How can we help?
To access legal support from just £145 per hour arrange your no-obligation initial consultation to discuss your business requirements.
Business Legal Services
Corporate Law
Corporate solicitors
Our corporate solicitors specialise in EMI share option schemes, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), corporate venture capital for start ups and high-growth businesses, restructuring, and buying and selling companies or their assets. Corporate law is different from, but related to, commercial law. Your business might need assistance across both areas.
Your business might also need advice about banking and finance law (like regulation, the Consumer Credit Act, due diligence, finance, debt and lending), which we can also provide, all from as little as £145 per hour, a fraction of the cost of traditional law firms. Our corporate solicitors have all worked in top 100 firms or in-house at international practices.
Experts in corporate law
Our expert team can assist you across all areas of corporate law, including:
Corporate law solicitors
Regardless of transaction size, our corporate solicitors can provide you with effective and pragmatic corporate law advice within your budget and timeframe. We focus on evaluating the issues that matter to you and use these to drive your corporate transactions.
We offer a full range of corporate law services for businesses, including:
- Corporate venture capital
- B Corp conversions
- Finance and fundraising
- Equity incentive schemes such as EMI schemes
- Mergers and acquisitions
- Corporate governance and compliance
- Exits and disposals
- Internal reorganisations, schemes and demergers
- Joint venture agreements
- Private equity and debt finance turnarounds
- Restructuring
Corporate law FAQs
Is corporate law different to, or the same as, business law?
Neither – one is part of the other. In the UK, corporate law is a branch of business law. Corporate law concerns the formation, governance and maintenance of businesses as legal entities.
What’s the difference between corporate law and commercial law?
Corporate law concerns the lifecycle of a company, from formation to dissolution, and its people, such as shareholders, boards and employees. It can concern transactions in the company’s lifecycle, such as the forming of a new company through a sale, merger or acquisition, or attracting investors. Commercial law, however, is more concerned with how a business transacts with a third party, and as such deals mainly with contract laws and tort laws during the commercial cycle.
What experience do our corporate lawyers have?
All of our corporate lawyers are experienced in the field of corporate law, having spent many years specialising in their field, and honing their craft at top 100 law firms. You can find out more about our current corporate team here.
Do I really need a specialist corporate solicitor or can I use a normal solicitor?
It depends on what your business needs legal help with. Business law is fast-moving and very complex, and solicitors are obviously expensive – so it’s more cost-effective to instruct a specialist corporate lawyer who can get the job done correctly, quickly and effectively.
Who our corporate solicitors help
We act for a wide variety of individuals and organisations, ranging from high-growth companies and start-ups, to investors, entrepreneurs and medium-sized enterprises.
Testimonials
What our clients say
The support, advice and guidance from Harper James was absolutely vital. Shubhu, Callum and the team there were always on hand to deal with any issues that we needed help with as the deal progressed. This is an exciting new stage in the development of the business.
Sam G Bose
CEO and Founder,
IntelliSense.io
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
When we were in the process of raising funds for our business venture, we were fortunate enough to have the support of Harper James. Their advice and guidance were extremely beneficial to us, and we’ve been impressed by their responsive service.
TJ Herbert
CEO and Founder,
Itchy Fish
Abby got the job done in line with expectations. No dramas! I have used Harper James with several companies and for a range of legal topics. They generally provide good service at a very reasonable price point. They have a good understanding of growing technology companies.
Matthew Dreaper
Co-Founder and CFO,
Helix Technologies
It was delightful working with Stephen and Callum on the fundraise. As an ex-investment banker, I’ve worked with many law firms and the legal process can be quite painful. We wanted to make sure our investors were protected and there were no delays with the raise. The fundraise was executed smoothly and Stephen and Callum were both very helpful. Callum was extremely bright. They both pointed out lots of things that we had missed.
Hana Salussolia
Chief Operating Officer,
Medisonal
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.
Callum has dealt with all in a professional and efficient manner. He's attentive and efficient in all I have asked.
