"I can't understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I'm frightened of the old ones"
John Cage
Composer and philosopher
A hands on approach
AB Corporate is a north-west legal practice focusing on delivering law services to owner managed businesses, entrepreneurs and SME/AIM listed companies. Our people have a proven reputation for delivering city centre expertise and service standards coupled with a down to earth and practical approach.
Our business structure enables us to provide 'hands on' and 'partner led' services with flexible and competitive charging structures driven not by the cost of their provision but by their value to our clients. AB Corporate's service delivery gives clients the feeling of an in-house legal team - but without the financial commitment.
As a modern law practice you won't find us stuffy or hidden in our ivory towers. We are accessible and approachable and pride ourselves on being part of the community in which our clients do business. We understand our clients' needs and expectations and enjoy helping our clients achieve and exceed their aims.
Solutions for business
Solutions for you
"..never use two words when one will do"
Thomas Jefferson
Author, U.S. Declaration of Independence
The right fit
No two clients or instructions are the same. We get to understand our clients and provide tailored solutions that meet their requirements. We deliver a straightforward and uncomplicated service.
AB Corporate is both a practice and a legal network. We are a group of lawyers who share the same ideals and passion for our clients' business affairs. Every member of AB Corporate is a specialist lawyer in his or her particular field; we have no general practitioners.
As a business which has grown from small beginnings we understand all too well the need for budgetary planning and the difficulties that an unexpected bill can cause. We aim to be clear about fees and firmly believe that the cost of our services should be driven by the value of our work to you and not the cost of the person providing it.
"Well, I don't know as I want a lawyer to tell me what I cannot do. I hire him to tell how to do what I want to do"
J. P. Morgan
Banker and financier
Working with you not just for you
If you have a legal problem and it is business related we can deal with it. We specialise in the main areas affecting businesses on a regular basis including:
We also assist our clients in finding the right advice in more discrete areas of law.
We believe in a partnership approach to client care. Many of our clients see us as their in-house legal team not an external set of professional advisors. We believe that clients can sometimes delay approaching their advisors in the fear that costs might start running. Not our clients. We encourage our clients to speak to us and do not deter them with unexpected bills. We recognise that unless you discuss matters with us we cannot provide you with advice.
Our advice is not just based upon our legal expertise but our experience of the legal issues that businesses encounter. We look for solutions rather than finding problems. We will tell you what we would do if we were in your position.
Key contacts:
Peter Bibby, Corporate Finance
Peter is a Corporate Lawyer with almost 20 years of experience advising clients on business matters.
Peter spends the majority of his time in the buying and selling of businesses but also advises clients on all manner of corporate and commercial matters including shareholder agreements/joint ventures, company share buy-backs and shareholder exits.
Peter's recent transactions include the £20m+ refinancing of Vital Services Group.
David Astbury, Commercial Litigation and Insolvency
David Astbury advises on all manner of commercial/business related litigation, with a particular interest in shareholder/partnership disputes and protecting commercial information by way of injunctive relief.
David also has extensive experience in advising directors and office holders in relation to matters arising out of pre and post insolvency.
David's expertise is acknowledged in The Legal 500, the leading Guide to the legal profession.
Margaret Scotland, Private Client
Margaret specialises in private client work for high net worth individuals.
Margaret advises clients on divorce and financial consequences of the breakdown of relationships and has particular expertise in the use of pre-nuptial and post-nuptial agreements.
Margaret also advises on wealth planning matters such as Wills and trusts.
An experienced probate practictioner Margaret provides sensitive and helpful advice at those difficult times.
Barry Challender, Commercial Property
Barry is a commercial property lawyer, specialising in all aspects of transactional work.
Barry's clients include SMEs, PLCs, private pension funds and national charities. Barry has developed his expertise over 35 years in the legal profession which includes work in the following areas:
Alison Lonsdale, Corporate and Commercial
Alison gained a 1st class degree in English and French at Oxford University, and subsequently undertook her legal training, qualifying as a solicitor with an international law firm in London.
She later relocated to the North West working in the corporate department of a large Manchester firm, where she was involved with numerous sales and acquisitions of companies, together with shareholders agreements, shareholder reorganisations and other company/commercial matters.
Following a career break to have a family, Alison has joined AB Corporate as an assistant solicitor, and advises on Corporate Finance, Company and Commercial matters.
Roland Maguire, Commercial Property
Roland is a consultant to AB Corporate.
Formerly a commercial property partner with a national law firm, Roland is now a director of technology and intellectual property companies but is still involved in providing strategic and advisory guidance in the real estate sector.
Roland is available to our clients to provide add-on consultancy services both on a discrete basis and in conjunction with our commercial property team.
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Sharon Holland, LLB
Sharon heads up our support services.
With a background in accounts and having a law degree from the University of Wolverhampton, Sharon provides both administrative and legal support to all our teams as well as co-ordinating our other support services.
Sharon joined AB Corporate from Keoghs LLP in 2005.
"It's far better to buy a wonderful company at a fair price than a fair company at a wonderful price"
Warren Buffet
Investor, industrialist and philanthropist
Corporate Finance
Transactional services are at the core of AB Corporate. We handle deals with values up to £25m. We are in the business of doing deals and getting deals done. Every deal gets the same approach regardless of size - we remember that what we are often dealing with is a lifetime's work. Clients rely on our expertise to guide them through complex and difficult transactions that generally they will only experience once. We can advise on:
"The best way to predict the future is to invent it"
Alan Kay
Computer Scientist
Company and Commercial
Contracts are how businesses make money and the life blood of any business. AB Corporate's company and commercial team can provide advice on all manner of commercial contracts and arrangements including:
the more unreasonable a clause is, the greater the notice which must be given ... Some clauses ... would need to be printed in red ink ... with a red hand pointing to it before the notice could be held to be sufficient
Lord Denning
S oldier, mathematician, lawyer and judge
Commercial Litigation
We offer advice in all general commercial disputes and the following specialist areas of expertise:
Commercial contract disputes, joint ventures, distribution and agency contracts (involving advising on termination rights and loss of profit claims).
Corporate litigation, including:
Insolvency litigation, including:
Professional negligence including claims against solicitors and other professional advisors, particularly property and construction professionals.
Commercial Property Litigation
Our property litigation team is able to deal with disputes arising out of the management, acquisition or disposal of commercial property, including:
Commercial Property
Every business, even virtual ones have a need for business premises and the need for expert commercial property advice. The Commercial Property team at AB Corporate has expertise in a broad range of commercial property related issues including:
"If you have ten thousand regulations you destroy all respect for the law"
Winston Churchill
Politician and statesman
Employment
Employment costs are generally one of the higher overheads in any business and therefore employment issues are crucial to the performance of most businesses. AB Corporate can provide practical solutions and legal advice in the following areas:
As a firm we have a policy of only acting for employers (although we will undertake employee claims at a director/senior manager level).
Contact us
Atria - modern offices to provide a modern service
AB Corporate LLP
Atria
Spa Road
Bolton
BL1 4AG
United Kingdom
0844 824 8744
info_abcorporatelaw.co.uk
Directions (Atria).pdf
AB Corporate LLP is a limited liability partnership registered in England and Wales owned by Peter Bibby and David Astbury with registered number OC359052. AB Corporate LLPs registered office is at Atria Spa Road Bolton BL1 4AG. We use the partner to refer to a member of the LLP, or an employee or consultant with the equivalent standing and qualifications and such term does not imply that such person or AB Corporate has any other legal status. "AB Corporate" and "AB Private Client" are trading styles of AB Corporate LLP.
