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To access legal support from just £145 per hour arrange your no-obligation initial consultation to discuss your business requirements.
Business Legal Services
Commercial Contracts
Service overview: Commercial contract solicitors
- Every business enters into commercial contracts daily, whether they are with customers, suppliers, distributors and so on.
- It is important to document in writing the commercial contracts you enter into, in order to formalise your commercial arrangements and minimise risk.
- A written commercial contract is seen by the courts to be legally binding, unless the contract itself says otherwise.
- There’s much overlap with our other commercial law services, including agency agreements, franchising, dispute resolution and joint ventures.
- We can help you draft, review and negotiate commercial contracts.
- Read our Commercial Contracts FAQs for detailed answers to many of your commercial contract questions.
Experts in commercial law
In addition to drafting, negotiating and reviewing commercial contacts, our team can assist you across all areas of commercial law, including:
What we do: Commercial contracts practice areas
We have experienced commercial solicitors available to help you with your contract agreements and have expertise in providing legal advice on:
- Agency and distribution agreements
- Collaboration agreements
- Consumer contracts
- Drafting employment/contractor contracts
- E-commerce agreements
- Franchise agreements
- Joint ventures
- Resolving commercial contract disputes
- Outsourcing arrangements
Whatever stage you’re at, we can help your business draft, review and negotiate compliant contracts to avoid disputes and litigation, and provide you with the very best representation if you do need to go to court.
You can read our most recent advice posts on commercial contracts here:
Who we help
We support all types of businesses with legal work on their commercial contracts. Whether you’re a new start-up with high growth potential, or a larger established company, we can provide value for money legal advice about your commercial contracts that’s commercially focused – allowing you to focus on achieving your business objectives without worrying about the legal side.
We know that different-sized businesses often have very different financial models and capabilities too. That’s why we offer several service plans to suit the needs of your business.
Testimonials
What our clients say
The two contracts Harper James has been advising on were both major pieces of work worth tens of millions of pounds in potential business. The procurement process was therefore substantial, complicated and often onerous. Karen provided first-class support at all times. As a business, to move forward, we require a level of legal services which demonstrate an expert understanding, and Harper James delivers on that and more.
Keith Howes
MD,
Sysmex UK
We rely on Harper James to provide us with support across a full range of service areas, from commercial contracts and employment issues to fundraisings and investments. The team at Harper James are always available to provide us with cost effective, pragmatic and commercially focused advice.
Nick Holzherr
CEO,
Whisk.com
Over the years Harper James have helped us navigate complex legal issues and red tape, providing distilled options and legal consultancy that far exceeds the service levels we’ve previously experienced from more traditional law firms. The team act like our own in-house counsel so, regardless of which lawyer we work with, we feel supported and that they truly have our best interests at heart.
Michael Edwards
Co-Founder,
Inspire Group
Harper James have been incredibly professional and responsive. They immediately understood the challenges we have. Not only those of any small business, but those relating to building a piece of complex tech, and they have been able to help us navigate that from a legal perspective.
Alastair MacGregor
Founder,
Do IT
This is a key stage of ANB Sensors’ growth as an SME, because it saw us transferring from a research and development company to a commercial entity. It’s a major milestone for us. Having Harper James by our side is reassuring, as they’ve helped us ensure all our documentation and sales terms are both fair and reasonable and led us through the sales process.
Dr Nathan Lawrence
CEO and Co-Founder,
ANB Sensors
Harper James has been invaluable. They drafted the relevant agreements and gave us sound legal advice in an area that we did not have prior experience in. As a start-up, having advice and feedback from an organisation that specialises in early-stage enterprises was instrumental in us having the confidence to push forward with our product
Dean Bryan
Co-Founder,
Yyoma
Stephen was very helpful, pragmatic and where appropriate, entertaining. We were grateful for the way Stephen advised us in layman’s terms, showing patience to ensure we understood the transaction and were able to move to completion. I value the relationship we have developed with Harper James over the last few years and would recommend them to others.
Jon Arcos
Founder & CEO,
Axis Spine Technologies
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
Having the Extend plan with Harper James gives us constant access to leading legal experts across the areas of law we need to keep growing our business. I’m convinced no one delivers better service or beatable value.
Paul Hutton
CEO,
Cranfield Aerospace Solutions
How engaged, knowledgeable and personal HJ lawyers are. They offer pragmatic and practical advise with a quick turnaround.
Barbara Opala
General Counsel,
Norton Motorcycle Co.
Knowing that we have Harper James to help us through complex situations and difficult negotiations is very reassuring. Sarah knows our business inside out and we can rely on her to provide clear and timely commercial advice.
