SME Business Services

Our service commitments – we will:

• Put your needs first and at the heart of the relationship
• Deliver business solutions tailored to your needs
• Invest time to understand your business
• Be measured on the value we deliver
• Accept technical excellence is a given
• Ensure there are no surprises
• Provide introductions to our network of clients, funders, suppliers and advisers

Commercial Your commercial solicitors will work with you to protect your interests and maximise business opportunities through practical advice, strong negotiation and expert drafting.

You will find our team of highly experienced commercial solicitors combines strong legal expertise with sound business acumen. Their experience crosses a wide range of disciplines and industries and the service you receive offers both mainstream commercial awareness and detailed sector specialism in drafting and negotiating commercial contracts.

Our work includes:

• Agency and distribution agreements
• Commercial contracts
• Compliance manuals and policies
• Consumer credit and consumer finance
• International
• Joint ventures, partnerships and strategic alliances
• Manufacturing agreements
• Partnerships and LLP membership agreements
• Procurement contracts and advice
• Projects
• Outsourcing
• Supply of goods and services
• Trading and supply agreements
• Terms and conditions of sale and purchase

Corporate finance Our clients tell us we bring a commercial and hands on approach when advising on their corporate transactions. We help a wide variety of clients successfully conclude their deals, from multi-national organisations looking to expand into new markets to medium sized clients wanting second round funding and development capital or to dispose of non-core assets. We also help owner managers across many sectors achieve their exit strategy.

You will benefit from advice that is tailored to your commercial goals and wealth objectives. We will advance your deal quickly and efficiently, ensuring you achieve the best results with the minimum of disruption to your business.

Our Corporate Finance team advise on the full spectrum of transactions including:

• Mergers and acquisitions
• Private equity and venture capital
• Company disposals
• Public markets
• Fundraising
• Alternative investment vehicles
• Reorganisations and restructuring
• Corporate tax
• Partnership law
• Shareholders’ and joint venture agreements

Dispute Resolution Your highly experienced team of Dispute Resolution solicitors have a proven track record in preventing disputes and, where necessary, resolving disputes quickly with minimal risk and disruption to the business.

Our expert Dispute Resolution team will provide you with clear commercial and practical advice you can rely on, with many of the team are ranked as ‘leaders in their field’ by top independent legal guides.

Our main focus is to seek rapid settlement by negotiation. However, if necessary, we will look at other methods such as mediation, arbitration or expert determination. If these are unsuccessful, we can support you through formal application to the court or tribunal.

We understand the need to keep costs under control and will provide you with a full breakdown of costs at each stage so you can monitor your outlay throughout the whole process.

Fixed price mediation services

We’ve won awards for our mediation work and are highly regarded within the industry for delivering successful outcomes for our clients. Where possible, we will offer you price certainty by providing fixed fee mediation services.

Expert advice

We offer the full breadth of dispute resolution services and can handle the biggest and most complex of disputes. Our expertise covers:

• Contract disputes
• Corporate disputes on behalf of shareholders and breach of warranty claims/unfair prejudice petitions.
• Injunctions
• Partnership and LLP disputes
• Professional negligence claims
• Real estate litigation
• Media disputes, including defamation

Regulatory We will provide you with clear advice and assistance across all areas of regulatory practice. Your team will include specialist lawyers independently recognised as ‘leaders in their field’. They will deliver expert
pro-active advice and support on fraud, enforcement, bribery and corruption, market abuse and competition.

We will advise you throughout the whole process, taking swift and decisive action to help your case progress. With more than 20 years of experience in defending businesses, directors, senior personnel and high profile individuals, we are not afraid to challenge regulators and their demands.

From implementing robust compliance systems to conducting internal audits, we understand that the stakes are high when your business is at risk of financial or reputational damage. We will work hard to get the best outcome for you.

Compliance and internal investigations

If you believe your business has faced serious internal misconduct, our Investigations team will quickly identify any issues and give you legal advice on how to deal with the regulators. We have helped many businesses and directors avoid prosecution and the disruption this can cause.

We can also provide bespoke training across all areas of financial compliance, corporate governance, dealing with dawn raids and document management.

