Business Life Cycle
Scaling up
Fasten your seatbelt… Are you ready to take off?
It’s time to realise your ambition and increase income. We’re here to support you every step of the way whether that’s rapidly expanding employee numbers or acquiring other firms to generate growth. Evolving your business may mean transitioning to a different business model/setup, joining an international marketplace or perhaps franchising out.
Understanding your situation
What’s your next challenge?
Opportunities and risks touch operations across your business. Finance directors, HR directors, In-house counsel and C-suite leaders all need flexible support to cover gaps in specialist legal areas.
Here are some of the challenges you may encounter:
Senior hires and Director service agreements
Detailed provisions are likely to be required in order to set expectations for the more complex roles. If required, we can help you put together a director’s service agreement, separate to that of their employment contract, so that the elements of a director’s role can be clearly established, and boundaries met, just in case a disagreement arises at a later date.
Data compliance, privacy and security
As your business scales, its use and management of data will evolve and become more complex. We can help protect your business from data breaches, ICO fines and reputational damage with a holistic approach to data governance.
Funding for growth
Our aim is to assist you efficiently through the investment process with your long-term goals in mind to drive negotiations and help move your company forward.
Securing bolt-ons/acquisitions/mergers
Mergers and acquisitions can be a great way to expand your business, whether into other sectors, geographies or simply to make economies of scale. Even in the early stages however, good legal advice is essential as these transactions can become protracted and harmful to your existing business. We can support you along every step, from evaluating a company for acquisition, conducting due diligence, advising on the Takeover Code, through to making any necessary filings with government agencies.
High contract numbers
Your contracts need to keep pace with the fast moving commercial requirements of your business. Good contract life cycle management will ensure your contracts stay fit for purpose, making it easier to understand the commitments, potential risks and timescales of the agreements you enter into.
Employee share schemes
Attract and retain top talent with employee share schemes that align staff to your business goals, fit in with your company’s plans, constitution and shareholders, comply with regulations, and don’t break the bank.
Growing your workforce and outsourcing
You’ll need the right people in the right places to hit your growth targets. Achieving this will require a balance between hiring new employees and outsourcing specific business functions. You’ll need to develop a clear strategy so your contracts and procedures align with your objectives and reduce risk.
International reach
We’ll help you to protect your commercial interests as you move into new markets and diversify your offering. Tariffs, regulations and a host of contractual considerations may require you to create new processes and procedures. Drawing on our many years of experience enables us to provide up-to-the-minute advice and help you to anticipate the legal impact of potential future changes on your business.
Resolving disputes
Dealing with contract disputes can be frustrating, mentally challenging and a time-consuming process. It’s paramount to make a rational decision based on the best interests of your business when considering the best way to go about settling these disputes, which means that when relationships between the contractual parties turn sour, understanding of your rights, deciding on the best options for your business and having an effective strategy is crucial.
IPO/AIM listing
Taking the decision to go public is a major step that requires careful planning and expert advice to ensure a successful flotation. Our expert IPO lawyers will work alongside you every step of the way, from helping you restructure your business pre-IPO, setting up a comprehensive data room, drafting your prospectus and admission documents, and working closely with you throughout the listing process itself.
Our support in action
News and resources
Join us in celebrating the successes of our clients and discover what we’re doing to champion growing businesses across the UK. Here’s a selection of our latest insights and updates.
How we can help
Legal support that matches your ambition
We can scale our support to match your changing needs
However large or small (We supported Europe’s fastest ever double unicorn go from 8 staff to a $5B valuation!)
Your objective friend, our lawyers are impartial advisors
We take a step back and spot the problems and opportunities.
With a wealth of in-house and industry experience
Our advice is grounded in the reality of how the law should be applied in the ‘real world’.
Fast, focused and considered advice
We’re here whenever you need us, giving you the information needed to make informed decisions.
Work with specialists in each area of business law
We help fill any knowledge gaps so there are no blind spots in your team’s capabilities. Your business can quickly take its next step.
A dedicate panel of solicitors who know your business inside out
Our On-Demand plan gives you a dedicated panel of solicitors creating a genuine partnership relationship, committed to your vision
Testimonials
What our clients say
We pride ourselves on delivering an excellent service for clients, but don’t just take our word for it.
The extend service we get from Harper James allows us to combine their expertise with that of our own in-house counsel. It means we can get quick and trustworthy legal advice from specialists in every legal area, as and when we need it. There are no hidden extras and the service we have received has always demonstrated an awareness of our fast-moving commercial requirements.
Amelia Guilfoyle
Head of legal,
Zoopla
Harper James never fail to impress with the speed and efficiency of their service, no matter the query. The team are friendly, knowledgeable and always on hand.
