Sale and Distribution Agreements
Ensure that your sales and distribution agreement protects your position, minimises risk and fully complies with regulations.
Sale and distribution agreements may be crucial to your business and can open up new markets, but they can also be severely detrimental if not drafted correctly. Our commercial specialists can assist you in preparing, negotiating and agreeing terms which benefit your business and protect you from risk.
Agreeing commercial, clear and compliant sale and distribution terms
Our team of commercial solicitors can support you with:
- Advice on sale and distribution terms ensuring that all necessary issues have been considered and discussed.
- Competition law issues which may arise as a result of the sale and distribution terms and arrangements.
- Compliance with all necessary regulations.
- Drafting documents to reflect, clarify and articulate your commercial proposals.
- Explaining the risks of a proposed contract and advising on the practical measures to reduce these.
- Insurance and liability related queries.
- Intellectual property-related issues which may arise in the context of sale and distribution.
- Negotiations in relation to the documentation.
- Review of documents already in force to establish the actual legal position as it relates to the commercial position.
- Understanding of the supply chain arrangements to ensure that an upstream arrangement takes account of the downstream position and vice versa.
- Exiting from sale and distribution arrangements.
- Dispute resolution if matters don’t go according to plan at a later date.
What our clients say
We pride ourselves on delivering an excellent service for clients, but don’t just take our word for it.
We rely on Harper James to provide us with support across a full range of service areas, from commercial contracts and employment issues to fundraisings and investments. The team at Harper James are always available to provide us with cost effective, pragmatic and commercially focused advice.
We value the flat hourly fees, the response times, and the knowledge of the lawyers that are available. Michelle has been great to work with! She is very responsive, thorough, and can think far beyond just the legal implications that we need to consider in our contracts. It has been a pleasure working with her!
What attracted me to Harper James was the pricing model they have in place. It means we get access to top legal professionals at prices we can afford. In our most recent funding round, the support we received was vital.
It's very cost efficient and fast. I have enjoyed talking to everyone in the company as they are not only knowledgeable but can also relate to the situations that I need assistance with. Very happy!
Harper James never fail to impress with the speed and efficiency of their service, no matter the query. The team are friendly, knowledgeable and always on hand.
We use Harper James because they understand the venture capital sector we operate in, know our business inside out and are always on hand to assist us in any way we need.
Excellent communication and all correspondence answered very quickly. Very attentive to detail, gave sound advice and secured a good deal in a short time frame.
Always great to have HJ on hand
As a University spin-out getting the right team of lawyers to support our emerging business was fundamental and the team are always available to provide us with the invaluable guidance and support we require.
Sarah was incredibly responsive to my e-mails and was accurate with rough timelines for completion. She was also very approachable and down to earth on an agreement that contains a lot of jargon and isn't that user friendly for people from a non legal background. She also took the time to get to know the purpose the document will be used for to make it accurate and legally binding.
This is a key stage of ANB Sensors’ growth as an SME, because it saw us transferring from a research and development company to a commercial entity. It’s a major milestone for us. Having Harper James by our side is reassuring, as they’ve helped us ensure all our documentation and sales terms are both fair and reasonable and led us through the sales process.
Reliable but straightforward legal advice and support. Delivered at a very cost effective price point.
The lawyers and their support team at Harper James are so accessible, down to earth and easy to deal with. They provide practical advice in a user-friendly format and we have the comfort of knowing there isn't a stopwatch ticking in the background racking up a huge bill.
Essentials of sale and distribution agreements
Sale and distribution arrangements are used to move a product or service along the supply chain from manufacturer through to the retailer or end user. They enable a third party to sell a supplier’s product or service into a territory or to certain customers without the supplier having to establish itself in that territory or with those customers. A simple concept, but one which can easily result in litigation or have anti-competitive effects if entered into without expert legal advice on the area.
We can steer you through the potential issues and pitfalls which can arise when negotiating these arrangements, helping you to achieve fully compliant arrangements and understand the potential risks to your business and how these can be minimised.
We will discuss with you and provide advice on the specific terms of the arrangement and also on the options available to protect your business. Working as a team, our commercial contract experts will help you to consider all of the pertinent issues.
Advantages of a carefully drafted sales and distribution agreement
Open up new markets |
Provide your product or service in new markets without the overheads of opening new offices or premises while also making use of the distributor’s local knowledge and network.
Clear, definitive arrangements |
Ensure that all parties concerned understand and agree the specific terms of the arrangement, reducing the risk of uncertainty and potential contract disputes.
Contractual protection |
Receive the benefit of agreed protections we set out in your contract, such as limitation of liability, obtaining security for payments and termination rights.
Awareness of the competition |
Obtain knowledge of potential competitors who are already engaged with your supplier/distributor depending on the type of distribution arrangement agreed.
Non-compete obligations |
Benefit from non-compete obligations to ensure that your supplier/customer does not compete with your products/in your territory.
Avoid litigation |
A contractual dispute resolution mechanism can resolve disputes without having to resort to litigation.
IP protection |
IP rights may be significant and the cornerstone of the product or service in question. Protect them through expertly drafted distribution arrangements.
Who we help: UK companies across various sectors
We support a wide range of UK-based companies and business owners across diverse sectors whether you’re acting at the supply or customer end of the supply chain. Whether you’re a high growth start-up, SME or an established national business we can support you with your commercial contracts and provide you with a holistic methodology. We know that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to a sales or distribution agreement, which is why we get to know your business goals so that you can make the most of your product or service with our legal expertise.
Examples of our work
Why choose Harper James Solicitors?
We can provide you with full support and assistance during the sale and distribution process, advising you on those matters which are relevant to your business and providing you with pragmatic and commercial options and solutions.
Our commercial solicitors can offer you years of legal expertise in this area and consistently combine their extensive legal knowledge with commercial acumen, awareness of current market practice and a keen understanding of our clients’ businesses and objectives.
Plus, we have all worked at partner level in top 100 firms or in-house at major international businesses. Find out more about the team here:
Pricing plans
Our three transparent pricing packages are designed to give you the widest possible access to high-quality legal advice, whatever the size and nature of your business:
City
Straightforward access to senior solicitors at a competitive rate.
An affordable solution for businesses needing one-off legal support. Receive ‘City’ partner-level expertise at a fraction of ‘City’ prices.
Enterprise
Have legal peace of mind for £189 per month with additional support from £99 per hour.
A monthly subscription legal support package specifically designed for start-ups and smaller businesses.
On-Demand
For businesses requiring 60+ hours of support a year, with prices equivalent to £99 per hour.
Fully account managed quarterly subscription service for businesses with more complex legal needs.
