Need help finding a great commercial solicitor?

Popular legal services

Lexoo focuses on unearthing the best commercial solicitors for your business, dealing with all areas of commercial law, from shareholders agreements to buying commercial property. We’ve helped 3,500+ entrepreneurs and businesses like yours get their legals sorted. Here are some popular legal services:

Commercial leases

Every growing business needs a place to call home. Whether it’s an office, a shop, a restaurant or warehouse, you’ll need to get a commercial lease in place. It’s one of the most common legal jobs we see here at Lexoo and prices range between £750 to £1,000 for straightforward leases for smaller tenancies. For larger, longer term office leases that need more negotiation, quotes typically range from £3,750 to £6,000 plus government fees and taxes. You can learn more about how to negotiate your lease and get tips on selecting a commercial property solicitor here.

Buying or selling commercial property

There’s a lot at stake when buying or selling commercial property. Lots of money, red tape and complexity and no shortage of issues that can derail your transaction. Whether it’s dealing with planning permission, licences, environmental issues, finance or taxation - a good commercial property solicitor will help you stay the course.

Asset purchase agreements

When buying a business, most buyers prefer to cherry pick the assets they want, rather than purchasing the underlying shares of the company, which means taking on the whole company, warts and all. This is where an asset purchase agreement comes into play. On the buyer’s side, a commercial solicitor will generally prepare the first cut, describing the assets being bought, such as machinery, stock, customer/supplier contracts, premises and intellectual property. When there’s property in the mix, things can get complicated and dealing with landlord issues can cause delays if not dealt with properly.

Contract disputes

Businesses need legal advice on average four times a year. Unfortunately that sometimes means dealing with contract disputes. Whether it’s with a customer, supplier or even an employee, a good commercial solicitor will first try to settle a dispute. But sometimes there’s no other option than to take the matter to court. The first steps often involve a pre-action letter, but from there the process (and complexities) will depend on the type of dispute and the money at stake. Look for specialist solicitors in your sector or those that have experience litigating similar types of contracts. Or let us find them for you! You can read more about commercial litigation solicitors here.

Terms and conditions

Every website, app or software product needs a set of terms and conditions. Your users are generally bound by the T&Cs; simply by using your service, and as a service provider you’ll want maximum protection. The thing is, T&Cs; can range from simple, standard terms for ‘information-only’ websites to complex rules governing buyers and sellers in highly regulated sectors, such as FinTech or medical applications. A commercial lawyer who’s experienced in writing terms and conditions in your industry or sector will give you peace of mind that your business is underpinned by a set of terms that give you the best protection. You can learn more about how to protect your online business here.

Top tips on hiring a commercial solicitor

Find a specialist

Ever come across a solicitor claiming to take care of all your legal needs? They’ll do shareholder agreements, employment contracts, intellectual property, website terms and conditions and tier 2 sponsor visas. This is a huge red flag. Nobody can specialise in all those things at the same time.

For example: if you need terms and conditions for your mobile application, there are lawyers who do this day in, day out. Not only will they know what protections to include, but they’ll also know the exact requirements for iTunes and Google Play to minimise the chances of your app being rejected. A generalist contract lawyer will need to spend a tonne of time (i.e. your money) researching these requirements, or at worst will dive in and risk getting it wrong. Save yourself the hassle, drill down and find a specialist.

Ask for a fixed quote

The trouble with lawyers charging by the hour is that it rewards time spent. The more hours billed, the better for them. If a mediocre commercial lawyer spends a day on a task – one that takes a great commercial lawyer only two hours to complete – the mediocre lawyer gets rewarded and the client loses out.

Agreeing fixed fees for specific deliverables gives you certainty. And it allows you to ask questions and learn about the details without fear of being ‘on the clock’ for additional fees. If a lawyer insists on hourly billing due to the particular nature of the work, make sure they can demonstrate how and why it benefits you.

Budget for disbursements

A lot of legal jobs involve costs for things that are not strictly ‘professional fees’ or ultimately charged by your solicitor. Things like government charges, court filing fees, search fees, duties and taxes or even barrister fees are called ‘disbursements’, and they can add up! Always ask your solicitor for an estimate of disbursements so you can plan your budget and avoid any nasty surprises.

Don’t pay to train up the juniors

In large commercial law firms that bill by the hour, junior lawyers or trainees will often ‘learn on your dime’. Many solicitors will remember their early years being charged out at eye watering rates, despite having next to no knowledge or experience. Their clients were effectively paying to train them up!

Delegating work to juniors makes sense in some circumstances, such as basic research, due diligence or litigation ‘discovery’ tasks. Ask your lawyer: exactly who will do your work? If juniors will be involved, get them to show you how the economics stack up in your favour.

For even more tips, check out our free eBook ‘Lawyer Up - An entrepreneur’s guide to working with lawyers’.

“Was in dire straits and in search for immediate legal representation on a commercial lease agreement, contacted over a dozen solicitors both online and and in person, got over a dozen annoying responses / quotes. Found Lexoo, filled out a simple form online stating what I wanted at 3pm and by 3:27pm I was paired with a high profile solicitor who established communication immediately and got the ball rolling straight away, oh and his price was the best most affordable I had received.”

- Charles Scott-Emuakpor