John Bell
Managing Director,
Unique Packaging Solutions
It’s been excellent working with Stephen, he’s made every investment round extremely straight-forward and he understands our needs completely, while explaining the legals without the legal jargon. He’s only a phone call away which keeps us reassured. Previously, we’ve had to go through many hurdles when working with traditional law firms. You don’t get that at Harper James.
Reece Chowdhry
Founder & Partner,
Concept Ventures
Harper James is the right fit for us, I was attracted to the firm by the experience and reputation of their large team of specialist solicitors. And best of all, I have this support at a price point that’s very competitive compared to their competition.
Andrew Worsley
Chairman,
Harbour Healthcare
Matt and Paul understand the brief, and they understand our business. Their attention to detail and joined-up approach is excellent. They’re able to understand exactly what we need and the vision of the group going forward. Growing at this rate presents some risk, so having a legal team that appreciates this and supports us with the legal advice we need to take on every challenge in our mission to scale is key.
Alex Newey
Chairman,
Greosn
Brigitta’s always there, she listens and really understands us. In terms of turning things around quickly, it’s been fantastic. Speed was something that became very critical towards the end of the investment round. Bringing funding together when you've got a number of parties involved, especially keeping them happy, can be a stressful time. Brigitta was really supportive of that. We felt like she always had our best interests protected.
Andre Turville
Founder & CEO,
ARX Alliance
The Enable Plan has been really useful for us. We’re always watching our burn because that early money is important to us as a start-up. We get high quality legal event advice that doesn’t compromise on quality. Also, having access to a distributed team who have previously worked at some very credible firms is great. Having access to that level of experience and expertise, but not having to pay traditional firm prices is excellent.
Andre Turville
Founder & CEO,
ARX Alliance
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
Harper James is always professional and responsive. We've always felt we had timely feedback, at a high professional standard and at a fair price.
Matthew Carr
Co-Founder & CEO ,
Luffy AI Limited
The team are responsive to my requests for support and the feedback and help that I have received from the legal team has always been well presented and thought through. The quality of support and the flexibility with which it is provided (monthly payments), is perfect for my business.
Peter Denton
Director,
Enso Equestrian
Matt’s been a pleasure to work with – we were looking for a lawyer who would be able to think outside of the box. To Matt’s credit, he understood our needs immediately. Having a legal team on our side who understands and supports us has been great.
Freddie Savundra
Founder,
Meet Parker
The Enable plan was just the right plan for us. It’s economic and we were really pleased with the numbers. As a start-up, it was important for us to seek the right legal advice while keeping costs to a minimum. It’s given us a breadth of high-quality legal knowledge at a great price point – something we just wouldn’t get at a traditional firm.
Freddie Savundra
Founder,
Meet Parker
It’s been great working with Adam. He’s approachable and very friendly. When initially contacting Harper James, I wanted an experienced advisor that knew how to maneuver the acquisition landscape. Adam certainly knew how to do this, and his timing and responsiveness was second to none.
Mohammed Elmasry
CEO,
Tactful AI
Stephen is excellent! He knows us very well. He knows what to look for and he knows what is acceptable and what is not
Sonia George
Associate,
Ascension Ventures
Thank you very much for all your hard work to get the deal across the line. It’s been a pleasure working with you to get an outcome that I’m very happy with. I’m sure it’s one of those deals you are happy to see complete!
Julian Rust-Andrews
Director,
Virocom Limited
I had an excellent experience with Stephen Evans. He was thoughtful, pragmatic and extremely efficient.
Nadia Crandall
Co-founder and Director,
Capshore Partners
Harper James provided a high quality service at a short notice. Their representatives were professional, approachable and quick to understand our company's specific circumstances.
Marius Bausys
Shareholder,
Arcapay Holdings
It was a pleasure working with Tristan, Matt and James. We are very pleased with the quality of advice and your team's in depth knowledge.
Raymond Lam
Executive Director,
Aeramine Limited
Brilliant support and smooth completion of acquisition.
