Partnership and LLP Lawyers
At VWV, we understand that partnerships are built on trust and collaboration and our expert partnership solicitors will be able to guide you through the complexities of partnership and LLP agreements and disputes.
If you are starting a partnership business or dealing with a dispute, we offer clear advice to help you navigate this complicated legal landscape.
What is partnership law?
Partnership law governs the relationships between business partners and the agreements that define their rights and responsibilities. It includes various types of partnerships, such as traditional partnerships and Limited Liability Partnerships (LLPs). Partnership solicitors provide essential support in drafting and managing partnership agreements, resolving disputes and advising on business structures.
How can our partnership solicitors support you?
We have developed a substantial partnerships and LLPs practice with extensive experience in acting for a wide range of professional practices and commercial businesses including in particular doctors, accountants, solicitors, dentists, veterinary surgeons, surveyors, architects and farmers on all aspects of their businesses.
Our team is able to provide practical advice on all aspects of partnership and LLP law including in particular:
- Partnership agreements and business structures, including advising on the terms of partnership and LLP members' agreements.
- Professional regulatory issues.
- Funding and collaboration arrangements.
- Practice expansions, mergers and de-mergers, lateral hires and team moves.
- Partnership tax planning - profit extraction, use of corporate partners/members, service companies & family limited partnerships.
- Partner expulsions, retirements, performance issues & de-equitisation.
- Partnership disputes - court proceedings, injunctions, arbitrations & mediations.
- Partnership incorporations in respect of both LLPs and limited companies.
- Partnership business sales.
Our specialist expertise
We have specialist expertise in a number of areas relating to partnerships and LLPs:
We have acted for well over 2000 GP practices and other healthcare providers including dental practices and consultants' medical chambers. We understand the commercial realities of delivering primary care and are able to differentiate ourselves from other corporate advisers, given our understanding of both the technical legal issues relating to GP partnerships as well as the commercial context in which they operate.
We provide practical and commercial advice on partner expulsions, retirements, performance issues, and de-equitisation. We understand the sensitivities of advising on such matters and always aim to achieve a commercially focussed outcome for our clients.
We have significant experience in advising individual partners who have been isolated or excluded from a partnership by management, and in settling partnership disputes arising when partners fall out. We are also able to advise those who are about to be admitted to partnership and are able to undertake fixed fee due diligence reviews of partnership/members' agreements and other key documents prior to admission as partners.
We have acted for many firms of solicitors and accountants over the years and in particular in drafting LLP and partnership agreements; advising on partnership retirement and expulsions; lockstep and other partner compensation provisions.
We have extensive experience acting for both individual partners and partnerships across a wide range of matters, including: expulsions, buyouts, dissolution and the division of partnership assets. We also have particular expertise in advising healthcare / GP partnerships on disputes including how best to navigate the complex regulatory landscape in which they operate.
Our team provides comprehensive support throughout the entire litigation process, offering both legal and commercial strategic advice, and ensuring our clients are well-prepared and informed at every stage. Whether you are navigating a complex dispute or seeking to resolve matters amicably and quickly, we aim to deliver practical, tailored advice that aligns with your business objectives and protect your commercial interests.
Our team can assist with structuring and securing funding for your partnership or LLP. We can also advise on collaboration arrangements with other businesses.
We provide advice on regulatory matters that may impact your partnership.
We are able to guide you through the legal processes involved in selling your partnership or LLP business, ensuring a smooth and successful transaction.
The Legal Services Act 2007 helped to set the path for real change in the way legal services are provided. We have advised a number of regulated legal service providers on the establishment of business associations with other professional service providers in compliance with the complex system of regulation.
We help with profit extraction, the use of corporate partners/members, service companies, and family limited partnerships to optimise tax efficiency.
FAQs
In our experience, seeking to cut costs by using a cheap off the shelf or AI generated agreement is a false economy as such agreements can rarely be relied upon to take the strain when problems arise. Advice from one of our expert solicitors can help ensure that your agreement is legally sound so as to help prevent future disputes and provide clarity regarding the terms on which your partnership/LLP is to operate.
Partnership law in the UK governs the relationships between business partners and the agreements that define their rights and duties. UK partnership law is primarily governed by the Partnership Act 1890 whereas LLPs are primarily governed by the Limited Liability Partnerships Act 2000 and the Limited Liability Partnership Regulations 2001. Many provisions relating to aspects such as profit sharing, decision-making, and dispute resolution are subject to contrary agreement between the parties and hence much of the law relevant to partnerships and LLPs is in fact governed by contract law.
A partnership agreement sets out the rights and obligations of partners as between themselves and makes provision for how the partnership business is to be conducted on a day to day basis.
A Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) agreement is similar but because the LLP, unlike a traditional English partnership, is a separate legal entity in its own right, the LLP agreement will also include rights and obligations as between members and the LLP.
Both agreements also include detailed provisions regarding how the LLP/partnership will be managed and how profits and losses will be shared.
Partnership and LLP disputes can often arise from disagreements over profit-sharing, management decisions or one partner’s actions that harm the business. Disputes can also occur when partners/members want to exit the partnership or are accused of misconduct.
Partnership dispute lawyers specialise in resolving conflicts between partners/members. They provide legal advice to help clients navigate disputes, including negotiation, mediation or court proceedings.
A very strong medical partnership group with a standout partnership practitioner, Jos Moule. Jos Moule is a class act. He is extremely knowledgeable, excellent with clients and superb on drafting too.
Our work highlights
Acting for EX3 Partner LLP (a strategic advisory business focussing on HR and payroll transformation) on a key restructuring project.
Advising global property and construction consultancy Gleeds on the transfer of their former partnership businesses to a newly incorporated LLP and the subsequent dissolution and winding up the old partnerships.
Advising a leading regional law firm on proposed partner expulsion on the grounds of misconduct.
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