MacRoberts LLP

The MacRoberts Venture Law Unit sits within the wider Corporate Group and acts as a multi-disciplinary group covering:

intellectual property;
property (English and Scottish);
banking & finance;
employment;
corporate tax; and
commercial contracts.

We advise entrepreneurs, universities, investors and funders on all stages of the funding cycle of high growth businesses, from initial seed funding to development equity and debt funding.

Through our dedicated team, accumulated industry knowledge and innovative products and solutions, we aim to try and keep things simple.

Our use of technology, know-how and software also allows us to deliver a bespoke suite of investor documents at a fixed cost including:

confidentiality agreements;
heads of terms;
articles of association;
investment and subscription agreement;
service agreement; and
ancillary deal related documentation.

High growth companies and entrepreneurs

For any growth company or entrepreneur early stage funding can be a daunting prospect. We will help our clients through this process by:

making sure they are "investor ready";
assisting them obtain funding and prepare for due diligence;
advising them on the key issues arising out of the deal documentation (including the employment restricted securities regime, "leaving member" provisions, warranties and disclosures and restrictive covenants).

Our aim is always to prevent issues from arising rather than spending time dealing with issues once they arise.

We also offer our clients pro-active advice on personal tax planning through our specialist Private Client Team. Inheritance Tax and Capital Gains Tax can have a substantial impact on earned wealth however we can provide practical and clear advice on how best to structure your affairs so as to minimise or eliminate the tax burden.

Universities & spin outs

In any spin-out of know-how or intellectual property based on academic research there a number of issues faced by the various parties. Balancing all these competing interests in a manner that allows all parties to work together for the future benefit of the company is critical. With our experience in the further education sector, we are well placed to be able to explain and resolve the issues faced by academic institutions in spin out scenarios.

Equity providers and business angels

For a business angel or other funder it is critical that once a suitable opportunity has been identified, the investment can take place as quickly and efficiently as possible. Through our transaction related disciplines, we are able to provide whatever level of support the investor requires to complete their due diligence exercise whilst at the same time, ensuring the overall timetable and deal process is not interrupted.