firmwide brochure

8/4/2019 Firmwide Brochure

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The modern business world isincreasingly global, challengingand driven by the demands andexpectations of the consumer. Any

successful modern law firm operatingin this environment must have withinit teams of skilled specialist lawyerssupported by efficient administrativestaff, armed with the latest technology.


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If, like Wedlake Bell, your clients range

from multinational FTSE 100 corporations

to wealthy individuals, this is a necessity

and not an option.

At Wedlake Bell, however, we never lose

sight of a long-held belief: that a law firm

should offer its clients people who are

knowledgeable, commercial, effective

and straightforward.

We never forget that you have an enormous

choice of alternatives. The only service

acceptable to us is that of the very

highest quality.

That is why we strive to retain only the

very best lawyers as our partners and feeearners; and the most efficient, dedicated

and helpful support staff to assist them.

I genuinely believe that we have succeeded

in achieving this and that our clients enjoy

the very best of all worlds: expert lawyers

who are a pleasure to work with and who

give sound commercial advice.

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Those of you reading this who are already

clients of the firm will, I am sure, appreciate

and endorse this. For those of you for whom

Wedlake Bell is merely another law firm, this

necessarily short booklet will, I trust, give

you a flavour of what we can do for you and

how we would go about it.

We would like to hear from you. If you have

any questions, or would like to talk about

how Wedlake Bell can help you achieve

your goals please do contact me. We will

be happy to help you.

David Earl

Senior Partner

[email protected]

020 7395 3000


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We provide the legal services that allbusinesses need. How we do it, is whatmakes us different.

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Our skills

Our expertise covers the core legal needs

of business and its owners and managers:

Capital equity and debt:

raising and realising

Assets real and intellectual:

acquiring, protecting and exploiting

People employment and reward:

ownership and succession

Risks and disputes managing,

protecting and resolving

Tax business and personal:planning and minimizing

Our ethos

Relationships are fundamental to success

and everything we do is rooted in that belief.

We know that to provide the best legal

advice we need to understand your

business and the commercial driversthat affect you.

Building a long term relationship is the

best way to achieve this understanding.


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Our focus

Our expertise is focused on sectors thatdrive the economy.

AIM

Charities

Consumer Trade and Retail

E-commerce

Finance and Banking

Government

Healthcare

Media, Publishing and Technology

Natural ResourcesOutsourcing

Property

Sport and Leisure

Telecommunications

Transport and Logistics

How we operate

Each client team is balanced to match

your requirements.

You will not have to wade through layers

of gate-keepers to reach someone with

the level of experience you need. Partners

take a pro-active, hands-on approach and

experts from complementary teams are

always available on specific issues.

We will never involve lawyers whose role

you do not understand.

International alliances

As an English commercial law firm ourservices relate to English law, but our

outlook and client base is international.

We established the Trans European Law

Firms Alliance (TELFA), a grouping of

European law firms, to provide our clients

with support from legal specialists across

Europe. Our association with Fredrikson

& Byron, a leading law firm in the United

States, gives us direct access to US legaladvice. We also have close connections with

law firms and other professional service firms

in the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific.

Knowledge sharing

Throughout the year we issue regular

information bulletins, organise seminars

and provide bespoke training courses for

clients. Teams also host industry forums

and provide the media with expert advice

relating to readers enquiries.

Our experts are regularly quoted in both

the national and the specialist trade press.


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Corporate

Our Corporate lawyers act for public and

private companies and their advisers,

ranging from corporations and UK

subsidiaries of foreign multinationals to

owner-managed businesses, entrepreneurs

and venture capitalists:

Mergers and Acquisitions, both

public and private

Public equity IPOs, placings, open

offers, rights issues, secondary issues

AIMPrivate equity MBOs and MBIs

Business and asset purchases

and sales

Joint ventures, both national

and cross-border

Restructurings and reorganisations

General company law advice,

including corporate governance

BankingThe Banking team provides a

comprehensive service for corporate

borrowers and lenders with emphasis

on property and acquisition finance:

Structuring financial transactions,

both bilateral and syndicated

Drafting and negotiating loan

agreements and security documents

Insolvency advice

Corporate Tax

Whatever our clients commercial

objectives, the Corporate Tax team will

advise on the most efficient and feasible

way to achieve them:

Tax structuring of corporate

transactions

Planning for property transactions

including VAT and SDLT

Tax planning for management,

entrepreneurs and employees

Personal tax planning and structuringIndirect Taxes

Stamp Taxes

International structures and cross

border transactions

Business Recoveries

The Business Recoveries team acts for

insolvency practitioners, banks and asset

based lenders, creditors, companies

and directors:Administration

Liquidations

Receivership

Company Director disqualification

Asset Recovery

Debt Recovery

We provide a complete rangeof corporate services to helpcompanies achieve their strategicand financial objectives.


