Peterborough office
48 Broadway, Peterborough Cambridgeshire, PE1 1YW
01733 346 333 01733 562 338 enquiries@hegarty.co.ukStamford office
10 Ironmonger Street, Stamford Lincolnshire, PE9 1PL
01780 752 066 01780 762 774 enquiries@hegarty.co.ukOakham office
66 South Street, Oakham Rutland, LE15 6BQ
01572 757 565 01572 720 555 enquiries@hegarty.co.ukMarket Deeping office
27a Market Place, Market Deeping, PE6 8EA
01778 230 120 01778 230 129 enquiries@hegarty.co.ukExpert legal advice on mergers and acquisitions from trusted corporate solicitors.
We guide businesses through due diligence, negotiations, and completion to ensure a smooth, compliant transaction.
We recognise that buying or selling a business is a defining moment for our clients. Our trusted corporate solicitors work with businesses and individuals to identify their unique needs and objectives, and deliver strategic, bespoke legal guidance and support. We strive to ensure that our clients’ experience is as seamless, efficient and transparent as possible at every stage of the transaction.
Ensuring our clients are fully protected and getting deals across the line are our main priorities. With significant experience in a wide variety of sectors, we work proactively to remove obstacles, streamline processes and keep momentum, so you can focus on your strategic objectives.
We appreciate that each transaction is unique, so we adapt our processes to suit your specific needs and circumstances. We make a conscious effort to familiarise ourselves with your key objectives and concerns to deliver the most optimal outcome.
Strong, trust‑based relationships lie at the heart of our service. We ensure there is clear communication, efficient execution and close coordination with you every step of the way.
We use our market knowledge to anticipate complications before they arise and adapt swiftly to changing circumstances. By aligning our advice with your personal and business goals, we craft bespoke legal strategies with commercial experience to reflect the unique contours of your deal.
Our corporate solicitors will be by your side at every stage of the transaction. With Hegarty, you gain a partner who anticipates every legal pitfall and drives your transaction forward with clarity, rigour and commercial insight.
We can assist you with early negotiations and the preparation of preliminary agreements such as confidentiality agreements (also referred to as NDAs) and heads of terms (also known as memorandums of understanding or letters of intent). As part of this process, we can ensure that the main contractual terms of your deal are accurately presented and that you have robust and enforceable exclusivity and confidentiality provisions.
Our specialist team has extensive experience undertaking due diligence exercises and can conduct thorough examinations of all legal aspects of the target business, including:
We can support you with preparing and responding to due diligence enquiries, setting up and maintaining electronic data rooms, negotiating warranties in the main purchase agreement and preparing disclosures against warranties.
Our corporate solicitors boast decades of experience drafting and negotiating share purchase agreements and asset purchase agreements, as well related security documents, consultancy agreements and other ancillary paperwork to give effect to transactions.
We can help you navigate the complexity and volume of documentation to ensure you are well-informed, your interests are fully protected, and all your concerns are adequately addressed.
We coordinate the completion process, ensuring all conditions are satisfied and documents are properly executed. Following completion, we undertake all necessary post-completion filings and notifications.
While often used together, these terms represent different transaction types. A merger combines two companies into a new legal entity, while an acquisition occurs when one company purchases another and maintains control. Each structure has different legal implications, tax consequences, and regulatory requirements that our team can help you navigate.
In the UK, acquisitions are far more common than mergers. This is largely due to:
True mergers—where two companies legally combine to form a new entity—are relatively rare and usually seen in very large or strategic combinations (e.g., some public company deals or banking sector consolidations).
Timeframes vary based on transaction complexity. Factors affecting timeline include regulatory approvals, due diligence findings, and negotiation complexity. Our team works efficiently to minimise delays while ensuring thorough attention to all legal aspects and can provide an indication of the likely timescale based on your individual circumstances.
Legal due diligence essentially involves a comprehensive investigation of the target company or business’ legal affairs. The due diligence exercise usually begins with the buyer presenting the seller with enquiries relating to matters such as corporate structure, material contracts, intellectual property, employment matters, litigation, regulatory compliance, and property interests.
The extent of the enquiries should be tailored to the size and complexity of the transaction. The seller responds to the buyer’s enquiries and provides relevant documentation, usually through an electronic data room that is carefully managed.
Our structured approach enables buyers to identify risks and opportunities that inform transaction terms and valuation, and assists sellers to adequately respond to the buyer’s enquiries with sufficient detail and thoroughness.
Whether you’re considering a strategic acquisition, or preparing your business for sale, Hegarty provides the expert legal guidance you need for a successful transaction. With Hegarty, you can move forward with confidence.
