Hello Small Business Owner
Does Your Lawyer Have This Much Legal Experience?Suzanne's Legal Experience
My experience is probably the most wide ranging of any lawyer in the UK. I have led billion pound projects at one end of the scale and have advised micro businesses on their day to day dealings at the other end.
This gives me a pretty unique ability to help you.
You see, I know the big business issues but I know what is important to small businesses and what isn’t and will always advise you in the context of YOUR business.
You’d be surprised, but not many lawyers do this, instead having a ‘one size fits all’ mentality.
I guide business owners from business start up, I have the skills and experience to continue to help you – whether that be expanding by franchising, taking on business partners, obtaining third-party investment – and of course ultimately in selling your business and realising a capital value for all your hard work.
So, if you want a quick summary, I am experienced in all of the following:
- Company start ups
- Partnership agreements
- Shareholders agreements
- Franchising
- Franchising re-sales
- Joint ventures
- Investments
- Website compliance
- Data Protection
- Advertising regulation
- Consultancy/contractor arrangements
- Employment matters
- Affiliate arrangements
- Outsourcing agreements
- IT agreements
I started my legal career at DLA Piper (the world’s largest law firm) where I qualified into the corporate department. I acted on multi-million pound, multi-jurisdictional M&A and private equity transactions, working closely with the boards of multinationals and leading teams of 30+ professionals.
I was seconded to Virgin where I worked with Richard Branson, went to a few parties at his Holland Park house, had a memorable(!) dinner with just him and two other people and turned down his offer of a job (and judging by the look on his face I was quite possibly the first person to do that…) As a result of that secondment, Virgin and DLA's managing partner nominated me for Solicitor of the Year at the Lawyer Awards (the most prestigious national awards for lawyers) and I was voted runner up which was a massive accolade.
In 2006 I acted for ITV on a disposal and soon after that they asked me to join them as a senior lawyer advising the ITV Board on strategic projects. I accepted and spent a happy two years working closely with the Board on such key projects as the £1bn contract for digital switchover, creating a joint venture of all major broadcasters for copy clearance and outsourcing the entire playout function.
I was then headhunted to move to Hamptons International (award-winning, upmarket chain of estate agents with 93 branches) as Legal Director but was soon promoted to main Board Director and Director of Operations. Here as a board director of a £100m+ company, I learnt a lot about the commercial and strategic side of running a business.
In early 2010 whilst pregnant with my first child, I started my own legal practice with my niche being mums in business. This venture has proved to be remarkably successful with me winning over 200 clients and 4 national awards (including Highly Commended in the Law Society Solicitor of the Year).