Renowned nationally and internationally as professionals in regulatory investigation and criminal defence, our advice will be incisive and reliable. Our expertise in regulatory investigation and corporate crime includes:

• Regulatory investigations and enforcement
• Criminal investigations and prosecutions
• Cartel advice and illegal price fixing
• HMRC tax and accounting fraud investigations
• FSA investigations and enforcements
• Bribery and corruption, anti-money laundering and sanctions compliance advisory
• Crisis response and reputation management
• Restraint, confiscation and asset recovery
• Professional regulation and disciplinary issues
• Internal investigations and risk management
• Corporate manslaughter
• Health and safety
• Environmental breaches
• Trading standards

Compliance and internal investigations If you believe your small to medium business has faced serious internal misconduct, our investigations team will quickly identify any issues and proceed to give you legal advice on how to deal with the regulators. Over the years we have helped many small to medium businesses and directors avoid prosecution and further prevented the forced closure of their company.

We can also provide you with bespoke training across all areas of financial compliance, corporate governance and dawn raids and document management.

We are renowned nationally and internationally as professionals in regulatory investigation and criminal defence advice giving you peace of mind that the advice you will receive is second to none.

Our expertise in regulatory investigation and corporate crime includes:

• Regulatory investigations and enforcement
• Criminal investigations and prosecutions
• Cartel defence and illegal price fixing
• HMRC tax and accounting fraud investigations
• FSA investigations and enforcement
• Bribery and corruption, anti-money laundering and sanctions compliance advisory
• Crisis response and reputation management
• Restraint, confiscation and asset recovery
• Professional regulation and disciplinary
• Internal investigations and risk management
• Corporate manslaughter
• Health and safety, and environmental
• Trading standards

Succession & tax planning Your Wills, trusts and estate planning solicitors will help plan for your future and safeguard your financial security. You will benefit from pro-active advice as well as a top-class personal service to ensure a smooth transfer of wealth from one generation to the next.

We will listen to your requirements and provide you with a tailored solution to all your planning needs. Our highly regarded team of solicitors are experts across all areas of Wills, trusts and estate planning.

We can help with:

• Trusts
• Wills
• Inheritance tax
• Domicile
• Business succession planning
• Foreign property
• Nursing home costs
• Lasting powers of attorney
• Probate and estate management (including disputed estates)

Professional and personal legal service

We have years of experience in helping plan financial affairs and are highly ranked by independent legal guides. You will benefit from a truly personal service that is highly valued by our clients. Many of our Wills, trust and estate planning solicitors are members of the highly respected Society of Trusts & Estate Practitioners. We will provide innovative solutions to even the most complex and sensitive cases.

Disputed estates

We understand the difficulties that can arise when disputing a Will or estate. We will work closely with you as well as with our experts in our Dispute Resolution team to help achieve the best possible outcome to your dispute.

Employment Employment legislation and tribunals can be one of the most time consuming issues for SMEs. Whether you need hands-on HR support, tribunal support or bespoke training, we can help you deliver the best employment strategy for your business.

We will work closely with you to understand your commercial objectives and support you as quickly and cost-effectively as possible, with minimum risk and disruption.

If you are an owner manager with no internal HR support, our expert team can provide pro-active advice to get you the right results. This will avoid you having to navigate through the array of complex and time consuming employment law legislation.

We understand the importance of balancing internal demands for immediate action against the possible risk of litigation and our team will act as a sounding board to offer support and guidance. We can advise on how to implement the best employment strategy, while at the same time managing both risk and stakeholder expectations.

We can also offer bespoke internal and external training courses as we have expertise across all areas of employment law, including:

• Discrimination and equal opportunities
• Bullying and harassment
• Director termination and severance
• Restrictive covenants
• Disciplinary hearings and dismissals
• Compromise agreements
• Redundancy

Real estate Your specialist commercial real estate solicitors will advise you on all aspects of a property transaction, ranging from multi-million pound developments and regeneration projects to complex investment structures, planning, environmental issues, leases, acquisitions and finance.

We understand and appreciate your need for projects to complete on time and within budget. Our technical knowledge and commercial awareness of your industry ensures we can provide the advice you need to reach a successful outcome.

You will benefit from working with one of the leading and strongest real estate teams in the North West, with our clients ranging across international, national and regional organisations, in both private and public sectors.  We offer quality advice on a range of real estate deals and our team works closely with partners who have specific expertise in:

• Development and regeneration property finance
• Public sector
• Investment and portfolio management
• Landlord and tenant
• Planning, public law and CPO
• Housing
• Environmental liability and remediation

Construction and Engineering You will be supported by a specialist team of construction, engineering and projects solicitors who will provide you with commercial and pragmatic advice when you need it.

We provide a wide range of construction and engineering services, from multi-party energy and infrastructure projects to regeneration schemes, dispute avoidance, chasing entitlements and defending claims.

