Specialist Legal Advice for Your Business
At Wannops, we have a dedicated team of solicitors with vast expertise in advising shareholders, directors, partners and sole traders. Our knowledge of company and partnership law is backed up by thorough commercial property and litigation support.
Wannops provide a full range of company, commercial and commercial property services. One of the greatest assets you can give your business is sound legal counsel at the outset of your transactions; taking proper advice ensures that, for example, business sales go smoothly, minimising the risk and expense of unforeseen problems in the future.
We can help with the following:
- Buying and selling your business
- Shareholders and partnership agreements
- Limited liability partnerships
Our highly skilled team is based across our West Sussex and Hampshire offices, and our lawyers can meet with you at any of our offices or a location convenient to you.
Commercial Dispute Resolution
We’ll handle the stress so you can take care of your business. Business disputes can be stressful, and time-consuming and distract you from the importance of the day-to-day. Our team of experienced solicitors find workable and practical solutions to minimise the impact on you and your business to help you achieve the right outcome.
Our knowledgeable team will identify your objectives, assess merits and risks, and provide advice and options. There are many ways to solve a dispute, and court proceedings should only be considered a last resort. We will help you negotiate in an attempt to resolve the dispute, taking away the worry and cost of going to court.
However, sometimes court cannot be avoided. Should this happen, we will fight confidently on your behalf, protecting your best interests and ensuring the dispute is resolved effectively for your business.
We can represent you in litigation, mediation, arbitration, adjudication and informal negotiations.
Our commercial dispute resolution specialisms include:
- Business and Commercial Disputes
- Construction and Building Disputes
- Debt recovery
- Intellectual Property
- Professional negligence
- Property Litigation
Commercial Finance
We can advise on the appropriate structure and documentation needed for a wide variety of commercial finance. Our legal advice for commercial lending will steer a course between protecting the lender and ensuring a healthy commercial relationship with the borrower.
Our services in this area include:
- Asset-based financing
- Equipment leasing
- Syndicated loans
- Letters of credit
- Cross jurisdiction proof of funding
Debt Recovery
Businesses with insufficient working capital will often delay paying their creditors until absolutely necessary. As a creditor in this situation, you effectively provide the working capital to a business that continually pays late invoices. We will devise a tailored, cost-effective strategy to recover outstanding debts owed to your business.
Our services in this area include:
- Settlement agreements
- Statutory demands
- County Court and High Court proceedings
- Winding Up petitions
- Bankruptcy petitions
Our Fees
These costs apply where your claim is in relation to an unpaid invoice which is not disputed and enforcement action is not needed. If the other party disputes your claim at any point, we will discuss any further work required and provide you with revised advice about costs if necessary, which could be on a fixed fee (e.g. if a one off letter is required) or an hourly rate if more extensive work is needed.
| Debt value | Court fee | Our fee (+ VAT) | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to £5,000 | £205.00 | An estimate will be provided subject to the appointed fee earner | We will confirm once the fee earner is appointed |
| £5,001 – £10,000 | £455.00 | An estimate will be provided subject to the appointed fee earner | An estimate will be provided subject to the appointed fee earner |
| £10,001 – £50,000 | 5% value of the claim | An estimate will be provided subject to the appointed fee earner | An estimate will be provided subject to the appointed fee earner |
Anyone wishing to proceed with a claim should note that:
- The VAT element of our fee cannot be reclaimed from your debtor.
- Interest and compensation may take the debt into a higher banding, with a higher cost.
- The costs quoted above are not for matters where enforcement action, such as the bailiff, is needed to collect your debt.
Our fee includes:
- Taking your instructions and reviewing documentation.
- Undertaking appropriate searches.
- Sending a ‘letter before action’.
- Receiving a payment and sending this onto you, or if the debt is not paid, drafting and issuing a claim.
- Where no ‘Acknowledgement of Service’ or ‘Defence’ is received, applying to the court to enter Judgement in default.
- When Judgement in default is received, write to the other side to request payment.
- If payment is not received within 14 days, providing you with advice on next steps and likely costs.
Matters usually take four weeks from receipt of instruction from you to receipt of payment from the other side, depending on whether or not it is necessary to issue a claim. This is on the basis that the other side pays promptly on receipt of Judgement in default. If enforcement action is needed, the matter will take longer to resolve.
E-commerce
Companies rarely trade without a presence on the internet. At the very least, a business website may present its desired image using a brochure site for its customers and suppliers. A company may use the internet to acquire goods and services from other businesses and even offer its goods and services for sale and supply.
At its simplest, the trading process will probably involve human interaction through electronic communication. However, in its more complex form, an agreement may be reached by a wholly automated process between two separate computers. We can advise you about the regulations that govern these commercial transactions and provide you with the terms and conditions and agreements which protect your business and website.
Our services in this area include:
- E-commerce website content and terms and conditions and agreements
- Distance selling regulations
- Data Protection legislation and the information commissioner
- Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations
- Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations
If you would like to contact one of our Company and Commercial team directly, please see their details below or click on the Contact Us button.
Adam Workman – [email protected]
Hilary Tyler – [email protected]
James Turner – [email protected]
John Saulet – [email protected]
Get in Touch
Specialist Legal Advice for Your Business
Let our dedicated, expert team of solicitors handle the partnership law, commercial property and disputes, allowing you to focus on running your business.