And on the odd occasion that we’ve needed help through a dispute, Ian Carson has always stepped in and dealt with the situation before it gets out of hand.
Nick Thompson
CEO,
One Beyond
Really happy- would especially single out the work of David Sant who is an exceptional and pragmatic lawyer.
Aela Callan
Co-founder,
Head Set Studio Limited
The team at Harper James has got to know our business over 3 years and is super responsive, adaptable and versatile to our needs. The lawyers are helpful and just really nice people who we’ve come to trust.
Aela Callan
Co-founder,
Head Set Studio Limited
It's a great way of having an in-house lawyer but with much lower costs
Rachel Willis
Finance Manager,
Upscope Limited
I was referred to Harper James and told that they were the law firm for entrepreneurs. As a start-up, the Enable Plan works very well for us. It allows us to quickly access the legal services we need without spending a fortune.
Judith McMinn
CEO,
Rezon
Excellent response times and quality of responses. Our main contact Sarah Gunton has aligned perfectly with our expectations and way of working.
Lee Church
Bid Director,
Oldham Engineering Ltd
A very positive experience where Kevin really dug in to the detail of our commercial offer and ensured it was documented robustly in the contract
Jonathan Pearce
Chief Commercial Officer,
Lacuna Space Ltd
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
I've had a very positive experience with briefs understood and support given when required. Kevin is polite, takes the time to explain things properly and happy to support if and when required.
Nadia Ashley
Client Services Manager,
Sillence Hurn Building Consultancy Ltd
The work that you have been doing for me has been undertaken in a professional manner. Comments and replies to questions are well considered and all that I have asked has been delivered.
Denis Hodgins
Founder and Operations Director,
Dynamic Metrics Limited
Knowledgeable lawyers who respond quickly. I have really enjoyed working with the team, they are efficient, knowledgeable and it's a great experience overall.
Jacob Hinson
Founder,
eLocker
Often we challenge the Harper James team with tough questions around commercial relationships and evolving law in deep technology, generative AI, and the like. We always receive thoughtful perspective and partnership in navigating our growth and protecting our business.
Veronica Orvalho
Founder and CEO,
Didimo
Harper James delivers exactly what I want from my lawyers; someone who presents not only the risks and the legal argument but who also understands the commercial side. Take our recent work with Sarah Gunton for example; if we decide we’re going to take on a commercial risk, she’ll adapt the terms for us to do that while reducing the risk as much as possible. The service we get there is like gold dust for us.
Craig Aston
COO,
Celerity Limited
I've had great experience in dealing with HJ, unlike any I've experienced in the past. There was care and attention in the drafting stage working out my exact requirements, not just legally but understanding how the business worked to advise further.
Tushar Joshi
CEO,
Festival Pro Ltd
Being able to lean on the team at Harper James as backup or a sounding board is great. They understand the need for commerciality and help provide another perspective – which again keeps us moving forward.
Ella Russell
Legal Counsel and Climbing Coach,
Lattice Training
I'll sum it up in three words: Expertise, versatility and experience
Sarah Enuwhure
Account Manager,
Curva Digital Ltd
Kevin was great at understanding what my needs were and responded in a timely manner every time. It was great to talk to someone who understood our situation and made the transaction seamless between the old and new contracts
Simon Cox
Director,
Rothley Ltd
We are always impressed with both the speed of response and understanding of the situation.
Jon Mason
Commercial Director,
Call Assist Ltd
The Enable plan is such a great fit for an organisation like ours. It gives us the benefit of tapping into different experts when we need them, helping our business grow.
Nick Clapham
Managing Director,
VirtueUK
Harper James has been instrumental in our growth and success. Their expert guidance has transformed the way we operate, enabling us to implement best practices across various areas of our business. Thanks to their support, we now operate with a level of maturity and sophistication that sets us apart from other organisations of our size.
Nick Clapham
Managing Director,
VirtueUK
Julia has been excellent, helpful, and responsive. Her project turnaround time has been truly remarkable and is greatly appreciated.
Linus Alpsten
Linus Alpsten Founder,
Auracle
I've had a great experience working with Julia Ellis. She made a proactive effort to understand our business, commercial context, and my own needs.
She was very responsive and fast in her work, and just super lovely to work with!
Ryan Walton
CEO ,
Aura Ads
Commercial Partner, Rob Cobley, helped us do the necessary due diligence and guided us on which online age verification solution offered us the best legal protection. We needed to eliminate any reputational risk and wanted a ‘gold-standard’ solution that set us apart from any competitors. Getting it right with all the 'belts and braces' gave us comfort because there are several different providers who achieve age verification in different ways. Navigating and implementing the solution was made possible with Rob’s help.
