At the outset of a Business venture, everyone is always the best of friends and can never see any problems arising. The recommendation to spend in the region of £500 on a Shareholder Agreement is very often ignored.

A couple of years down the line when the pressures and tribulations of running your own business have taken their toll, there are often difficult issues between director/ shareholders which cannot be sorted.

Without an agreement in place, usually no one shareholder will have enough shares to threaten closure of the Company, “to bring the matter to a head”. The result is that the Company must remain in existence indefinitely, with its director/shareholders in a deadlock dispute. This situation is totally unproductive for all parties.

A Shareholder Agreement will properly answer the following questions:-

• What happens if I wish to transfer my shares and come out of the Business?
• What happens if my co-shareholder wishes to transfer his shares and leave the Business? I do not want to continue in Business with a stranger!
• What happens to my shares and the Business in the event of my death?
• What happens to the Business if myself or other shareholders suffer a long term illness?
• What happens if my co-shareholder sets up a similar Business using the ideas and market place which our Company has created?
• How much of the profits of the Business should be reinvested, and how much should be paid as dividends?
• What happens if there is a complete breakdown in communication between the shareholders and the Company can no longer trade?

Protect yourself and your Business – put a Shareholder Agreement in place now!  

Call or email Sharon on 01302 640 408 or sharon@taylorbracewell.co.uk

Why do I need a Shareholder Agreement?

But still, why is it that a heterosexual couple can say they are “married” whereas a same sex couple has to say they have entered into a “civil partnership”. Both have the same legal rights and responsibilities, so why not carry the same wording? Upon breakdown the same law and principles apply in dissolving the relationship and sorting out finances and children. The only exception is that “adultery” is not available to show irretrievable breakdown in civil partnerships.

Concern over this difference has brought about the Government launching its consultation on “Equal Civil Marriage” in the hope of there being “Marriage” for all in the future.

The focus of the consultation which is due to reach a conclusion next month, and what the Home Office hopes to achieve can be seen in more detail http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17375736

If you have not yet tied the knot, regardless of whether you are in a heterosexual or same-sex relationship you may wish to consider a “Living Together Agreement” (point 8) to protect your legal interests now and in the future. If you are considering separation, whether this be following cohabitation, marriage or civil partnership, Taylor Bracewell’s Family Team are the people to talk to for clear advice.

For further information please contact our Family Team on 01302 341414.

Civil Partnerships and Marriage – What’s the Difference?

Doncaster legal practice Taylor Bracewell is pleased to announce that Sharon Beck has taken over the position of managing partner from Mark Beresford, and will now be at the forefront of the business, managing all issues, including strategy and marketing, into the next stage of the firm’s development. Whilst Mark has retired from his position as managing partner, he remains firmly rooted at Taylor Bracewell as senior partner.

Sharon qualified as a solicitor in 1993 having previously been a fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives.  She started her legal career as a trainee legal executive dealing with mortgages at British Coal and has worked her way up becoming a solicitor and then partner, initially specialising in property law and moving on to commercial law.  Over recent years Sharon has built up an impressive expertise in high value commercial property work and general commercial legal matters.  She is one of Doncaster’s foremost commercial lawyers with a reputation for first class, practical advice relating to complex matters such as building society mergers, corporate issues and partnership structures.

Joining Taylor Bracewell in 2000, Sharon became a partner in 2003 and saw the business thrive until a difficult financial situation within the business and a partnership dispute threatened to sink the firm in 2008.  Along with the other remaining partners, Sharon worked hard to get the firm back on track, and it is partly thanks to her sheer determination and expertise that Taylor Bracewell is now thriving and is one of the most well known and respected solicitor firms in Doncaster.

Recently becoming a member of the Academy of Chief Executives of South Yorkshire, Sharon says “This is a very exciting time for me.  I am absolutely delighted to take over as managing partner.  I am extremely grateful to Mark, who has done a great job, helping steer us through some stormy waters in recent years.   We have come a long way and we are now ready to move on to the next level.  I am looking forward to the challenge of being at the helm: steering the ship forward in to new waters.  Obviously we wouldn’t be where we are today without the help and support of all my fellow partners and I would like to thank them, and our staff, who are tremendous, for that.  I am looking forward to working with everyone in the future to ensure that Taylor Bracewell continues to stay at the top, offering new and innovative services to our clients to help them thrive and grow too.”

Sharon Beck can be contacted at sharon@taylorbracewell.co.uk or on 01302 341414.