Rajiv Agrawal
Shareholder,
Poise Group
The Corporate Finance and Property team at Harper James are always responsive and take a pragmatic approach when needed.
Leon Foxwell
Lending Director,
Bloomsbury Property Finance Limited
Thank you so much Brigitta. I definitely made the right choice to go with you! Honestly everyone I have worked with at Harper James has been really good
Gabriel Hughes
CEO,
Metageni
I'm very happy with Callum Gilikers work handling the shareholders agreement and articles of association for my company. He understood what I needed to get done and helped advise where I needed help. Great experience.
Dadisai Roberta Mkombachoto
Founder & CEO,
Robert & Roberta Ltd
Your solicitors are experienced, provide timely responses and feedback, and are eager to help. They're also easy to reach out to and consistently offer insightful advice.
Dadisai Roberta Mkombachoto
Founder & CEO,
Robert & Roberta Ltd
Brigitta, Alex, Genevieve, Adam and the wider team always helpful and understanding of borrowers expectations. They are efficient and diligent in all property and corporate finance documentation.
Leon Foxwell
Lending Director,
Bloomsbury Property Finance Limited
Thanks Sam and Nikki. We really appreciate all your help with our EOT transition and patience answering our questions to get to this point. I am sure there might be a few more that are thrown up as we start to communicate with the team, but it's a new chapter and one we are very much looking forward to.
Martin Coyne
Managing Director,
Bond & Coyne
On behalf of Emerald, I wanted to say thank you for your tremendous work on this deal. You have been always available and with the correct legal advice. You are by miles the best lawyer (technically and morally) we have ever worked with.
Arian Zandi
Co-Founder,
Emerald Hospitality Group
Stephen Evans has been the solicitor on most of our investment rounds for the last few years. We've always found him very pragmatic, responsive and easy to work with. He's a great asset to Harper James
Matthew Carr
Co-founder & CEO,
Luffy AI Limited
The switchover process from our previous advisors was incredibly smooth. Brigitta was efficient, fast, and quickly understood our requirements. Her pragmatic approach helped us cut through the legal complexities, and we were able to achieve our goal within the tight timeframe.
Steve Carrod
Co-Founder,
DMPG
We thought we knew our business inside out, but the due diligence process highlighted gaps we hadn’t anticipated. Having your team on hand made a big difference - what felt overwhelming quickly became manageable once we had experts guiding us through the details.
Tom Marianczak
Co-Founder,
DMPG
Choosing Harper James was the best decision we made during this process. At one point, we felt stuck and struggled with providing certain documentation. Brigitta and the team knew how to explain what was needed and suddenly the process became much clearer. The guidance we received helped us avoid unnecessary delays and expenses. It made all the difference.
Steve Carrod
Co-Founder,
DMPG
First class every step of the way. You did exactly what I expected and met my deadline.
Richard William Turbutt
Director,
CorroGuard
For any small business looking for the right law firm to guide you through an acquisition I would highly recommend Harper James. My personal experience was with Matt Shakesheff who looked after my sale and passed me over to their team who looked over my new contract of employment as I was staying with my buyer for a 2 year handover. They delivered on budget and on time.
Richard William Turbutt
Director,
CorroGuard
The support, advice and guidance from Harper James was absolutely vital. Shubhu, Callum and the team there were always on hand to deal with any issues that we needed help with as the deal progressed. This is an exciting new stage in the development of the business.
Sam G Bose
CEO and Founder,
IntelliSense.io
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
When we were in the process of raising funds for our business venture, we were fortunate enough to have the support of Harper James. Their advice and guidance were extremely beneficial to us, and we’ve been impressed by their responsive service.
TJ Herbert
CEO and Founder,
Itchy Fish
Abby got the job done in line with expectations. No dramas! I have used Harper James with several companies and for a range of legal topics. They generally provide good service at a very reasonable price point. They have a good understanding of growing technology companies.
