Corporate Restructuring Solicitors

Set your business up for the next stage. Our corporate restructuring solicitors advise UK businesses on group structuring, demergers, holding companies, employee ownership trusts and EMI schemes, helping you reorganise efficiently and protect what you have built.

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Most businesses outgrow their original structure long before owners think to change it. Whether you are preparing for growth, planning an exit, separating different parts of the business, or rewarding employees through share schemes, the right corporate structure protects value, supports tax efficiency, and makes future decisions easier. Our Manchester-based corporate restructuring solicitors advise UK businesses on group structuring, business reorganisation, exit and growth planning, holding company set-up, demergers, employee ownership trusts (EOTs) and EMI share schemes. The aim is a structure that fits where your business is now and where you want to take it.


How our corporate restructuring solicitors help businesses reorganise

From holding companies and group reorganisations to EOTs and EMI schemes, advise on the legal side of structuring your business for the next stage.

Exit and growth planning

Long-range structural advice for owners thinking ahead. Getting the corporate structure right years before a sale, fundraise or succession can significantly affect what you keep at the end.

Group and holding companies

Setting up holding companies, creating group structures, and putting subsidiaries in place. Useful for asset protection, tax planning, and preparing the business for future growth or sale.

Business reorganisation

Internal restructures including share-for-share exchanges, share class changes, and capital reorganisations. Designed around the commercial outcome you are trying to reach.

Demergers

Statutory and liquidation demergers to separate parts of a business into independent entities. Useful where two trades have grown apart, or where shareholders want to go their own way.

Employee ownership trusts (EOTs)

Legal structuring for tax-advantaged sales to an employee ownership trust. Trust deeds, articles, share transfer documents and shareholder consents in line with HMRC requirements, working alongside tax advisers where required”

EMI schemes and share options

Drafting EMI option agreements, scheme rules and supporting documents. Helping growing businesses reward and retain key employees through tax-advantaged share options.

Our team includes qualified solicitors with experience advising on corporate structuring and reorganisation matters.

Why business choose MAR Legal for corporate restructuring

Solicitor led advice

Direct access to an experienced legal team from day one

No obligation consultation

Speak to our team before you commit, no-obligation.

Transparent Pricing

You know what to expect from the outset, no hidden costs or surprises

Manchester based, UK wide

20+ years of combined commercial & corporate experience

Commercial office buildings in Manchester city centre

What This Means for You

  • A structure that protects value and reduces risk
  • Greater flexibility for growth, investment or exit
  • Improved tax efficiency (working alongside tax advisers)
  • Clear ownership and control arrangements
  • Due dilligence

Trusted by businesses across the UK for clear, practical advice on group structuring, demergers, EOTs and EMI schemes.

Book a consultation
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How our commercial lease process works

01

Book a consultation

Tell us where the business is and where you want it to go.

02

We assess the structure

Current structure reviewed, options explained, and the right approach agreed.

03

We draft and co-ordinate

Legal documents drafted and co-ordinated with your accountant or tax advisor.

04

Implementation and completion

Documents executed, filings made, and the new structure put in place.

When to consider restructuring

  • Your business has grown beyond its original structure
  • You are preparing for a sale or investment
  • You operate multiple trading activities
  • Shareholders want to separate interests
  • You are considering employee ownership or share schemes
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We provide legal advisory and documentation support in relation to corporate structuring and reorganisation. Where a matter involves reserved legal activities, we work alongside appropriately regulated profesisonals

Corporate restructuring FAQs

A holding company is a parent company that owns shares in one or more other companies (its subsidiaries) but does not usually trade itself. It is a common structure for businesses with multiple trading entities, for asset protection, or as a foundation for future fundraising or sale. Setting up a holding company is one of the most common instructions handled by corporate restructuring solicitors at MAR Legal.

A holding company structure can offer several benefits: protecting valuable assets from operational risk, allowing different parts of the business to be owned or sold separately, enabling tax-efficient profit extraction or reinvestment between companies, and making the business easier to restructure for future fundraising, sale, or succession. The right structure depends on your commercial objectives, which is why most holding company set-ups begin with a planning conversation rather than a template. Corporate restructuring solicitors at MAR Legal advise on the structure that fits your situation before any documents are drafted.

A group company structure is an arrangement where a parent or holding company owns shares in one or more subsidiary companies, each of which may trade separately. It is used by businesses that operate across different sectors or geographies, want to separate risk between trading entities, or are preparing for growth, investment or sale. Our corporate restructuring solicitors advise on group structures at every stage, from initial planning through to Companies House filings and updated shareholder documents.

A demerger is a corporate reorganisation that separates one business into two or more independent businesses, each owned by the same shareholders or by different shareholders depending on the structure. Common reasons include separating two distinct trading activities, splitting a business between shareholders who want to go their own way, or preparing one part of the business for sale while keeping the other. The two main routes are statutory and liquidation demergers, each carrying different tax and legal consequences - Our corporate restructuring solicitors advise on both.

An Employee Ownership Trust is a structure that allows the owner of a business to sell their shares to a trust held for the benefit of all employees, typically on a tax-advantaged basis. EOTs have become a popular alternative to traditional sales for owners who want to step back without selling externally, while preserving the business's culture and rewarding the team that helped build it. The legal documents include a trust deed, share purchase agreement and amended articles of association, all handled by our corporate restructuring solicitors working alongside your tax adviser throughout.

EMI (Enterprise Management Incentives) is a tax-advantaged share option scheme that lets qualifying companies grant share options to key employees, with significant benefits for both the company and the recipient. EMI schemes are widely used by growing UK businesses to attract, retain and reward talent, particularly in tech and high-growth sectors. The option agreements, scheme rules and supporting documents are drafted by our corporate restructuring solicitors, with your tax adviser handling valuations and HMRC notifications.

A share for share exchange is a transaction where shareholders in one company exchange their shares for shares in another company, often a newly formed holding company. It is one of the most common ways to insert a holding company over an existing trading business without triggering an immediate tax charge, subject to meeting the relevant conditions. The share exchange agreement, updated shareholder documents and Companies House filings are all areas where our corporate restructuring solicitors regularly advise.