Business Structure, Company Formation and Succession Planning

Building a Strong Foundation for the Future

The right business structure can support growth, improve tax efficiency and reduce risk – while good succession planning ensures continuity when you step away or hand over the reins.

Whether you’re just starting out or thinking ahead to retirement or a potential sale, getting the structure right and planning for the future can make all the difference.

At Hopkins Solicitors, we help business owners make informed decisions about how to set up, organise and eventually hand over their business. We look at the wider picture – your goals, your relationships, your risks – and provide practical legal advice that supports long-term success.

What’s Involved

Our advice is always tailored to your circumstances, but typical support includes:

• Reviewing your current business structure – (sole trader, partnership, limited company, limited liability partnership (or LLP), etc.) and advising on whether it still meets your needs.
• Helping you restructure – to support growth, manage risk or plan for tax efficiency with appropriate advice from your accountants, tax advisors and independent financial advisors.
• Company formation – if you decide to choose a limited company as your new business structure, we can help with the formation of this at Companies House.
• Advising on ownership arrangements – between founders, shareholders or partners, including preparing or updating relevant documentation.
• Succession planning – identifying how ownership and control will be passed on in the future, whether to family members, employees or external buyers.
• Integrating business and personal estate planning – working alongside your accountants and financial advisers where needed.

At an early stage, it is important to involve your other professional advisers – accountants and independent financial advisors – and we can then work closely with these to ensure the transaction progresses smoothly and any commercial or tax considerations are properly factored in.

Things to Consider

A few questions to think about:

• Legal structure: Is your current structure the most tax-efficient and flexible?
• Future leadership: Have you planned how ownership or control will pass on?
• Governance: Are there proper agreements in place for decision-making and dispute resolution?
• Risk: Are you protected against key person risks or business disruption?

Let’s get started

We know that these conversations can be sensitive. They often involve family dynamics, personal finances or difficult ‘what ifs’.

Our approach is to listen carefully, ask the right questions and provide clear, practical advice so you can make confident decisions about the future.

Let’s make sure your business structure supports your ambitions, not just today, but for years to come.

Please get in touch with a member of our team – we’ll be happy to talk through your plans and explain how we can help.

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