Karis Walker
Project Managing Officer,
Thyssenkrupp
Harper James are our trusted legal adviser and having them by our side at key moments in our business growth, knowing we are protected, is immensely reassuring.
Chris Mason
CEO,
Namos Solutions
We often need legal advice quickly, especially during sales with new customers, and Rob is very responsive and always available for meetings. When I was looking for a law firm, I wanted that full range of services, as I knew we’d need advice outside of the tech remit. The flexibility has been really positive.
Ivan Harding
CEO and Co-Founder,
Applaud
Lindsay Gledhill and Ed Kilner were great, very efficient, proactive and offered the right balance of hard work and good advice. Most importantly, they helped to deliver the right outcome.
Adam Fraser-Harris
Finance Director,
Blow Ltd
Harper James has been the ideal law firm for Paragraf because of the flexibility that’s built into the extend subscription package. With HJ, I have all the legal expertise and answers I need at the end of an email. We have ambitious plans to fulfil, pushing our product lines overseas and bringing graphene electronics to the masses. There’s no better partner to help us get there than Harper James.
Cathy Cranton
Financial Director,
Paragraf
The extend service we get from Harper James allows us to combine their expertise with that of our own in-house counsel. It means we can get quick and trustworthy legal advice from specialists in every legal area, as and when we need it. There are no hidden extras and the service we have received has always demonstrated an awareness of our fast-moving commercial requirements.
Amelia Guilfoyle
Head of legal,
Zoopla
Harper James never fail to impress with the speed and efficiency of their service, no matter the query. The team are friendly, knowledgeable and always on hand.
Karis Walker
Project Managing Officer,
Thyssenkrupp
Harper James are our trusted legal adviser and having them by our side at key moments in our business growth, knowing we are protected, is immensely reassuring.
Chris Mason
CEO,
Namos Solutions
We often need legal advice quickly, especially during sales with new customers, and Rob is very responsive and always available for meetings. When I was looking for a law firm, I wanted that full range of services, as I knew we’d need advice outside of the tech remit. The flexibility has been really positive.
Ivan Harding
CEO and Co-Founder,
Applaud
Lindsay Gledhill and Ed Kilner were great, very efficient, proactive and offered the right balance of hard work and good advice. Most importantly, they helped to deliver the right outcome.
Adam Fraser-Harris
Finance Director,
Blow Ltd
Harper James has been the ideal law firm for Paragraf because of the flexibility that’s built into the extend subscription package. With HJ, I have all the legal expertise and answers I need at the end of an email. We have ambitious plans to fulfil, pushing our product lines overseas and bringing graphene electronics to the masses. There’s no better partner to help us get there than Harper James.
Cathy Cranton
Financial Director,
Paragraf
Pricing Plans
Legal support designed
to fit your business needs
Unlike traditional law firms, we’ve designed our service plans specifically to meet the needs of businesses, providing flexibility, value and peace of mind.
Many of our scale-up clients choose to work with us via our On-demand plan, as it provides a smarter way for high-growth and established businesses to get legal advice – the fully account managed quarterly subscription service gives you priority access to highly experienced solicitors, whenever you need them, at a budget set by you.
City
Straightforward access to senior solicitors at a competitive rate.
An affordable solution for businesses needing one-off legal support. Receive ‘City’ partner-level expertise at a fraction of ‘City’ prices.
On-Demand
Providing you with priority access to a dedicated panel of highly experienced solicitors.
Fully account managed quarterly subscription service for businesses with more complex legal needs.
Enterprise
Get legal peace of mind for £215 per month with additional support from £145 per hour.
A monthly subscription legal support package specifically designed for start-ups and smaller businesses.
Meet Our Team
We are problem solvers
Our service is delivered by lawyers who understand how businesses operate in the real world, with many coming from industry themselves. We take a holistic approach designed to mitigate risk and maximise opportunity.
Adam is Chief Legal Officer & Head of Corporate, responsible for the legal services aspects of Harper James.
Before joining Harper James, Rob worked for Santander bank as an IP/brand management lawyer and also at Shakespeare Martineau.
Having previously worked at top 50 firm, Walker Morris, Lindsay specialises in IP strategy, dispute resolution and IP exploitation.
Simon acts for employers of all sizes, particularly tech and manufacturing, and specialises in managing people matters, including TUPE, sales and acquisitions of companies, and restructures/redundancies.
Ian joined our dispute resolution team in 2016 and has over 25 years of experience in handling a broad range of commercial disputes.
With over 24 years’ experience advising on commercial matters, Stephen brings a wealth of technology expertise having previously worked in-house as senior counsel to BT before joining private practice.
