A promising deal can stall over payment, performance requirements or liability. Our commercial lawyers help you understand each party’s position, identify where there is room to compromise and propose alternatives, so you can progress negotiations without losing sight of your commercial interests.
Speak to our commercial contract lawyers
Finding the right legal partner
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.
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.
We’ve supported over 8,000 businesses since 2014, with an ‘Excellent’ rating on Trustpilot and a Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 60+ from monthly client surveys.
That means fast response times, practical expert legal advice delivered in plain English, and dedicated client service and account management support.
We’re an SRA regulated firm, but more importantly, we build quality, data, and compliance best practice into everything we do.
What can we help with?
Your commercial contracts aren’t just to protect your business, they’re tools for growth. Our legal expertise and commercial judgement will help you understand the implications, negotiate fair but robust terms, and create contractual relationships that fit the way your business works.
Bringing older contracts up to date. Review what has changed in your business and update the agreement to reflect what you now provide and how you work.
Helping you reach an agreement. Identify which terms matter most, where you can compromise and how changes to the wording could resolve disagreements.
Fixing a relationship that is not working. Help you understand your options, whether that means changing the terms or agreeing on how to end the arrangement.
Reviewing a contract. Explain what the other party’s draft means for your business and flag obligations that may be hard to meet or too costly for the value of the deal.
Managing contracts across your business. Create templates and clear guidance (or a playbook) so your team can take a consistent approach to similar agreements.
Drafting a new commercial contract. Turn a deal into a contract that sets out what each party will deliver, when payment is due and how risks and responsibilities are shared.
Share your draft or existing contract and what you want to achieve. We’ll then help establish what needs legal input and where a commercial decision is required. Our process usually follows these steps:
Speak to a commercial contract lawyer
Our commercial contract lawyers bring experience from senior roles in leading law firms and the legal departments of international businesses. Our lawyers know how a clause can affect the cost of delivering a service, the return on a deal or your ability to take on other work. They use that experience to focus your attention on the terms worth challenging and suggest alternatives that give you a stronger basis for negotiation.
Our flexible pricing plans let you draw on this expertise for one agreement or ongoing contract support. As our lawyers become familiar with your business, they can apply that knowledge to future deals, helping you avoid repeating the same groundwork and giving your team a consistent approach to contractual decisions.
Let’s introduce you to our team:
Quality and Compliance Director & Commercial Partner
As a previous partner at DLA Piper, Sarah comes with a rich pedigree in providing expert commercial services for her clients.
Partner - Commercial
Before joining Harper James, Rob worked for Santander bank as an IP/brand management lawyer and also at Shakespeare Martineau.
Director of Legal Strategy and Operations & Head of Commercial
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.
Senior Solicitor - Data Protection & Privacy
Becky is a highly knowledgeable commercial lawyer, specialising in Data Protection and Privacy Law. She can add value to a business by drawing on nearly 20 years of in-house experience.
Partner - Commercial
With over 25 years of experience, James advises on a wide range of commercial matters, drawing on his deep experience with commercial and technology contracts. James also leads our Data Protection and Privacy Team.
Senior Solicitor - Commercial
Mairead is a Senior Commercial Solicitor with over 12 years’ post qualification experience in general commercial law gained both in private practice and working as an in-house counsel.
Senior Solicitor - Commercial
Ed specialises in IT, IP and general technology-related contracts, but he also advises more broadly on commercial matters.
Senior Solicitor - Commercial Technology & Data Protection
David is a senior commercial solicitor, specialising in technology and data protection. He joins us having worked as in-house counsel for the BBC and OUP.
Senior Solicitor - Commercial
With over 15 years' experience, Emily advises clients on a wide range of commercial contracts. She has specialist experience in franchising and has worked with notable franchises.
Partner - Commercial
Kevin has over 20 years’ experience of commercial matters having spent the majority of his career at top 50 law firm Blake Morgan. He has particular expertise in the supply of goods or services along with general IT and technology agreements.
Senior Solicitor - Commercial
With over 18 years' experience from working in-house and in private practice, Julia advises on an extensive range of commercial agreements, as well as related IP and data protection issues.
Senior Solicitor - Commercial
Emilia is a versatile commercial solicitor, advising on a variety of agreements and matters. With both private practice and in-house experience, she is able to adapt to the nature/size/industry of the business she is supporting.
Senior Solicitor - Commercial
Rebecca is an experienced Commercial and Technology lawyer who provides tailored, pragmatic advice to help clients across diverse sectors navigate complex legal challenges and achieve their goals.
Solicitor - Commercial
Luke has spent the majority of his career-to-date supporting brand partnerships, licensing, marketing and digital activities, with spells working in start-up and scale-up environments in the technology, media production and subscription platform sectors.
Senior Solicitior - Commercial
Hannah is a highly experienced commercial, IP and technology lawyer. She trained at Magic Circle firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, where she spent 12 years advising on a broad range of commercial, intellectual property, technology and corporate matters.
Senior Solicitor - Commercial
Sarah is a commercial lawyer with extensive experience advising businesses on a broad range of legal and strategic matters.
Senior Solicitor - Commercial
Pete is a commercial solicitor with a strong background in IP and corporate law. Pete works with businesses of different sizes and stages of growth, providing practical advice that is focused on their commercial objectives.
Pricing and service plans
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:
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.
Purpose built legal support for start-ups and smaller businesses
Monthly subscription plan for £259 per month, with £174 monthly credit and access to all legal services at 50% discount on our Standard Rates.
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 33% discount on our Standard Rates.
Learn more about our service plans
Understanding commercial contract law
The right questions depend on whether you are entering a relationship, changing it or deciding how to leave. These answers highlight some of the decisions that deserve attention before you commit.
Legal input can be useful before the first draft, particularly where discussions involve exclusivity, significant investment or rights over valuable assets. These decisions can shape the agreement and may be difficult to revisit once expectations are established.
If negotiations are already underway, share the commercial proposal, correspondence and any draft documents. This helps your lawyer understand what has been discussed and distinguish settled points from matters still open for agreement.
We will need to understand the parties, the proposed activities, payment arrangements, timetable and duration. Specifications, proposals and relevant correspondence can help explain the intended deal.
It is also useful to identify dependencies: what you need from the other party, which third parties are involved and what could prevent delivery. Gaps in this information can reveal commercial questions that need resolving before the contract is completed.
Use specifications and measures that both parties can understand and apply. Vague promises such as “prompt delivery” or “high quality service” may leave important expectations unresolved.
The agreement should identify relevant deadlines, standards, reporting arrangements and responsibilities for providing information or approvals. It can also establish how failures will be addressed, giving the parties a process for resolving problems rather than leaving the response uncertain.
Compare the written agreement with the relationship as it operates today. Look for changes in the services, volumes, pricing, technology or responsibilities that have not been formally recorded.
Then consider whether the contract still supports your objectives. An arrangement that worked at a smaller scale may no longer provide suitable performance measures, flexibility or exit rights. Reviewing both the document and current practice helps identify what should be retained, amended or renegotiated.
Check whether the contract provides an applicable termination right and what conditions must be met. Notice requirements, remedy periods and payment obligations may affect the available options.
If no suitable right applies, an agreed exit may be possible. Obtain advice before taking action: ending the relationship without a proper basis can create liability, even where there are genuine commercial reasons for wanting to leave. Planning the transition is also important where customers, data, stock or essential services are affected.