Professional Services

With the increasing pressures on lawyers ranging from SRA compliance to commoditisation, the ever-changing legal market requires you to balance your business finances, manage your staff (and peers) and maintain a compliance framework.

All of this can lead to significant time away from the business of providing legal services and can have a consequential effect on the efficiency and profitability of your practice.

Our professional services team acts for law firms of various sizes and different business mediums. We provide a full array of advice, solutions and service which will allow you to concentrate on other aspects of your practice. 

Recent examples of our work include:

• Acting for a multi-disciplinary legal practice on its incorporation from a partnership to a limited company structure, including drafting bespoke shareholders agreement and articles of association;
• Advising a firm of solicitors in relation to it becoming an Alternative Business Structure (ABS) including guidance on the Legal Practice Act 2007 and drafting its constitution;
• Negotiating the successful exit of a director/shareholder from a firm of solicitors established as a private limited company in circumstances where the relationship between each of the shareholders had broken down;
• The appointment and termination of senior partners/members of a legal practice, as well as advising on and providing the relative provisions in its constitution to allow for fixed-share partners; and
• Mergers of firms of solicitors (sole traders, partnerships, LLPs and companies).

We also act for a number of firms of solicitors in relation to overflow work where they may lack capacity, conflict work and in relation to specialist areas of law in which they may not have the relative expertise.

Our professional services team works closely with many accountants of various structures and sizes. This has led to a detailed understanding of the business of accountancy practices, making us well placed to advise and assist you with the requirements of your practice.

From inception to well-established practices, our professional services team can assist at all stages of practice development and in all areas. 

Recent examples of our work include:

• Supporting a specialist tax advisory practice who were trying to manage a difficult situation with one of their trainee accountants. The trainee was coping with their studies and exams but performing poorly in the office. They also had mental health issues and were taking periods of sickness absence that were affecting their training. We assisted with identifying the legal risks of the situation, including the firm’s obligation as a training provider, and potential claims from the individual of breach of contract and disability discrimination. We also then assisted with pragmatic solutions for dealing with the situation, achieving a mutually agreed and positive outcome to the situation.

• Advising an accountancy firm on expanding into a new location including hiring two senior employees from a rival firm, who were subject to non-competition restrictions in their contracts of employment. We advised the firm on the risk of claim against them for inducing a breach of contract.
• Acting for three directors in a managed exit from their employer, including advising on post-termination restrictions and bonus payments
• Working on an acquisition by a Manchester city centre accountancy practice of a smaller and regional based accountancy practice as part of an ongoing plan to grow by consolidation;
• Working on the incorporation of an accountancy practice as a Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) and drafting an LLP agreement to reflect the relationship between the members;
• Restructuring an existing accountancy practice and drafting new shareholders agreement and bespoke articles of association;
• Advising in relation to the appointment of senior personnel, as well as the exit of such persons; and
• Working on a merger of accounting practices (sole traders, partnerships, LLPs and companies).

Our professional services team has gained specialist knowledge in the healthcare sector having worked closely with professionals in the medical profession over a number of years.

We have advised doctors, dentists, GPs and providers of specialist medical treatment and services to both the private and public sector on a broad range of legal and contractual issues.

With our professional services team specialising in various disciplines, we are well placed to advise on all aspects of work relating to your profession.

GPs and providers of Specialist Medical treatment

Recent changes in the NHS place GPs and Specialists in the front line of health service provision and healthcare in the community.

Recognising the special, but also vulnerable, position that you are in, our professional services team can help you in relieving some of the pressures of your workload. 

Examples of recent advice include:

• Drafting GP partnership agreements;
• Structuring of healthcare practices, including drafting limited liability partnership agreements, shareholders agreements and articles of association;
• Advising on marketing and joint venture structures in relation to “umbrella” practices;
• Drafting constitutions of healthcare practices to include the introduction of Associate Doctors and Consultants;
• Advising and negotiating outsourcing agreements, NHS/PCP contracts and referral arrangements between Doctors, Consultants and Hospitals (NHS and private);
• Advising on tenders and framework agreements for the provision of specialist medical treatment (direct to NHS or sub-contracted); and
• Advising software houses on the provision of specialist medical software to the NHS and other providers of treatment.

At Myerson, we have many years’ experience of helping dentists and dental professionals navigate their way through the day-to-day aspects of operating a successful practice. This experience has also led us to advise on major milestones such as practice sales or mergers.

With a range of legal services such as corporate, employment and property law you can be assured that you will always be provided with a bespoke level of legal advice. 

We assist dental practices with a range of services including:

• Practices sales or mergers
• Partnership and Shareholder agreements
• Employment law guidance
• Dispute resolution
• A wide range of property services from leases to development

Our previous experience includes: 

• We have advised numerous clients on the sale and purchase of their dentist practices, including advising on the NHS/PCT contract and the structure of the purchase/disposal via a partnership and its subsequent dissolution;
• Incorporating a dentist practice from a sole trader/partnership to a private limited company, including the drafting of the relevant constitutional documents (partnership agreement/shareholders agreement and articles of association); and
• Advising in relation to NHS/PCT contracts.

