Business Legal Services
We offer a wide range of legal services for businesses of all sizes, with pricing plans designed for start-up, small and venture-backed businesses and medium to large businesses.
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Banking & Finance Law
Business Disputes
Business Immigration Law
We advise businesses, entrepreneurs, investors and educational establishments on all aspects of UK immigration law, from recruiting overseas staff to ensuring ongoing compliance obligations are being met with the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI).
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Commercial Law
Commercial Property Law
Construction Law
Corporate Law
Data Protection & Privacy Law
Employee Share Schemes
Employment Law
Financial Services Regulation
Funding & Investment
Insolvency & Corporate Recovery
Intellectual Property
IT & Commercial Technology Law
Business Life Cycle
Our Business Life Cycle is designed to guide you through the different situations you’re likely to encounter on your business journey.
Overview 
Sectors
Our senior solicitors have built up a wealth of specialist sector knowledge throughout their careers. We appreciate that one size never fits all, which is why we leverage our team's sector knowledge through a multi-disciplinary approach to providing you with tailored and relevant advice. Our sector focused interest and 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.
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Creative Industries
Our creative sector solicitors keep abreast of the latest cases, legislative changes, and industry developments, to ensure our clients receive smart, pragmatic, insightful, and tailored legal services. We provide expert legal advice and representation in relation to all creative endeavours, including clients in advertising and marketing, television, theatre, music, art, publishing, architecture, technology, and all spheres of design.
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Energy, Utilities & Environment
Our energy, utilities and environment solicitors are expert legal advisers to the industry, including individual and institutional investors and funders, technical advisors, developers, entrepreneurs, utility firms, environmental and waste technology companies, landowners, aggregators, CICs, inventors and environmental scientists, contractors and suppliers and have vast experience in the sector.
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Life Sciences
Our multi-disciplinary life sciences legal team has specific sector experience, and our life sciences lawyers cover a range of areas such as risk assessment and management, manufacturing and supply chain issues, compliance review and advice including product liability, intellectual property issues and the development of IP strategies, data protection and GDPR advice, licensing and contractual issues, financial advice and mergers and acquisitions, as well as disputes and litigation management.
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Manufacturing & Engineering
Our manufacturing and engineering lawyers have an in-depth understanding of these sectors and the needs of businesses. We understand the vast and vital contribution manufacturing and engineering businesses make towards the British economy. Our solicitors partner with clients within these sectors to ensure their interests are protected and their commercial ambitions are achieved.
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Public Sector
Whether you’re situated directly within the public sector or you’re a commercial partner, our public sector solicitors can help you with all areas of business law you’re likely to need advice on, from banking and finance, commercial tenders and contracts, dispute resolution, real estate, intellectual property, data protection, employment law and much more.
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Retail & Luxury Brands
Whatever your business within the retail sector, our retail lawyers understand this challenging market and work across a range of areas including e-commerce, corporate and commercial, commercial property, dispute resolution and employment law to help advise and provide solutions for your business.
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Sports
Our sports law solicitors have expertise in the latest sports law and they also understand the industry; including its structures, regulations, challenges, pressures, trends, and developments. We offer legal advice and representation to national governing bodies, international federations, sports clubs, and athletes in any sport, whether amateur or professional.
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Start-ups
Our team of experienced senior solicitors are business and finance law specialists, with a proven track record in supporting start-ups - they have the legal skills and experience to help founders who want to get things right from day one. We act for start-up companies, entrepreneurs, founders, boards and individual directors of early-stage companies, financial institutions, and investors considering investment under the EIS and SEIS schemes.
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Technology
Our expert technology solicitors advise both specialist technology companies as well as their partners, customers, and users. We understand the commercial issues involved in tech depend on the services and products involved, which is why we endeavour to understand your niche and its implications. Whether you are a crowdfunded start-up or a large multi-national, our dedicated team of technology specialists are adept at acting for you wherever and whenever technology defines or intersects your organisation.
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Our Pricing & Service Plans
Our Pricing & Service Plans
Our unique subscription plans coupled with our remote operating model allow us to deliver expert legal advice, from partner level lawyers, at a fraction of the cost compared with traditional law firms. Our Enterprise and On-Demand plans help you spread the cost of advice and access discounted rates, providing flexibility, peace of mind and plans that can scale with your business.
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The City Plan
Our City service provides you flexible access to our experienced lawyers, with no fixed monthly cost and low hourly rates, from £290 per hour. Whatever legal assistance you need, we can help you and the cost of using our experienced lawyers will provide a significant saving compared to those associated with traditional law firms.
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The Enterprise Plan
Our Enterprise subscription package is specifically designed for start-ups and smaller sized businesses. With a £215 monthly subscription fee and additional legal support from senior solicitors at £145 per hour, it includes 1-hour of free legal support per month which rolls over if unused.
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The On-Demand Plan
Our On-Demand plan is a smarter way for high-growth and established businesses to get legal advice. A fully account managed quarterly subscription service which provides you with priority access to experienced partner-level solicitors, recruited from top 100 UK law firms, whenever you need them, at an affordable and flexible budget set by you.
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Fixed Fee Products
Solve common issues with our suite of fixed fee products, giving you clarity on costs and deliverables.
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About Us
Harper James is a new breed of commercial law firm – a national law firm designed exclusively to champion ambitious and entrepreneurial businesses, enabling them to access expert legal advice at an affordable cost when they need it most. We work with start-ups through to established businesses that have been running for years or looking to scale, futurecorns and unicorns as well as those ready to sell and often build their next business.
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Careers
Work with like-minded individuals and free from the bureaucracy of traditional law firms in a truly flexible workplace. We offer career opportunities for solicitors and business support professionals that meet your needs and evolve as you evolve.
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Meet Our Team
Meet the people of Harper James.
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Press & Media
Our solicitors are well-positioned to provide commentary on all manner of commercial legal issue and regularly contribute to both national, sector and industry press.
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What Our Clients Say
A selection of our client testimonials.
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Join our team
Work with like-minded individuals and free from the bureaucracy of traditional law firms in a truly flexible workplace. We offer career opportunities for solicitors and business support professionals that meet your needs and evolve as you evolve.
See Our Open Positions 
News & Insights
The latest news and insights from Harper James including our 'Meet the client' interview series, case studies, legal updates, events and webinars, podcasts, videos and spotlights on our solicitors.
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Company News
The latest Harper James news.
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Client Stories
Examples of some of the exciting work and waves our clients are making as well as in-depth client interviews and stories.
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Events & Webinars
Providing practical insights and Q&A opportunities based on common legal challenges.
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Podcasts & Videos
Watch and listen to our latest podcasts and videos featuring client and Harper James interviews and stories.
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Thoughts & Opinions
Our views and perspectives on some of the latest developments.
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Knowledge Hub for Growth
Our free resource designed to help your business overcome challenges and realise its potential. Written by lawyers and business experts, these resources will help you decipher legal terminology and tackle key milestones from securing funding and growing your team, to protecting your ideas and expanding to new markets.
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Contact Us
Please leave us your details and we’ll contact you to discuss your situation and legal requirements. There’s no charge for your consultation, and no obligation to instruct us. We aim to respond to all messages received within 24 hours.
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Make An Enquiry
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Offices
Get in Touch
Offices
We mainly work remotely, so we can work with you wherever you are. But we can arrange face-to-face meeting at our offices or a location of your choosing.
Overview 

