Corporate Lawyers Manchester | Commercial Law Firm

Running a company raises legal questions at every stage. Contracts need reviewing before they are signed, deals need structuring, and disagreements need handling before they become expensive. As corporate lawyers in Manchester, we advise SMEs, startups and owner-managed businesses on the legal side of starting, running, growing and selling a company.

Book a consultation

MAR Legal dispute resolution solicitors Manchester city skyline

Corporate Lawyers in Manchester for Every Stage of Your Business

Our solicitors cover both halves of business law: corporate work on how a company is owned, structured and governed, and commercial work on how it trades, from the contracts it signs to the disputes that follow when those contracts go wrong. From our office on Hardman Street in Spinningfields, we work with businesses across Greater Manchester and throughout the UK.

How our Corporate Solicitors help Business Owners

Whether you are a business seeking finance or a director being asked to sign a personal guarantee, our solicitors support you through each stage of the process.

Business Contract Drafting and Commercial Advice

Drafting and reviewing the contracts your business trades on, from supplier and distribution agreements to terms of business and one-off commercial arrangements, with clear terms on liability, payment and termination so obligations are understood before anyone signs.

Company Formation & Trademarks

Setting up the company properly from day one: incorporation, articles of association, shareholder and founder agreements, and trade mark registration, so ownership, decision-making and your brand are protected before the business starts to grow.

B2B Debt Recovery

Recovering unpaid invoices from other businesses through letters before action, statutory interest under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 and negotiated repayment, avoiding the cost and delay of court where possible.

Outsourced General Counsel

Ongoing access to our solicitors on a flexible basis, covering day-to-day contract reviews, governance questions and commercial decisions, for businesses that need regular legal input without the cost of a full-time in-house hire.

Franchise Advisory

Advice for franchisors building a network and franchisees taking one on, covering franchise agreement drafting, review and negotiation before either side commits to long-term fees, obligations and territory restrictions.

Due Diligence & Risk Advisory

Reviewing a target business’s contracts, ownership, employees, intellectual property and liabilities before you commit, and reporting the issues that affect the price, the warranties you need or whether the deal should go ahead at all.

Mergers & Acquisitions

Advising buyers and sellers through the full transaction, from heads of terms and due diligence to the share or asset purchase agreement, warranties, disclosure and completion, keeping the deal on track and the risks visible.

Corporate Structuring & Reorganisation

Group restructures, holding company arrangements, share reorganisations and demergers for businesses whose structure no longer fits how they operate, or that are preparing for investment or an exit, with the corporate paperwork and filings handled alongside.

Commercial Disputes

Early advice when a contract dispute or commercial disagreement arises: setting out your position, handling correspondence and negotiating a resolution before court. Where proceedings are needed, we work alongside appropriately regulated litigation professionals.

Commercial Property (Leases)

Advising landlords and tenants on commercial leases of up to three years, including review, negotiation and drafting of rent, repair, break and assignment terms, so the obligations are clear before anyone signs.

Not sure where to start?

Speak to our team about your situation and we will point you in the right direction.

Contact Us for Corporate and Commercial Legal Support

At MAR Legal, timing matters in business, whether a deal is moving faster than expected or a contract needs checking before you sign. We work directly with you to resolve the legal side, so you can stay focused on running and growing your company.

Get in touch with our corporate lawyers today for a consultation, and let us help you protect what you have built.

What Does a Corporate Lawyer Do for Your Business?

Corporate legal work follows the life of a company. At the start, that means incorporating correctly under the Companies Act 2006, adopting articles of association that fit how the business will be run, and putting a shareholder agreement in place so the founders know what happens if someone leaves, stops contributing or wants to sell.

As the business grows, the questions change. Issuing shares to an investor or key employee brings in pre-emption rights and Companies House filings. Directors carry statutory duties, including acting within their powers, promoting the success of the company and avoiding conflicts of interest, and those duties apply whether the company has two employees or two hundred. Companies House is also rolling out identity verification for directors and people with significant control under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023.

