Corporate Transactions

Our commercial property team provides expert support and advice to our corporate colleagues on the property-related legal and commercial issues involved in the transaction.

We recognise that property related issues form part of a larger commercial transaction.  Our aim is to facilitate the client’s overriding commercial objective by identifying the key issues at the outset of the transaction and any changes to those issues as the matter proceeds.

Acquisitions (the purchase of either the shares or the assets of the company)

• to fully investigate the property position and identify property rights and liabilities
• to review and identify deficiencies in the title to the property and any relevant leases
• to carry out and raise searches and enquiries appropriate to the overarching transaction
• to report clearly on issues arising and offer practical commercial solutions to deal with them
• to advice of the adequacy of warranties and other representations made in the course of the transaction.

Disposals (sale of shares or assets of the company)

• to review the property title and identify at an early stage issues which may delay or impact on the sale process
• to take action to rectify title issues which would cause concern to buyers or would impact on the ability to sell the property
• to prepare a full title pack and assist seller clients to provide full and clear replies to appropriate commercial forms of enquiry

As part of our support to the corporate team we also:

• draft and negotiate commercial leases, deeds of variation, lease assignments and underlettings

deal with lender funding requirements including granting and taking security over property assets and drafting security documentation

We speak to our commercial client and our corporate team at the outset to understand the commercial priorities of the transaction and the role of the property in the business.  We then agree a tailored approach to our property due diligence to focus on those key issues.

Recent examples include:

• Assisting in relation to the purchase of a large quarry in Wales.
• Dealing with the sale of a firm of solicitors including negotiating a lease of the office premises owned by the seller’s pension scheme.