You’ll get practical advice on all aspects of contentious and non-contentious construction and projects work. Our commercial awareness and technical skills mean we can help find the best solution for the most complex construction and projects that suit the needs of your business.

Experts in resolving dispute claims

We are aware of the pitfalls of managing a construction and engineering project, and understand things don’t always go to plan. Our specialist construction solicitors will work with you on any potential disputes arising, resolving them to fit with your commercial objectives.

We are specialists in all areas including negotiation, mediation, adjudication, arbitration and litigation. We have had great success in rebuilding relationships for our clients and work hard to get projects back on track.

We offer a strong partner focus and a flexible approach to fees. Our solutions are practical and commercial, as well as being a value for money service that you can trust and rely upon.  

IT contracts Your specialist team of Information Technology solicitors advise on both contentious and
non-contentious IT matters. They have significant experience in relation to IT contracts from both a contractor and customer perspective.

We can help with any type of IT dispute, including: internet service provider disputes, copyright ownership and agreement, software procurement issues, poorly designed technology or failure to achieve milestones and service level agreements.

We work to resolve contract issues through clear negotiation where appropriate. We are proud of our success in helping to rebuild relationships and are specialists within our field, providing a service which focuses on your needs and is genuine value for money.

Specialist Information Technology solicitors

You will be represented by one of the largest Information Technology teams in the North West, headed up by a recognised leader in the field. We have received many recommendations from clients who have believe that we provide expert advice that can be trusted.

Our expertise includes:

• Software licences
• Software as a service licences
• Software support and maintenance service agreements
• Software development agreements
• Software reseller agreements
• Internet service provider agreements
• Service level agreements
• Hardware procurement
• Information technology outsourcing
• Source code escrow agreements
• Cloud computing contracts

Wealth ProtectionIf your business and personal wealth is threatened by an existing or potential estate, trust, matrimonial or inheritance dispute then Pannone should be your first port of call.

Our strength and depth and track record for winning is unrivalled in the region, which helps to explain why we are ranked as leaders by the independent legal guides.

We offer pragmatic and sensitive advice in the following areas:

• Disputed wills
• Contested probate
• Inheritance disputes
• Trustee disputes
• Pre and post nuptial agreements
• Divorce and financial arrangement disputes (or protection)
• Professional negligence claims arising from all areas  of legal, real estate or financial planning

Intellectual Property Your Intellectual Property specialists will draft and negotiate patent, trademarks and copyright and design right licences. We also advise how best to commercialise your assets into revenue streams through licensing, sponsorship, distribution agreements and royalties.

We can develop your global intellectual property strategy from registration and protection through to exploiting and enforcing your property rights. We specialise in intellectual property due diligence and audits and can help execute your acquisition and disposal strategy.

We also advise clients in the retail, bio-tech, textiles, manufacturing, software and fashion sectors. We offer commercial and practical advice with a flexible approach to fees and a value for money service.

Experts in Intellectual Property Dispute Resolution

If you suspect your rights are being infringed, we can help resolve your dispute quickly and cost effectively, with minimum risk or disruption.

Our main focus is to seek rapid settlement by negotiation. However, if necessary, we will look at other methods such as mediation, arbitration or expert determination. If these methods are unsuccessful we can support you through a formal application to the court or tribunal.

HR Plus You will be assigned a dedicated team of qualified employment solicitors who will advise on HR decisions from both a commercial and a legal perspective. The service also includes full insurance cover which, as you will have been receiving legal advice at every step, fully protects you against tribunal costs and compensation in any event.

HR Plus offers your business:

• Market leading insurance cover against tribunal costs and compensation
• A dedicated team of solicitors
• On-going access to employment law advice
• A free review and update of all your employment documentation (contracts, procedures, etc)
• Employment documentation
• In house training
• Free regular seminars

Your dedicated team will include one of our partners (who will have at least 10 years’ experience) and two assistants, who will familiarise themselves with your business to help you deal with any employment issues that arise.

Every member of your team will be a qualified solicitor, there will be no unqualified consultants, paralegals or telephonists dealing with your employment issues.

Pannone Advantage Pannone Advantage is an innovative, insurance backed solution which provides you with cost certainty in the event of a dispute.

Our bespoke service gives you increased ability to manage as well as control your own costs. We offer a fresh approach to litigation funding, which over time can reduce your costs and shift the balance of risk in your favour.

