Commercial advice and commercial documents

Our solicitors have broad experience in documenting commercial relationships. Solicitors here use the practical skills and legal disciplines required to negotiate, draft and explain the documents which commercial clients routinely need. Typical work of this kind includes:

• agency, distribution and supply agreements
• partnership terms
• conditions of trading
• computer and IT contracts
• sponsorship and franchising agreements
• technology-sharing arrangements
• competition and restrictive practices
• contracts of insurance

Corporate transactions
Solicitors here advise commercial concerns of all sizes on their corporate or partnership structure, on start-ups and reorganisations, on acquisitions, disposals and closure. The firm handles:

• company law and director compliance
• shareholder arrangements
• new ventures and joint ventures
• buy-ins and buy-outs
• share and asset sales and purchases
• finance documents

Employment and industrial
Clients want solicitors who can supply practical human resources advice and documentation enabling clear, fair management of employee relations. They can obtain from solicitors here a fast and informed response on:

• contracts and staff manuals
• occupational health and safety
• redundancy, dismissal, discipline
• severance compensation
• unfair competition post-termination
• discrimination: race, sex, disability
• employment tribunal proceedings
• industrial relations

Litigation and arbitration
The firm has strength in depth in litigation of all types. Our solicitors aim to make court, arbitration and mediation procedures work positively. They focus on achieving clients' objectives but without tunnel vision and always keeping the wider picture in view. Solicitors here are equipped to undertake:

• contractual claims and recoveries
• shareholder and partnership disputes
• professional negligence claims
• land and building claims
• insurance and reinsurance litigation
• reinsurance collections
• financial services issues
• defamation actions
• receivership and liquidation claims
• alternative dispute resolution

Land and property
Most business transactions have property aspects requiring legal advice and documentation. Our solicitors handle all kinds of commercial property work, both routine transactions and complex project deals, for example:

• developments (residential and commercial)
• acquisitions and disposals
• finance and secured lending
• investments and industrial properties
• lease negotiation
• joint ventures and options
• environmental and planning issues
• landlord and tenant issues

Intellectual property
Intellectual property rights are vitally important to many kinds of business. IP and IT law is one of our core areas of practice. Registration, maintenance, transfer, licensing, litigation: these are all aspects of intangible rights which our lawyers are used to managing. Work types include:

• trade marks and patents
• copyright and designs
• trade secrets and know-how
• employee obligations
• media, publishing and internet
• sponsorship and franchising
• technology transfer and licensing
• trade libel and passing off

Overview
Humphreys & Co. has a broadly-based commercial and corporate law practice representing, from our offices in Bristol, England, a range of business clients in Britain, Europe and around the world. We act for companies, partnerships, businesspeople and firms from other professions located throughout the United Kingdom and overseas.