Business Legal Services
Business law firm
Experienced solicitors for contracts, people, transactions, and day-to-day business legal support
Whether you are scaling, entering new markets, raising investment, managing risk or preparing for a deal, we help you move forward with legal support built around the way your business operates.
Talk to our business law team about your requirements.
Finding the right legal partner
Why work with Harper James
Choose a legal partner you can trust: we’ll help protect your goals, your business and your people so you can move forward with confidence and focus on growing your business.
Affordable, transparent and predictable pricing
Clear itemised invoices, subscription plans with up to 50% discount, and fixed fee products help you plan and manage legal spend – with no nasty surprises.
Proven track record and measurable results
We’ve supported over 7,000 businesses since 2014, with an ‘Excellent’ rating on Trustpilot and a Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 60+ from monthly client surveys.
Straight-talking, responsive advice
That means fast response times, practical expert legal advice delivered in plain English, and dedicated client service and account management support.
Risk and compliance assured
We’re an SRA regulated firm, but more importantly, we build quality, data, and compliance best practice into everything we do.
Joined up legal support
How our business solicitors help
Working with a law firm should make growth easier, not create drag. Most legal issues do not arrive neatly labelled, so here are some of the situations where joined-up support matters most.
When you need to raise investment, restructure ownership or prepare for a sale, and want the legal work aligned to deal value, control and future plans.
When you need to negotiate or scale customer, supplier or partnership contracts, and want terms that protect revenue, margin and operational flexibility.
When you need to hire, incentivise, reorganise or manage the departure of senior people, and want employment, share scheme and governance handled in a joined-up way.
When you need to expand into new markets, launch new products or enter regulated arrangements, and want risk, compliance and commercial practicality considered together.
When you need to protect intellectual property, data, technology or brand position, and want the right legal framework in place before problems surface.
When you need to manage a dispute, investigation or fast-moving risk issue, and want clear options that protect the business without unnecessary escalation.
If your situation cuts across several areas, involves international operations or does not fit neatly into one category, tell us what you are trying to achieve and we’ll help map the right legal support around it.
- Share the outline of your situation, the decision you need to make, any key documents and any deadlines or pressure points.
- Once we have the detail, we’ll identify the legal workstreams, flag the main risks and set out the clearest next step.
- We’ll support you with practical advice, clear communication and a commercially focused approach that keeps the wider business moving.
A full-service business law firm
Need support in a specific area?
Some matters sit mainly within one area of business law, while others need joined-up support across teams. As a full-service business law firm, our solicitors bring specialist knowledge across corporate, commercial, employment, disputes, intellectual property, data and regulatory matters, which is valuable when growth decisions affect contracts, people, governance and risk at the same time. Explore our services:
Why choose our business law firm?
Meet our team
Our lawyers bring wide-ranging expertise, but what matters just as much is understanding your business, your sector, and the commercial context behind the legal work.
Many of our team have experience from both leading law firms and in-house roles in businesses. That helps us balance legal risk, commercial relationships, and momentum in a practical way.
Understanding business law
Common questions
As your business grows, legal questions tend to become less about one isolated issue and more about how risk, control and commercial priorities fit together.
What does a business solicitor usually help with?
A business solicitor may support with contracts, governance, employment, disputes, intellectual property, data, regulatory issues and strategic transactions. The right scope depends on the stage of your business and whether the issue sits in one area or cuts across several.
What are the most common legal gaps as a business grows?
Businesses often outgrow early templates, informal decision-making, unclear ownership of intellectual property, patchy employment documentation and contracts that no longer reflect the scale of risk. The priority is usually to identify which gaps could slow growth or create avoidable exposure.
What legal issues usually matter most when a business is preparing for investment, borrowing or a sale?
Investors, lenders and buyers will usually want confidence around ownership, governance, contracts, employment arrangements, intellectual property and compliance. The aim is not just to collect documents, but to make sure the business can stand up to scrutiny and avoid surprises during due diligence.
How do we know when our contracts and legal documents are no longer fit for the business we are now?
This often shows up when the business has grown faster than its paperwork. Common signs include larger contract values, more complex supply chains, new hires in senior roles, expansion into new markets, or investors asking tougher questions. Reviewing what you already have in place can help identify where documents no longer match the level of risk.
Testimonials
What our clients say
Clear advice, commercial judgement and responsive support matter most when legal issues affect the wider business.
It’s the best experience I have ever had of obtaining legal advice and assistance. Straight forward and value for money. I don't worry about making the odd call to get some quick advice. Historically I have felt ripped off by the legal profession - so much so that I only used them if I absolutely had to. This has been a really good experience.
Gary Luke
MD,
Connexica
Ease of use, a familiar legal team supporting my business who understand my business, and provide value for money.
Daniel Lawrence
CEO,
Bots For That Ltd
Perfect balance of a wide range of SMEs but consistency of approach if we want to just go back to the same person again and again. Everyone we've dealt with has been knowledgeable, pragmatic and friendly. David Sant in particular has been incredible on our journey from start up to now.
Sally Merritt
CEO,
Evotra Ltd
Our contacts at Harper James are consistently approachable, accommodating, and highly professional. Our lawyer, in particular, is exceptional; they ensure that no question ever feels trivial and provide clear, comprehensive advice without overwhelming us with legal jargon. Their ability to make complex matters understandable is invaluable.
Rebekah Gladstone
Finance Team Leader,
Jensonr+ Limited
We have worked with Harper James for a number of years now and it works really well for us as a business in that we can access their diverse team easily depending on our requirement at that time. They are a great team and good to work with.
Sarah Booth
Commercial Director,
Caterers Choice
I have worked with Harper James solicitors on a range of commercial and corporate finance assignments for our businesses over the last 10 years. We have benefitted from access to skilled lawyers with plenty of valuable experience who are well tuned in to how early-stage growing companies operate and what is important to businesses like ours.
Matthew Draper
Chief Financial Officer,
Oxford Space Systems
It’s the best experience I have ever had of obtaining legal advice and assistance. Straight forward and value for money. I don't worry about making the odd call to get some quick advice. Historically I have felt ripped off by the legal profession - so much so that I only used them if I absolutely had to. This has been a really good experience.
Gary Luke
MD,
Connexica
Ease of use, a familiar legal team supporting my business who understand my business, and provide value for money.
Daniel Lawrence
CEO,
Bots For That Ltd
Perfect balance of a wide range of SMEs but consistency of approach if we want to just go back to the same person again and again. Everyone we've dealt with has been knowledgeable, pragmatic and friendly. David Sant in particular has been incredible on our journey from start up to now.
Sally Merritt
CEO,
Evotra Ltd
Our contacts at Harper James are consistently approachable, accommodating, and highly professional. Our lawyer, in particular, is exceptional; they ensure that no question ever feels trivial and provide clear, comprehensive advice without overwhelming us with legal jargon. Their ability to make complex matters understandable is invaluable.
Rebekah Gladstone
Finance Team Leader,
Jensonr+ Limited
We have worked with Harper James for a number of years now and it works really well for us as a business in that we can access their diverse team easily depending on our requirement at that time. They are a great team and good to work with.
Sarah Booth
Commercial Director,
Caterers Choice
I have worked with Harper James solicitors on a range of commercial and corporate finance assignments for our businesses over the last 10 years. We have benefitted from access to skilled lawyers with plenty of valuable experience who are well tuned in to how early-stage growing companies operate and what is important to businesses like ours.
Matthew Draper
Chief Financial Officer,
Oxford Space Systems