Raj Batra
Founder,
Diistil
The work on the influencer contract by Julia Ellis was fantastic. Her expertise and meticulous approach made the process smooth and efficient. Her dedication and hard work were greatly appreciated.
Abi Nightingale
Head of Product Marketing,
Widgit Software Limited
The two contracts Harper James has been advising on were both major pieces of work worth tens of millions of pounds in potential business. The procurement process was therefore substantial, complicated and often onerous. Karen provided first-class support at all times. As a business, to move forward, we require a level of legal services which demonstrate an expert understanding, and Harper James delivers on that and more.
Keith Howes
MD,
Sysmex UK
We rely on Harper James to provide us with support across a full range of service areas, from commercial contracts and employment issues to fundraisings and investments. The team at Harper James are always available to provide us with cost effective, pragmatic and commercially focused advice.
Nick Holzherr
CEO,
Whisk.com
Over the years Harper James have helped us navigate complex legal issues and red tape, providing distilled options and legal consultancy that far exceeds the service levels we’ve previously experienced from more traditional law firms. The team act like our own in-house counsel so, regardless of which lawyer we work with, we feel supported and that they truly have our best interests at heart.
Michael Edwards
Co-Founder,
Inspire Group
Harper James have been incredibly professional and responsive. They immediately understood the challenges we have. Not only those of any small business, but those relating to building a piece of complex tech, and they have been able to help us navigate that from a legal perspective.
Alastair MacGregor
Founder,
Do IT
This is a key stage of ANB Sensors’ growth as an SME, because it saw us transferring from a research and development company to a commercial entity. It’s a major milestone for us. Having Harper James by our side is reassuring, as they’ve helped us ensure all our documentation and sales terms are both fair and reasonable and led us through the sales process.
Dr Nathan Lawrence
CEO and Co-Founder,
ANB Sensors
Harper James has been invaluable. They drafted the relevant agreements and gave us sound legal advice in an area that we did not have prior experience in. As a start-up, having advice and feedback from an organisation that specialises in early-stage enterprises was instrumental in us having the confidence to push forward with our product
Dean Bryan
Co-Founder,
Yyoma
Stephen was very helpful, pragmatic and where appropriate, entertaining. We were grateful for the way Stephen advised us in layman’s terms, showing patience to ensure we understood the transaction and were able to move to completion. I value the relationship we have developed with Harper James over the last few years and would recommend them to others.
Jon Arcos
Founder & CEO,
Axis Spine Technologies
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
Having the Extend plan with Harper James gives us constant access to leading legal experts across the areas of law we need to keep growing our business. I’m convinced no one delivers better service or beatable value.
Paul Hutton
CEO,
Cranfield Aerospace Solutions
How engaged, knowledgeable and personal HJ lawyers are. They offer pragmatic and practical advise with a quick turnaround.
Barbara Opala
General Counsel,
Norton Motorcycle Co.
Knowing that we have Harper James to help us through complex situations and difficult negotiations is very reassuring. Sarah knows our business inside out and we can rely on her to provide clear and timely commercial advice.
And on the odd occasion that we’ve needed help through a dispute, Ian Carson has always stepped in and dealt with the situation before it gets out of hand.
Nick Thompson
CEO,
One Beyond
Really happy- would especially single out the work of David Sant who is an exceptional and pragmatic lawyer.
Aela Callan
Co-founder,
Head Set Studio Limited
The team at Harper James has got to know our business over 3 years and is super responsive, adaptable and versatile to our needs. The lawyers are helpful and just really nice people who we’ve come to trust.
Aela Callan
Co-founder,
Head Set Studio Limited
It's a great way of having an in-house lawyer but with much lower costs
Rachel Willis
Finance Manager,
Upscope Limited
I was referred to Harper James and told that they were the law firm for entrepreneurs. As a start-up, the Enable Plan works very well for us. It allows us to quickly access the legal services we need without spending a fortune.
Judith McMinn
CEO,
Rezon
Excellent response times and quality of responses. Our main contact Sarah Gunton has aligned perfectly with our expectations and way of working.
Lee Church
Bid Director,
Oldham Engineering Ltd
A very positive experience where Kevin really dug in to the detail of our commercial offer and ensured it was documented robustly in the contract
Jonathan Pearce
Chief Commercial Officer,
Lacuna Space Ltd
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
I've had a very positive experience with briefs understood and support given when required. Kevin is polite, takes the time to explain things properly and happy to support if and when required.