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Commercial

The Commercial team protects clients

interests and manages risks:

Contract negotiation and drafting

Domestic and European

competition law

Licensing, manufacturing, supply,

distribution, agency and franchising

agreements

Service agreements

Data protection, freedom of

information and confidentiality lawE-commerce and website terms

and conditions

Brand management and IP

We specialise in the development,

protection and enforcement of brands

and intellectual property:

Trade marks

Copyright and database rights

Registered and unregistered designsMarketing, labelling and regulatory

issues

Sponsorship, product placement,

image rights, merchandising and

endorsement

Advertising, promotions and games

Domain names

Information Technology

Our IT specialists advise on the full range of

technology agreements and have particular

expertise in matters relating to software

and services, data and outsourcing:

Software licensing and support

Outsourcing and service level

agreements

Software development and services

Hardware procurement and

maintenance

Database exploitation and protectionRisk management and project planning

Media

Our lawyers are experts in all aspects of

media law, including printed and broadcast

materials, software and digital media:

Defamation

Copy clearance

Privacy and confidentiality

Human rights and data protectionAdvertising and presentation in

the media

We work with one purposeto help clients achieve theircommercial objectives.


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Commercial property

The Commercial Property team advisesinvestors, banks, developers, owners

and occupiers on tax-efficient property

investments and asset management:

Sales and purchases

Lettings

Joint venture, development

and forward funding structures

Planning applications

Related dispute resolution

Construction

We act for clients at every stage of the

construction life-cycle, from planning

to procurement, funding, construction

and completions to dispute resolution:

Commercial and residential

property development

Sports stadia

Infrastructure and engineering projectsContract drafting and negotiation

Due diligence and risk reviews

for funders

Dispute resolution

Residential Property

Our residential property team regularlyacts for individuals, couples, investors,

developers and property companies across

the spectrum of residential property work:

Sales and purchases of UK

residential property

Buy-to-let and portfolio sales

and acquisitions

Co-habitation and shared

ownership agreements

Leasehold and freeholdenfranchisement and tenancy

agreements

We advise on all property-relatedmatters from structuring tax-efficienttransactions, planning and buildingdevelopments, buying, selling and

constructing properties, to resolvingdisputes.


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Employment

Our employment specialists provide

pragmatic advice on every aspect of

employment law for organisations,

groups and individuals, including:

Drafting and updating contracts

and employers hand-books

Advising employers on

dismissals, disciplinary and

grievance procedures, sickness,

absences and discrimination issues

Acting for individuals on contracts,remuneration, disclosures and

terminations

TUPE issues, business reorganisation,

transfers and share sales

Collective agreements and industrial

relations

Tribunal claims and appeals

Pension and Share Schemes

We act for trustees, sponsoring employers

and scheme members on all legal issues

relating to pensions schemes:

Attending and advising at

trustee meetings

Establishing, amending and

winding-up schemes

Full range of documentation from

deeds of appointment to complex

merger agreements

International arrangementsPension Ombudsman and

Court disputes

Dealing with the Pensions Regulator

and the Pension Protection Fund

We also advise on the setting up of

tax-efficient employee share schemes.

The Employment and Pensions teamsprovide stand-alone advice on allaspects of employment and pensionslaw as well as supporting other teams

across the firm.


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Personal tax and wealth protection

We provide first-class advice to individuals,

families, trusts, charities and estates.

Our service covers all matters relating to

the planning and administration of estates,

trusts, wills and tax for both UK and

non-UK domiciliaries:

Tax planning Inheritance tax,

capital gains tax, post-death planning,

double tax treaties and tax protection

Will drafting, probate and estate

planning

Court of protection and attorneyship

Creation and administration of UK

and off-shore trusts

Asset protection for UK and

non-UK individuals

Cross-border issues of estate

devolution and inheritance

Our tax, trust and estate lawyersform one of Londons best establishedand most experienced private

client teams.

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Dispute resolution

Whatever the issue, in any sector, our

litigators are adept at resolving disputes

with the minimum of cost and disruption

to clients businesses.

General commercial disputes

Construction

Property

Energy

Intellectual property and brands

Media

Information technologyOutsourcing

Employment

Pensions

Insolvency

Financial services

Sport and Leisure

Retail

The ideal is to head off potentialproblems before they develop, butits a fact of life that disputes occur.


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www.wedlakebell.com


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