Taylor Bracewell appoints new Managing Partner

If you find yourself facing divorce or separation you will need expert legal advice to protect you and your family. If at the same time you want to maintain a dignified relationship with your partner, not only for the sake of your children but also for your own sanity and well-being, then the Collaborative approach might be best for you. This means that you, your partner and your Collaborative lawyers sit around the table and find solutions without going to court – a way forward growing more and more popular with separating couples.

Taylor Bracewell is one of the few South Yorkshire firms, and the only one with offices in both Sheffield and Doncaster, to form part of a fresh new alliance which takes shape in the form of Dovetail Solutions, a Collaborative one stop fixed fees shop which takes advantage of not only using some of the most experienced family lawyers in the region, but also includes on-hand expert financial advice and counselling from approved specialist advisors.

You set the agenda – Talk about the things that matter most to you. You determine the pace and retain control of the process - No threat of court proceedings or being hindered by a rigid timetable.

Alison Straw has pioneered the Collaborative way of working in Doncaster and its surrounding areas. One of the first solicitors in South Yorkshire to champion the approach, she sits as the chief liaison officer for Doncaster/Rotherham Collaborative lawyers and chairs South Yorkshire Resolution – a group of lawyers dedicated to ensuring that the stress of family break-ups is reduced by legal advice, not made worse.

Highly capable and knowledgeable with a calm, fair and sensitive approach, Alison will work with Dovetail referrals, so that together with your partner’s Collaborative lawyer and other professionals, you can achieve the best possible outcome for you and your family.

With 22 years’ experience as a family lawyer, Alison has successfully completed many Collaborative cases involving high value business assets, pension sharing, property and children. She is passionate about the long-term benefits that the Collaborative process can bring to you and your family.

Alison is no stranger to the clear pricing package that Dovetail has to offer. Taylor Bracewell were the first family law team in South Yorkshire to start offering their clients clear and transparent information on fees. For close to a year now, Alison has been tailoring fixed fee packages suited to each individual’s needs, well ahead of guidance released only a few weeks ago, which other firms have only recently started to take on board.

For information on the Dovetail process, click here, downlaod our handout on the Collaborative process, or contact Alison on 01302 640411  alison@taylorbracewell.co.uk  twitter: @expertdivorce

Taylor Bracewell form alliance with Dovetail

Energise your life in the fresh outdoors with the guys from Military Fitness Training! They will be taking us through the same level of team building training as they experienced during their initial Army training. Don’t be scared though, no press ups or running involved!

This event is focused on teamwork and enabling us to understand our own capabilities. MFT will be showing us how to conduct Military style ‘Command Tasks’, how to solve problems Army style and building our physical confidence too.

Please bring appropriate clothing for outdoor activity.

This event is FREE to attend.

Thursday May 31st, 5.30pm Onwards - Castle Park, Armthorpe Road, Doncaster

To book a place and to assist us in organising the event please email kerry@taylorbracewell.co.uk 

This is an Event not to be missed!

Next Generation & Military Fitness Team Up!

In recent years directions in two cases – Tiensia –v- Vision Enterprises Limited and Hashemi –v- Gladehurst – have taken the sting out of the deposit rules.

Parliament has now taken action to breathe new life into the rules on tenancy deposits. The Localism Act came into force on 6th
April 2011. The Act includes significant changes to the deposit rules set out in the Housing Act 2004.

The most significant changes are: -

• The time period for complying with the requirements to protect the deposit and provide the prescribed information to a tenant is to be extended from 14 to 30 days after receipt of the deposit;
• A penalty (the amount of which is at the Court’s discretion but may be up to three times the amount of the deposit) will be payable if the Landlord fails to comply with the 30 day limit;
•  Landlords will no longer escape liability for the penalty if they comply with the requirements before the day of the hearing of the tenant’s claim for payment of the penalty (reversing the decision in the Tiensia case);
•  A person who was a tenant, but is no longer so, will still be able to bring a claim for payment of the penalty (reversing the decision in the Hashemi case); and
• Landlords will not be able to rely on a Section 21 notice terminating the tenancy where they have not protected the deposit and/or given a tenant the prescribed information, unless the Landlord returns the deposit in full, or else returned less any agreed deductions, an, in circumstances where a tenant has brought a claim, that the claim has been determined by the Court, withdrawn or settled.

The Localism Act 2011 provides for a transition period of 30 days from the date of commencement. If you comply with the obligation to protect the deposit and provide a tenant with prescribed information before May 6th 2012 then the penalties outlined above will not apply.

The tenancy deposit provisions are often ignored, particularly by Landlords who are new to the business of letting out properties. Landlords who do not follow the rules could find it difficult to evict a tenant and find themselves subject to serious financial consequences.