Matthew Dreaper
Co-Founder and CFO,
Helix Technologies
It was delightful working with Stephen and Callum on the fundraise. As an ex-investment banker, I’ve worked with many law firms and the legal process can be quite painful. We wanted to make sure our investors were protected and there were no delays with the raise. The fundraise was executed smoothly and Stephen and Callum were both very helpful. Callum was extremely bright. They both pointed out lots of things that we had missed.
Hana Salussolia
Chief Operating Officer,
Medisonal
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.
Callum has dealt with all in a professional and efficient manner. He's attentive and efficient in all I have asked.
John Bell
Managing Director,
Unique Packaging Solutions
It’s been excellent working with Stephen, he’s made every investment round extremely straight-forward and he understands our needs completely, while explaining the legals without the legal jargon. He’s only a phone call away which keeps us reassured. Previously, we’ve had to go through many hurdles when working with traditional law firms. You don’t get that at Harper James.
Reece Chowdhry
Founder & Partner,
Concept Ventures
Harper James is the right fit for us, I was attracted to the firm by the experience and reputation of their large team of specialist solicitors. And best of all, I have this support at a price point that’s very competitive compared to their competition.
Andrew Worsley
Chairman,
Harbour Healthcare
Matt and Paul understand the brief, and they understand our business. Their attention to detail and joined-up approach is excellent. They’re able to understand exactly what we need and the vision of the group going forward. Growing at this rate presents some risk, so having a legal team that appreciates this and supports us with the legal advice we need to take on every challenge in our mission to scale is key.
Alex Newey
Chairman,
Greosn
Brigitta’s always there, she listens and really understands us. In terms of turning things around quickly, it’s been fantastic. Speed was something that became very critical towards the end of the investment round. Bringing funding together when you've got a number of parties involved, especially keeping them happy, can be a stressful time. Brigitta was really supportive of that. We felt like she always had our best interests protected.
Andre Turville
Founder & CEO,
ARX Alliance
The Enable Plan has been really useful for us. We’re always watching our burn because that early money is important to us as a start-up. We get high quality legal event advice that doesn’t compromise on quality. Also, having access to a distributed team who have previously worked at some very credible firms is great. Having access to that level of experience and expertise, but not having to pay traditional firm prices is excellent.
Andre Turville
Founder & CEO,
ARX Alliance
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
Harper James is always professional and responsive. We've always felt we had timely feedback, at a high professional standard and at a fair price.
Matthew Carr
Co-Founder & CEO ,
Luffy AI Limited
The team are responsive to my requests for support and the feedback and help that I have received from the legal team has always been well presented and thought through. The quality of support and the flexibility with which it is provided (monthly payments), is perfect for my business.
Peter Denton
Director,
Enso Equestrian
Matt’s been a pleasure to work with – we were looking for a lawyer who would be able to think outside of the box. To Matt’s credit, he understood our needs immediately. Having a legal team on our side who understands and supports us has been great.
Freddie Savundra
Founder,
Meet Parker
The Enable plan was just the right plan for us. It’s economic and we were really pleased with the numbers. As a start-up, it was important for us to seek the right legal advice while keeping costs to a minimum. It’s given us a breadth of high-quality legal knowledge at a great price point – something we just wouldn’t get at a traditional firm.
Freddie Savundra
Founder,
Meet Parker
It’s been great working with Adam. He’s approachable and very friendly. When initially contacting Harper James, I wanted an experienced advisor that knew how to maneuver the acquisition landscape. Adam certainly knew how to do this, and his timing and responsiveness was second to none.
Mohammed Elmasry
CEO,
Tactful AI
Stephen is excellent! He knows us very well. He knows what to look for and he knows what is acceptable and what is not
Sonia George
Associate,
Ascension Ventures
Thank you very much for all your hard work to get the deal across the line. It’s been a pleasure working with you to get an outcome that I’m very happy with. I’m sure it’s one of those deals you are happy to see complete!
Julian Rust-Andrews
Director,
Virocom Limited
I had an excellent experience with Stephen Evans. He was thoughtful, pragmatic and extremely efficient.
