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Business Mergers and Acquisitions

Expert legal advice when buying or selling a business

Solicitors for M & A

Business mergers and acquisitions (M & A) describe a situation where two businesses are pooling resources, or where a business is acquiring another business. This is usually for the purposes of business growth and expansion in a particular field.

Business mergers and acquisitions can often include a number of legal, financial and operational aspects that need to be taken into account. From pensions, tax, funding and liabilities to management and workforce issues.

Mergers and acquisitions can range from simple negotiations to complex transactions. Regardless of the type of yours, having experienced solicitors like Rothera Bray on your side can help. Our corporate solicitors have extensive experience in advising business owners during the sale and purchase of businesses and company mergers.

Contact our Corporate and Commercial team
Business mergers and acquisitions

Why use a solicitor for mergers and acquisitions?

Mergers and acquisitions can be time-consuming, distracting and stressful. Because of these reasons, they can be difficult to manage in-house.

A corporate lawyer who specialises in company mergers and acquisitions has the experience to deliver any transactions smoothly and timely. They work closely with you to provide legal advice and due diligence throughout m&a transactions.

This allows you to concentrate on running your business whilst negotiations are underway.

Questions to ask during a business merger and acquisition

During a business merger and acquisition, there are important questions that need answering. There are no right or wrong answers here. Instead, these questions help identify any potential pitfalls or challenges that you may come across.

  • Will you acquire the business through a share purchase or asset purchase?
  • Are your shareholders and investors on board with the deal? Will their consent be needed?
  • Are there any tax implications of the deal?
  • If intellectual property is a major part of the transaction, have you established who owns this?
  • Would you like the seller to remain in the company for a period after the transaction to help you integrate the new business?
  • Have you considered the pitfalls of the transaction? How will you protect yourself against these?
  • Will you be taking on your target’s staff and management teams? Are there any potential issues like pension rights?

To make sure you are protecting yourself and your interests, our solicitors will help you uncover the answers to these questions and more.

The Rothera Bray Corporate Services and Commercial Agreements and Contracts team

How long do business mergers and acquisitions take?

The time spent merging and acquiring a business will depend greatly on the complexities of the businesses involved.

For example, to acquire a small business the process could take as little as four to six months. Larger businesses and corporate organisations could take from six months to several years.

There are many different approval steps involved in a merger. Each one could delay and extend the amount of time it takes to complete the transaction.

Why use Rothera Bray for your business mergers and acquisitions transactions?

You want your acquisition to run smoothly and as quick as possible. Our corporate solicitors work with you to ensure it happens. With a wealth of experience in overseeing business mergers, we can predict any potential pitfalls that could delay the process.

Independent legal advice of any potential risks will be given. This can protect you from any unwanted liabilities and debts that may come with the business.

We can advise on all documents involved in your merger or acquisition. Draft documents for you and review and negotiate agreements prepared by the other side’s solicitor.

With expertise in other areas of law at Rothera Bray, your solicitor can liaise with other departments to address any other legal issues. All to ensure you have a successful transaction that protects your interests.

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Corporate Services reviews

March 14, 2025
Liz Mills was absolutely phenomenal in all aspects of the work from her truly encyclopaedic knowledge and commercial approach. I genuinely felt comforted by Liz's involvement and her well timed sense of humour along with everything else provided made an enormous difference.
- Tom Evans
November 18, 2024
Excellent service, amazing people. I used Rothera Bray for the sale of my business. I dealt with Marneya Chauhan and Liz Mills. I cannot fault them. Both of them were quite simply outstanding. I would whole- heartedly recommend them and the firm to anyone needing Legal advice or selling their business.
- Dilesh Naran
February 26, 2024
We are thrilled to have completed the sale of our company! We received a professional service throughout the process and the Rothera Bray team were fantastic. They supported us through the whole transaction, which was a long and arduous process. They were informative, reliable, and directed us through the minefield that is “due diligence”. We felt comfortable asking questions which may have seemed obvious to Rothera Bray but not to us. We have no recommendations for improvement. A huge thank you to the team!
- Kim and Indy Gill
February 26, 2024
We are thrilled to have completed the sale of our company! We received a professional service throughout the process and the Rothera Bray team were fantastic. They supported us through the whole transaction, which was a long and arduous process. They were informative, reliable, and directed us through the minefield that is “due diligence”. We felt comfortable asking questions which may have seemed obvious to Rothera Bray but not to us. We have no recommendations for improvement. A huge thank you to the team!
- Kim and Indy Gill
July 31, 2023
Billy understood our requirement from the get go and really nailed down on what we needed in our commercial agency agreement. Billy kept us informed every step of the way and showed great professionalism. We would recommend his services to any start-up business who is in need of legal advice and guidance with commercial contracts.
- Axl Barber, Sales Director of Rightbox Ltd
July 31, 2023
We are in the middle of launching our own packaging agency and contacted Rothera Bray for some professional legal advice with regards to contracts. After an initial call with Billy, he made it clear what we needed and asked plenty of questions to understand what it was we needed. He was very responsive to our questions, whether it be over the phone or via emails and made the process really simple. We had little experience in this area so it was fantastic to work with Billy, who explained everything concisely. We were also really pleased with the quick turnaround and great value offered. Would thoroughly recommend working with Rothera Bray.
- Tom Burden, Director of Rightbox Ltd
June 5, 2023
After trying, unsuccessfully, several times to find the right firm with the expertise to help me with my matter, Rothera Bray stepped up and delivered. Sandeesh was very knowledgeable, she informed me of all my options in terms I could understand, and she guided me through a legal minefield with great care and attention. I felt confident in being able to ask questions and received helpful guidance on my matter. The staff at Rothera Bray are knowledgeable, helpful, and very reliable and always work with diligence and attention to detail. Their ability to work quickly helped me to successfully meet my deadline.
- Damien Henry

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