Please Contact one of our Personal Law Team on 01302 341414, or email hello@taylorbracewell.co.uk

Tenancy Deposits – Back On The Agenda – Localism ACT 2011

In just one year, Bhayani Bracewell has become a thriving and expanding employment law firm with a growing client base and a range of innovative services that sets it apart from other legal firms. Services such as Bulletproof – providing businesses with protection against employment claims & difficulties – is becoming more popular, with businesses appreciating the added value, complete HR support package and legal advice for complex matters. Undoubtedly the fact that the team are all ‘real lawyers’ and not a voice in a call centre adds to the attraction.

Always looking to plug a gap in the market, Jay and her team have set up The HR Exchange, a forum that offers practical HR and employment advice in Sheffield and Doncaster- in conjunction with recruitment specialists Brewster McBride. The team is also working in collaboration with Sheffield Hallam University and Sheffield Law Society on the 2012 Inter-School Mock Trial Competition – an exciting project aimed at inspiring budding young lawyers in our region.

Jay says “I am so pleased that our unique approach, based on providing tactical, workable advice with commercial awareness rather than just textbook legal advice has proved so popular. Our success has surpassed my expectations such that, in Sheffield, we are now looking for larger premises to expand into. Of course we’ve had a bit of a bash to celebrate and I am confident that we have another good year to come – we certainly have some more new services up our sleeve!”

Jay can be contacted on 01302 341414 or by email at jay@bhayanibracewell.co.uk. www.bhayani.bracewell.co.uk

Bhayani Bracewell Celebrates Successful First Anniversary

Taylor Bracewell’s commercial partner, Sharon Beck says “We are delighted to be hosting the launch of such an innovative project.  I deal with many small and medium sized businesses and think that the assistance that AMPLIFi can offer should be a great help to them, especially in the current  tough commercial climate.  The project will be led in the UK by Beta Technology’s director, Anthony Davis, who will join me as a keynote speaker at the launch along with the founder of the AMPLIFi group, Duncan Schultz who is travelling to the UK for the launch.  We will also be joined by the group managing director, Susanne Bransgrove.  We are looking forward to a very exciting evening.”

The launch event will take place at Taylor Bracewell’s offices at 17-23 Thorne Road on Tuesday 17^th April from 17.30 to 19.00 and businesses are very welcome to come along and find out more about AMPLIFi and how it can help them.

 To book a place, or find out more, please contact ida.fernandes@amplifigovernance.co.uk or call 01302 388803

Taylor Bracewell to host launch of new project to assist businesses

According to UK Government Minister Mark Prisk, businesses tell us that they want advice from experienced business people and Small Firms Enterprise Development Initiative statistics confirm that good advice from external qualified individuals reduces the mortality rate and increases the growth rate of private sector companies.

The objective is to identify barriers to growth, focus on the essential projects rather than the non- essentials which take up valuable time and develop key metrics for driving the business forward: effecting change and improvements that will add in excess of £25,000 in value against agreed objectives at affordable prices.

In addition the project offers master classes designed to strengthen management skills in key areas and networking with like-minded companies.

In order to kick start the process a free business review is being offered, without any obligation, to discuss areas for potential improvement.

So, if you are not 100% happy with the performance of your business why not ask for a free business review by contacting

Sharon Beck at Taylor Bracewell – sharon@taylorbracewell.co.uk, www.taylorbracewell.co.uk or

Simon at Chrysalis Transform, simon@chrysalistransform.co.uk, www.chrysalistransform.co.uk

Sports stars need coaches, so why not businesses?

Events are held monthly and the next event will be taking place on Thursday 26^th April 2012 5.30pm – 7.30pm.

We are pleased to announce that Bobby Singh of the ICE Partnership will be speaking about Innovation – how to do things better, faster and cheaper!  Bobby is an excellent speaker and trainer who specialises in the accreditation of people and businesses, helping them understand “where they are”, “where they want to be” and “how to get them there”.

This event will help you to understand what innovation means to you, your role and your organisation; what the different types of innovation are and when they should be used; what type of innovator you are, and what we need to do to be more innovative!

The event is being held at the newly refurbished Rutland House, Doncaster DN1 2BF which is just off Thorne Road.  There will be a small charge of £5 plus VAT per attendee.

To book a place please email hello@taylorbracewell.co.uk or telephone 01302 640383 and ask to speak to Kerry Maddison.  Payment can be made in advance or alternatively payment will also be taken at the event.

Next Generation:

The exciting new Business Club for the young business community of Doncaster and the South Yorkshire region.

This is an Event not to be missed!

Taylor Bracewell’s Next Generation Next Event