Funding commercial litigation cases and the dispute resolution process can be a complex and off-putting area when it comes to overall costs and the risks involved. Pannone Advantage gives you flexibility as you can control exactly how you want disputes to be handled. Plus, you get the additional support from our expert legal team.

We will work with you to devise a strategy, gaining a full understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of your case. If we believe there is at least a 60% success rate (and your opponent has the means to pay) we can discount our legal fees by as much as 100%. You will also be covered for up to £2 million of your opponent’s costs if you lose.

The benefits of using Pannone Advantage

• We provide an early and detailed assessment of your risk. This is for a fixed fee, agreed before we work on your case. We will also propose the most appropriate strategy to resolve the dispute
• Insurance to cover your opponent’s costs
• Discounted legal fees of up to 100% (under the terms of a conditional fee agreement)
• Clear cost reports so you can see your costs to date and any future ones
• Access to third party funding in appropriate cases

CostController™ CostController™ is a free membership service that can significantly reduce your procurement costs. We have over 400 corporate members of our buying group and have negotiated favourable rates with over 200 suppliers from utilities through to stationary. By joining CostController™ and sharing our purchasing power, you can achieve lower prices for the regular products and services you use to run your business.

With over eight years of success, CostController™ has helped a wide range of enterprises achieve direct savings in excess of 20%. These occur across a host of business overheads including office supplies, utilities, postage, IT, packaging, vehicle supply, print, mobiles, janitorial supplies, vending, banking and telecoms.

What CostController™ can offer

• A free overhead comparison service showing how you currently buy against the preferential deals available
• Free access to over 25 preferred deals with some of the best quality business suppliers in the UK
• An on-going review of overhead costs, providing you with continued control of these overheads

PR / Crisis ManagementYou will be provided with specialised PR advice to help promote your business. Equally, if you have a difficult situation to deal with, we will help you manage the situation in the press, limiting the reputational risk to your business. Our in-house PR consultant has a wide range of skills and expertise to assist you with your PR management.

Financial Planning Safeguard the future of your business with our specialist team of independent financial advisers. They understand the needs of business owners and can help protect your personal and company wealth.

You will benefit from impartial financial advice from a team that has over £150m of client’s assets under management. Our financial services solutions are tailor made to suit individual requirements and are backed up by the expertise of our specialist corporate and employment solicitors. Our services include:

• Corporate pension planning
• Employee benefits
• Keyperson protection
• Shareholder/partnership

Pensions

One of the team’s biggest areas of expertise is corporate pension planning. We also help with group pension schemes and offer financial advice on the array of pension plans the Government are now making compulsory.

Employee engagement

We will work with you to develop an attractive benefits package to aid staff retention and increase motivation and loyalty.

Keyperson protection

You can protect against unforeseen circumstances by opting for Keyperson Protection, where a lump sum is offered if a key individual dies or suffers ill health. We also ensure the family of a deceased individual is sufficiently compensated through Shareholder or Partnership protection.

Business Focus Session We can provide you with a bespoke business focus session, which will ensure that the legal implications of your business strategy are managed and exploited. Our specialist team will make sure you have identified all your legal opportunities and risks within the context of your shareholder value objectives.

We’ll work together with a team of professionals to identify all the potential pitfalls and enablers to help you formulate a plan support future growth objectives and increase shareholder value within your business. We will focus on:

• Financials
• Customers and markets
• Internal processes and infrastructure
• Management and employees
• Your personal wealth aspirations

Introductions Through networking and seminars, you will be introduced to other key people in the SME space, including like-minded entrepreneurs, professional advisers, our suppliers and funders. We will continually look for potential opportunities for your business and facilitate the best deals for you wherever possible.

Funders Through the Pannone network, you will be introduced to funders and external advisers that suit your present and future growth needs. Our large portfolio of effective and reliable professional contacts can provide access to development capital or secondary funders to get your business where you need it to be. We can also introduce you to corporate financiers, tax planners and wealth managers to ensure your business achieves its maximum potential and help you plan for exit.

Professional Advisers You will be introduced to our wide network of professional advisers, who are people we have worked with before and trust to act in your best interests. We can offer advice on the most appropriate accountants, independent financial advisers, health and safety specialists or business consultants.

Client Relationship Manager Your dedicated relationship manager will be your window into Pannone. You will be provided with immediate access to our team of lawyers and professional business managers and they will work with you to ensure you get the right blend of advice and support when you need it most. Fully qualified, they will regularly meet with you to to maximise the service benefits available to you as your business evolves.