At the exit stage, a sale usually runs through heads of terms, due diligence and a share or asset purchase agreement, with warranties and a disclosure letter deciding who carries the risk of problems found after completion. Getting the earlier stages right makes that process faster and protects the price.

Corporate or Commercial Advice: Which Do You Need?

In practice, most business matters involve both corporate and commercial law. Selling a business is a corporate transaction, but much of the value sits in commercial contracts that need checking for change of control clauses. Appointing a new distributor is a commercial agreement, but it may need board approval under the articles. That overlap is why our solicitors advise on both, so you do not need separate advisers for the company and the contracts it relies on.

Trusted by businesses across the UK for clear Corporate and Commercial Legal Advice

Book a consultation

Who Our Corporate Lawyers Work With

Whether you need business lawyers for your first contract or corporate advice on a sale, our solicitors work with:

Founders and startups setting up a company or raising their first investment
Owner-managed SMEs and family businesses planning growth or succession
Buyers and sellers of businesses, including management buy-outs
Investors taking a stake in a private company
Businesses in tech, e-commerce, construction and sport, supported through our industry teams

Why Businesses Choose MAR Legal for Corporate Legal Support

Solicitor Led Advice

Your matter is handled by our solicitors from the first call to completion.

Fast Response

A commercial law firm in Manchester city centre, advising businesses across Greater Manchester and the UK.

Transparent Pricing

Fixed Fee options for defined work, with scope and fees agreed before anything starts.

No Obligation Consultation

Speak to our solicitors about your matter with no obligation to proceed. We respond within one business day.

How Our Process Works

Initial Consultation

Tell us what the business needs, and we confirm scope, timescales and fees.

Review

We review your documents, structure or deal terms and identify the risks.

Advise and Draft

We advise on your options, then draft, amend or negotiate the documents.

Complete and Support

We finalise the paperwork and filings and stay on hand as the business moves forward.

We also offer support with:

What our clients say about MAR Legal

    
 
 
         
   KOTA 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. They handled it wonderfully.
  
 
        
   George Alexopoulos 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Umar Razzaq at MAR Legal is sharp, honest and responsive, and excellent on the detail. Great outcome. Highly recommended.
  
 
        
   Olamide Aribigbela 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Really happy with the service from MAR Legal. They were very professional, helpful and efficient throughout the whole process. They handled all my documents quickly and carefully, and made everything simple and stress-free.

Would definitely recommend MAR Legal to anyone looking for a reliable and professional solicitor!
  
 
        
   Mrs Whitbread 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Great service. Very responsive and great at explaining everything I needed. Thanks
  
 
        
   Rachel Marsden 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Very professional and clear advice. Easy to understand and handled with appropriate sensitivity and confidentiality.
  
 
        
   Gillian Fletcher 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Excellent Service, quick and efficient and clear communications throughout. Thank you.
  
 
        
   Faye McCarthy 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I used MAR Legal for a commercial lease on a property in Stockport. Had my initial consultation at their Spinningfields office, where I dealt directly with Marium, one of the directors. She walked me through the lease terms and the timeline upfront, so I knew what to expect at each stage. Would use them again for commercial property work in the Manchester area.
  
 
        
   Chris Johnson 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. MAR legal helped with ILA which my mortgage lender required. They acted very quickly and at a good price. Great service.
  
 
        
   Arsa Syed 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Very professional and helpful. I would definitely recommend using them and will be back if I need any legal work done!!
  
 
        
   Amir Abbou 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. They provided professional, sharp, and responsive counsel.  their contractual analysis was strong, and their advice was genuinely practical and commercially minded.
  
 
  
  
 
 
      Verified by Trustindex  Trustindex verified badge is the Universal Symbol of Trust. Only the greatest companies can get the verified badge who has a review score above 4.5, based on customer reviews over the past 12 months. Read more

Visit our Manchester Corporate Lawyers

MAR Legal is based at Regus, 3 Hardman St, Manchester M3 3HF, in the heart of the city's business district.

