Expert Legal Advice for Family Businesses

At Ison Harrison Solicitors we understand the particular complexities of running a family owned business. Often legal advice around family businesses straddles a number of legal disciplines including corporate, commercial, family and estate planning.

We specialise in these areas and have acted for many family businesses and are ideally placed to be able to advise on the interlocking issues both from a legal and a practical perspective.

Our advice can include issues such as:

  • Advising on shareholder or partnership agreements;
  • Advising on Cross Option Agreements;
  • Advising on the role of the family council, particularly in businesses involving multiple generations or families;
  • Family investment companies and passing shares or business interests to other family members, or preventing shares passing to certain family members;
  • Wills and estate planning including utilising tax relief such as Business Property Relief or Trusts in a manner which is tax efficient. We do not provide tax advice but can work in conjunction with your accountant or financial advisor as appropriate.
  • Disputes between family members, such as divorce, and how this can impact on the continued operation of a business;
  • Separating and distributing assets as a consequence of separation;
  • Advising on the validity and impact of pre-nuptial agreements
  • Share and Group Structures

We pride ourselves on providing practical advice which balances the need for protecting the business but also the individual, and often sensitive, relationships between the parties involved.

We often advise on situations where individuals have not adequately considered the fact that there relationship is not only a personal family relationship but also a professional business relationship for which there are different, and sometimes competing, considerations.

Ison Harrison Solicitors are leading private client, family and commercial lawyers meaning that we are perfectly place to advise on the unique set of issues faced by family owned businesses.

For advice on a family owned business, please contact Richard Coulthard on 0113 284 5095.