As a provider of medical services to the public, your practice will need to ensure that not only are the services provided to the required professional standard but also that your practice’s needs are satisfied.

With our professional services team specialising in various disciplines, we are well placed to advise you on all areas relating to your professional and business needs, including:

• The sale of independent optician practices to national chains, other optometry practices and investors; and
• Restructuring of property assets owned by an independent practice to achieve a more tax efficient structure as well as prepare the practice for a potential sale

Our professional services team has over many years gained specialist knowledge in acting for pharmacists and pharmacy businesses.

With our professional services team specialising in various disciplines, we are well placed to advise you on all areas relating to your professional and business needs. We have recently advised clients in relation to the following matters:

• The sale and purchase of a number of pharmacies;
• The incorporation of pharmacy practices and the drafting of the relevant constitutional documents (including limited liability partnership agreements, shareholders agreements and articles of association); and
• Advising generally on employment and property related matters

Our professional services team has gained knowledge over many years in acting for property businesses and also for many clients in the engineering sector.

This has been during both the commercial property boom and the more recent leaner, less active period. With our professional services team specialising in various disciplines, we are well placed to advise you on all areas relating to your professional and business needs. 

Our recent work includes:

• Advising the founders of Thornley Groves Estate Agents Limited upon the investment by Lomond Capital;
• The floatation of Baqus Group plc (construction consultants) to the Alternative Investment Market (AIM), its subsequent de-listing and then takeover;
• We have advised a number of clients in relation to various property joint ventures including between construction and development companies, drafting appropriate shareholders agreement and bespoke articles of association; and
• Advised on a variety of international ventures including working with our MSI network to incorporate overseas companies (complying with the relevant legislation together with appropriate investment) allowing them to tender for work in those jurisdictions.

We have a detailed understanding of the business of veterinary practices, making us well placed to advise and assist you on the requirements of your practice and business.

This includes recent work such as:

• We have acted for The Willows Veterinary Group on a number of acquisitions, mergers and disposals, including the recent merger with Charter Veterinary Group;
• We have advised veterinary practices on the appointment and termination of senior personnel;
• Advised on a number of referral arrangements entered into by veterinary practices and drafting/negotiating relevant agreements; and
• Advising generally on employment and property-related matters.

Client Intro

We acted for a partner in a GP practice in relation to a dispute with fellow partners concerning their position within the practice.

Case Overview

We advised the client in defending an application for injunctive relief brought by other partners, arising from a wider and complex partnership dispute. The matter involved serious allegations and issues relating to the client’s purported expulsion, further complicated by the existence of conflicting partnership agreements. We provided urgent strategic advice, prepared detailed evidence in response to the application, and instructed Counsel to represent the client at the hearing. The case required swift action and careful handling of both the legal and practical issues to protect the client’s position.

“In urgent GP partnership disputes, it’s critical to act quickly while maintaining a clear strategic focus. We worked to ensure our client’s position was robustly presented at a key stage in the proceedings.” – Amna Iqbal, Solicitor

Client Intro

We acted for Latitude Law, a specialist immigration law firm founded in 2007 by Managing Partner Gary McIndoe. It has a 14-strong legal team and offices in Manchester, London and Brussels, and advises businesses, business owners, high net worth individuals and private clients on a broad range of immigration matters.

Case Overview

We advised Latitude Law on its acquisition by national law firm Clarke Willmott, supporting the firm and its management team through all stages of the transaction.

The deal saw the Manchester-based practice join Clarke Willmott and create a dedicated UK immigration law capability within the national firm’s commercial services offering.

It marked an important next stage in Latitude Law’s development and gave the firm and its team the chance to become part of a larger national practice.

As a long-standing client of Myerson across several practice areas, Latitude Law needed advisers who understood both its business and the reasons behind the acquisition. We gave clear, pragmatic and commercially focused advice throughout, helping the management team work through the transaction and reach a successful outcome.

The team was led by Partner and Head of Corporate and Commercial M. Akeel Latif, with Senior Associate Simon Nolan.

M. Akeel Latif, Partner and Head of Corporate and Commercial said:

“It has been a pleasure to advise Gary and the Latitude Law team on this important transaction. Latitude Law has built an excellent reputation in the immigration market, and this deal represents an exciting next stage in its development as part of Clarke Willmott.” 

Gary McIndoe, Managing Partner, Latitude Law said: 

“Choosing the right advisers for this transaction was incredibly important to us. Akeel, Simon and the wider Myerson team understood our business and what we wanted to achieve from the outset. They provided clear, pragmatic and commercially focused advice throughout the process, and we felt we were in trusted hands at every stage.”