Knowledge Hub
for Growth

Employee Share Schemes and Equity Incentives

Employee Ownership Trusts

Transferring shares to employees via an employee ownership trust can be quicker than a sale to a third party, brings many tax advantages and can increase employee productivity and reduced absenteeism. Find out more about employee ownership trusts in our guides below.

Knowledge Hub
Employee Share Schemes and Equity Incentives
Employee Ownership Trusts
Knowledge Hub
Employee Share Schemes and Equity Incentives
All Topics Business Disputes Business Growth Business Immigration Business Planning Commercial Law Commercial Property Corporate Law Data Protection Employee Share Schemes and Equity Incentives Employment Law Finance & Investment Law Financial Services Regulation Insolvency & Corporate Recovery Intellectual Property International Trade and Brexit Recession Busting
Employee Ownership Trusts
All Employee Share Schemes and Equity Incentives Employee Ownership Trusts Pension schemes Share schemes

4 resources

Updated 5 months ago
Five reasons to sell your business to an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT) 
Article
Article
3 mins read
Updated 6 months ago
Employee Ownership Trusts (EOTs): FAQs for businesses looking to exit 
Article
Article
7 mins read
Updated 1 year ago
How does a sale to an Employee Ownership Trust compare to a traditional trade sale? 
Article
Article
4 mins read
Updated 3 years ago
Guide to structuring employee ownership 
Article
Article
10 mins read

How can we help?

To access legal support from just £145 per hour arrange your no-obligation initial consultation to discuss your business requirements.

0800 689 1700

Make an enquiry

0800 689 1700
Our offices

A national law firm

A national law firm

Our commercial lawyers are based in or close to major cities across the UK, providing expert legal advice to clients both locally and nationally.

We mainly work remotely, so we can work with you wherever you are. But we can arrange face-to-face meeting at our offices or a location of your choosing.

Head Office

Birmingham 
Floor 5, Cavendish House, 39-41 Waterloo Street, Birmingham, B2 5PP
Regional Spaces

Cambridge 
Stirling House, Cambridge Innovation Park, Denny End Road, Waterbeach, Cambridge, CB25 9QE
Manchester 
13th Floor, Piccadilly Plaza, Manchester, M1 4BT
London 
10 Fitzroy Square, London, W1T 5HP
Oxford 
Harwell Innovation Centre, 173 Curie Avenue, Harwell, Oxfordshire, OX11 0QG
Sheffield 
1st Floor, Dearing House, 1 Young St, Sheffield, S1 4UP
Southampton 
White Building Studios, 1-4 Cumberland Place, Southampton, SO15 2NP
A national law firm

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