Nadia Crandall
Co-founder and Director,
Capshore Partners
Harper James provided a high quality service at a short notice. Their representatives were professional, approachable and quick to understand our company's specific circumstances.
Marius Bausys
Shareholder,
Arcapay Holdings
It was a pleasure working with Tristan, Matt and James. We are very pleased with the quality of advice and your team's in depth knowledge.
Raymond Lam
Executive Director,
Aeramine Limited
Brilliant support and smooth completion of acquisition.
Rajiv Agrawal
Shareholder,
Poise Group
The Corporate Finance and Property team at Harper James are always responsive and take a pragmatic approach when needed.
Leon Foxwell
Lending Director,
Bloomsbury Property Finance Limited
Thank you so much Brigitta. I definitely made the right choice to go with you! Honestly everyone I have worked with at Harper James has been really good
Gabriel Hughes
CEO,
Metageni
I'm very happy with Callum Gilikers work handling the shareholders agreement and articles of association for my company. He understood what I needed to get done and helped advise where I needed help. Great experience.
Dadisai Roberta Mkombachoto
Founder & CEO,
Robert & Roberta Ltd
Your solicitors are experienced, provide timely responses and feedback, and are eager to help. They're also easy to reach out to and consistently offer insightful advice.
Dadisai Roberta Mkombachoto
Founder & CEO,
Robert & Roberta Ltd
Brigitta, Alex, Genevieve, Adam and the wider team always helpful and understanding of borrowers expectations. They are efficient and diligent in all property and corporate finance documentation.
Leon Foxwell
Lending Director,
Bloomsbury Property Finance Limited
Thanks Sam and Nikki. We really appreciate all your help with our EOT transition and patience answering our questions to get to this point. I am sure there might be a few more that are thrown up as we start to communicate with the team, but it's a new chapter and one we are very much looking forward to.
Martin Coyne
Managing Director,
Bond & Coyne
On behalf of Emerald, I wanted to say thank you for your tremendous work on this deal. You have been always available and with the correct legal advice. You are by miles the best lawyer (technically and morally) we have ever worked with.
Arian Zandi
Co-Founder,
Emerald Hospitality Group
Stephen Evans has been the solicitor on most of our investment rounds for the last few years. We've always found him very pragmatic, responsive and easy to work with. He's a great asset to Harper James
Matthew Carr
Co-founder & CEO,
Luffy AI Limited
The switchover process from our previous advisors was incredibly smooth. Brigitta was efficient, fast, and quickly understood our requirements. Her pragmatic approach helped us cut through the legal complexities, and we were able to achieve our goal within the tight timeframe.
Steve Carrod
Co-Founder,
DMPG
We thought we knew our business inside out, but the due diligence process highlighted gaps we hadn’t anticipated. Having your team on hand made a big difference - what felt overwhelming quickly became manageable once we had experts guiding us through the details.
Tom Marianczak
Co-Founder,
DMPG
Choosing Harper James was the best decision we made during this process. At one point, we felt stuck and struggled with providing certain documentation. Brigitta and the team knew how to explain what was needed and suddenly the process became much clearer. The guidance we received helped us avoid unnecessary delays and expenses. It made all the difference.
Steve Carrod
Co-Founder,
DMPG
First class every step of the way. You did exactly what I expected and met my deadline.
Richard William Turbutt
Director,
CorroGuard
For any small business looking for the right law firm to guide you through an acquisition I would highly recommend Harper James. My personal experience was with Matt Shakesheff who looked after my sale and passed me over to their team who looked over my new contract of employment as I was staying with my buyer for a 2 year handover. They delivered on budget and on time.
Richard William Turbutt
Director,
CorroGuard
Why choose our corporate lawyers?
Above all else, we can provide you with clear and practical advice for all of your corporate transactions. Our corporate lawyers have worked at some of the top law firms in the UK, as well as provided in-house counsel for large, international firms.
This experience means that our corporate lawyers can spot the signs when there is potential for negotiation and can offer expert advice for when there isn’t. This comes from having acted on different sides of corporate transactions for multiple clients.
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.