The office is a short walk from Deansgate and Manchester Oxford Road stations, with St Peter's Square and Deansgate-Castlefield tram stops both within 10 minutes on foot. The nearest car park is on Quay Street, a couple of minutes away.

We work with businesses across Manchester and the wider North West, including Salford, Trafford, Stockport, Bolton and Bury, as well as clients across the UK.

Marium Razzaq
Solicitor & Director Mar Legal
MCIArb

Meet the Founder

Marium brings 22 years of experience advising businesses on corporate & commercial matters across Manchester and the UK.

A qualified Solicitor individually authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA ID: 277854), Marium is also a registered Part II Practitioner and an established member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.

Her experience spans complex legal matters for high-profile clients throughout her career, she has been awarded the fastest growing women-led business in the UK recognised by Fortune 500 and former Prime Minister David Cameron.

You can verify her active professional credentials on the official Law Society Find a Solicitor Index or review her industry record on the SRA Register

Corporate and Commercial Legal Advice FAQs

The most common trigger is a document or a transaction, a contract that needs reviewing before signing, a business sale that needs managing, or a dispute that needs addressing before it becomes more expensive. Beyond those reactive moments, businesses benefit from legal input at key growth stages: incorporating, taking on staff, signing commercial leases, entering new markets or restructuring. Getting advice early is almost always more cost-effective than dealing with the consequences of getting something wrong later.

Not necessarily. "Lawyer" is a general term for anyone qualified to give legal advice, while a solicitor is a lawyer who has qualified and been admitted to the roll maintained by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. In England and Wales, most corporate lawyers are solicitors, because corporate work builds on the same training in company law, contracts and transactions. Most corporate and commercial advice is not a reserved legal activity, so the practical question is who is advising you. At MAR Legal, that advice comes from solicitors who are individually authorised and regulated by the SRA.

It depends on the nature and complexity of the matter. Fixed-fee options are available for defined pieces of work such as contract reviews, shareholder agreement drafting and company formation. For more complex or ongoing matters, scope and cost are agreed at the outset. The aim is to make commercial legal advice accessible for businesses at every stage, not just those with the budgets typically associated with large law firms.

There is no legal requirement, but any company with more than one shareholder is exposed without one. The articles of association set the basic rules, but they are public and usually generic. A shareholder agreement is private and deals with the situations that cause most disputes between owners: what happens if a shareholder leaves, dies or wants to sell, how their shares are valued, which decisions need everyone's consent, and how deadlock is broken. These terms are far easier to agree while everyone is on good terms.

Due diligence is the buyer's investigation of the target before committing. It usually covers corporate records and share ownership, key customer and supplier contracts, employees and pensions, property, intellectual property, data protection, disputes and tax. The findings shape the deal: they can reduce the price, lead to specific warranties or indemnities in the purchase agreement, or show that the deal should not go ahead. The seller's disclosures limit what the buyer can claim for later, so the review needs to be thorough before exchange.

Directors owe general duties to the company under sections 171 to 177 of the Companies Act 2006. These include acting within the company's constitution, promoting its success for the benefit of its members, exercising independent judgment, using reasonable care, skill and diligence, avoiding conflicts of interest, not accepting benefits from third parties and declaring interests in proposed transactions. If a company is heading towards insolvency, directors must give more weight to creditors' interests and can face personal liability for wrongful trading.

Yes, and the earlier the better. Most commercial disputes, whether over an unpaid invoice, a breached contract or a disagreement between shareholders, can be resolved at the pre-litigation stage through a clear letter setting out your position, negotiation or mediation. That stage is also where the key decisions are made about evidence, costs and whether a claim is worth pursuing. Our corporate lawyers advise at that stage, and where a matter needs court proceedings, we work alongside appropriately regulated litigation professionals.

Corporate and Commercial Lawyers Manchester

Corporate Lawyers in Manchester for Every Stage of Your Business

How our Corporate Solicitors help Business Owners