able to obtain a rent reduction to help bring your costs down during this difficult period.… Read More

Rent reduction for businesses due to COVID-19

For those leasing commercial premises, you may be able to obtain a rent reduction to help bring your costs down during this difficult period.… Read More