Nadia Ashley
Client Services Manager,
Sillence Hurn Building Consultancy Ltd
The work that you have been doing for me has been undertaken in a professional manner. Comments and replies to questions are well considered and all that I have asked has been delivered.
Denis Hodgins
Founder and Operations Director,
Dynamic Metrics Limited
Knowledgeable lawyers who respond quickly. I have really enjoyed working with the team, they are efficient, knowledgeable and it's a great experience overall.
Jacob Hinson
Founder,
eLocker
Often we challenge the Harper James team with tough questions around commercial relationships and evolving law in deep technology, generative AI, and the like. We always receive thoughtful perspective and partnership in navigating our growth and protecting our business.
Veronica Orvalho
Founder and CEO,
Didimo
Harper James delivers exactly what I want from my lawyers; someone who presents not only the risks and the legal argument but who also understands the commercial side. Take our recent work with Sarah Gunton for example; if we decide we’re going to take on a commercial risk, she’ll adapt the terms for us to do that while reducing the risk as much as possible. The service we get there is like gold dust for us.
Craig Aston
COO,
Celerity Limited
I've had great experience in dealing with HJ, unlike any I've experienced in the past. There was care and attention in the drafting stage working out my exact requirements, not just legally but understanding how the business worked to advise further.
Tushar Joshi
CEO,
Festival Pro Ltd
Being able to lean on the team at Harper James as backup or a sounding board is great. They understand the need for commerciality and help provide another perspective – which again keeps us moving forward.
Ella Russell
Legal Counsel and Climbing Coach,
Lattice Training
I'll sum it up in three words: Expertise, versatility and experience
Sarah Enuwhure
Account Manager,
Curva Digital Ltd
Kevin was great at understanding what my needs were and responded in a timely manner every time. It was great to talk to someone who understood our situation and made the transaction seamless between the old and new contracts
Simon Cox
Director,
Rothley Ltd
We are always impressed with both the speed of response and understanding of the situation.
Jon Mason
Commercial Director,
Call Assist Ltd
The Enable plan is such a great fit for an organisation like ours. It gives us the benefit of tapping into different experts when we need them, helping our business grow.
Nick Clapham
Managing Director,
VirtueUK
Harper James has been instrumental in our growth and success. Their expert guidance has transformed the way we operate, enabling us to implement best practices across various areas of our business. Thanks to their support, we now operate with a level of maturity and sophistication that sets us apart from other organisations of our size.
Nick Clapham
Managing Director,
VirtueUK
Julia has been excellent, helpful, and responsive. Her project turnaround time has been truly remarkable and is greatly appreciated.
Linus Alpsten
Linus Alpsten Founder,
Auracle
I've had a great experience working with Julia Ellis. She made a proactive effort to understand our business, commercial context, and my own needs.
She was very responsive and fast in her work, and just super lovely to work with!
Ryan Walton
CEO ,
Aura Ads
Commercial Partner, Rob Cobley, helped us do the necessary due diligence and guided us on which online age verification solution offered us the best legal protection. We needed to eliminate any reputational risk and wanted a ‘gold-standard’ solution that set us apart from any competitors. Getting it right with all the 'belts and braces' gave us comfort because there are several different providers who achieve age verification in different ways. Navigating and implementing the solution was made possible with Rob’s help.
Raj Batra
Founder,
Diistil
The work on the influencer contract by Julia Ellis was fantastic. Her expertise and meticulous approach made the process smooth and efficient. Her dedication and hard work were greatly appreciated.
Abi Nightingale
Head of Product Marketing,
Widgit Software Limited
Why choose our commercial contracts lawyers
We recognise that commercial contracts can be detailed and complex – each one is as unique as the business it involves.
However, our commercial contract lawyers each have a great deal of technical knowledge and experience and can help you in drafting, reviewing and negotiating different types of contracts and trading arrangements, while keeping the best interests of your business in mind.
All of our commercial contracts lawyers have worked at partner level in top 100 law firms, or in-house at large international corporations. Find out more about each of our commercial contracts solicitors here:
Pricing and service plans
Legal support designed
to fit your business needs
Our three transparent service plans are designed to give you the widest possible access to high-quality legal advice, whatever the size and nature of your business:
Engage
Flexible access to senior solicitors at highly competitive rates
An alternative to our subscription plans, offering access to full service legal expertise on a project-by-project basis.
Enable
Purpose built legal support for start-ups and smaller businesses
Monthly subscription plan for £215 per month, with £145 monthly credit and access to all legal services at 50% discount on our Standard Rates.
Extend
Comprehensive legal partnership for established businesses
Fully account managed and scalable annual subscription plan with support from a curated team of partners and senior solicitors, with up to 34% discount on our Standard Rates.