Mergers and Acquisitions

Deciding to acquire or join forces with another business is undoubtedly a major commercial decision  

The motivation to evolve a business in this way can include wanting to buy greater market reach; cross-selling new products into an existing customer base or turning around a failing business.  Mergers and acquisitions can entail lengthy and complicated legal processes and getting the legal detail right is essential.  The experienced commercial law team at Hodders will provide you with a one-stop legal shop, drawing in experts from all disciplines of law.

Company & Competition Law

The acquisition of a business is heavily regulated to ensure that shareholders are treated fairly.  There are strict rules around how shareholders must be communicated with; liquidation and the issue of share capital; the bid process and how the deal is constructed. Depending on the circumstances, competition law issues may arise if there is a possibility that the new entity is deemed to result in unfair competition or market dominance in a market sector.  We can assist you with all of your company and competition law issues and provide practical advice on the legal structure of the new business.

Employment Law

Economies of scale are very often one of the principle drivers behind a merger or acquisition.  This might potentially result in the reduction of staff numbers through redundancy.  We can keep you fully briefed on your TUPE obligations and help to ensure that you avoid any potential industrial relations issues.

Due Diligence

You want to be sure that you have all the facts before going ahead with the deal.  As part of the due diligence process, we will investigate whether there are any past, current or pending litigation matters, that the ownership of assets is verified and what contractual obligations you might inherit.