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Liz Gillingham
Senior Associate
Commercial and Corporate
Expert in commercial contracts, data protection advice, share transactions, reorganisations and employee share schemes.
For many SMEs, risk is part of doing business
Taking on new customers, agreeing supplier terms, handling personal data, investing in technology and protecting your ideas all create opportunities, but they can also expose your business to avoidable cost, disruption and uncertainty if the legal and commercial issues are not managed properly.
Commercial risks are not always obvious at the outset. A contract may not give you the protection you expect, a procurement process may create unexpected obligations, a data breach may affect customer confidence, or valuable intellectual property may be left unprotected. For growing businesses, these issues can quickly divert management time, affect cash flow and slow down plans for growth. The good news is that many of these risks can be reduced with practical, proportionate legal support.
By understanding where the pressure points sit in your business, you can put in place clearer contracts, stronger processes and better protections before problems arise. Our aim is to help you make informed decisions, protect what you have built and move forward with confidence.
We understand that, for SMEs, every contract matters. Our role is to provide practical, commercially focused advice that protects your business, supports your growth, and gives you confidence in your trading relationships. As your lawyers, we cut through the legal jargon so you can get on with what you do best — running your business.
Debbie Venn, Partner, Commercial Business Law
Our lawyers can help with
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Recent work highlights
Long-term commercial, IP, IT and data protection advice
We have worked with our client for over 16 years acting as an outsourced in-house legal function for all business and day to day legal matters, supporting on all commercial, employment issues and property matters. Our ongoing legal support helps to minimise risks across the business.
Commercial IT, IP and data protection advice
We are retained by the in-house legal team who are often at capacity in terms of work volumes and we assist with overflow of business contract reviews and advice. We act as a sounding board for the business generally in connection with all legal matters.
Commercial, consumer and data protection advice
We are retained by a retailer with nearly 200 stores across the country as well as a significant online presence to provide consumer law, commercial law and data protection advice on an ongoing basis. Recent work includes reviewing and updating data protection policies and procedures, advising in relation to the application of consumer legislation (particularly in relation to customer refunds) and dealing with data subject access requests.
Creation of bespoke arts loan agreement
As part of our long term, strategic advice to one of the UK’s leading performing arts companies we created a bespoke loan agreement enabling the company to leverage its assets value by lending its unique production materials and other property to an international company.
Commercial software agreement
Our client is specialist in eco-grading food products, production of labelling systems and development of sustainable products. We advised and helped develop a new SaaS agreement (Software as a Service) agreement enabling the client to introduce a sophisticated modelling project geared to enabling all major UK supermarket retailers and other household name brand owners to analyse their product ranges.
Contracts and data protection
Our client is a PLC in the manufacturing sector. We work closely on contractual and data protection issues to minimise risk and clarify each party’s obligations and liabilities in inter-group and third-party contractual arrangements. We have advised various companies in the wider group of companies in relation to their contracts, including terms and conditions of sale of products, warranties and larger customer contracts requiring review and negotiation with customers. We have also advised on a collaboration agreement for the purposes of a potential combined commercial offering to customers.
Services agreement
Advising a regional homelessness charity in relation to services agreements and on a contract for provision of counselling services to schools.
Commercial Business Law
IT services contract
Negotiating and finalising an IT managed services contract for a charitable body, including advice on data protection issues.
Royalty payments
Advising a charitable trust on intellectual property ownership and royalty payments, for the purposes of distribution of royalty income to nominated charities from the trust.
Collaboration agreement
Advising a large regional charity on a collaboration agreement with a number of other charities with the aim of improving the delivery of end of life services in the region.
Meet our commercial risk lawyers
We understand the issues businesses face and we expertly deploy valuable legal and commercial judgment that helps clients solve problems and achieve their objectives.
