Practice area 04
Commercial & corporate.
Legal work for owner-managed Manx businesses. Formation and governance, contracts and agreements, and the sale or acquisition of owner-managed businesses. We do not act on larger corporate transactions - our work is the legal day-to-day of running a small or medium-sized business on the Isle of Man.
A
Company formation & governance
Incorporation, shareholder agreements, and the duties that come with being a director.
We act on the incorporation of Manx companies - both 1931 Act and 2006 Act - and on the drafting of articles of association, shareholder agreements, and the founding agreements that govern how owners will work together. The work covers incorporation, restructuring, and the ongoing governance of established companies.
Director duties under Manx law are similar but not identical to UK law. We advise directors - particularly first-time directors of owner-managed companies - on what those duties mean in practice, and on the personal liability that can arise from getting them wrong.
- Incorporation (1931 Act and 2006 Act Manx companies)
- Articles of association and shareholder agreements
- Director appointments, removals, and duties
- Share allotments, transfers, and buy-backs
B
Contracts & agreements
The contracts a business signs and the contracts it asks others to sign.
Commercial contracts of the type that come up in the day-to-day of running an owner-managed business: supplier and customer agreements, service contracts, terms of business, partnership agreements, and the contracts between business owners that govern how disputes will be handled.
Where contracts are negotiated rather than presented on standard terms, we act on the negotiation alongside the drafting - identifying which terms matter for the client and which are worth conceding.
C
Business sales & acquisitions
Owner-managed business sales, with the legal work led by the same advocate from start to finish.
We act on the sale and acquisition of owner-managed Manx businesses - typically in the range where the owner is selling to a known buyer (management, family member, or trade buyer rather than a private equity transaction). The work covers the heads of terms, the sale agreement, the due diligence, and completion.
We do not act on larger corporate M&A transactions where the client needs a team of associates and paralegals - those go to a larger firm. We will tell you at the outset whether we are the right firm for the transaction.
How this work runs
What to expect.
Lead advocate
David Quayle, Founding Partner.
David leads our commercial and corporate work. Owner-managed business clients work directly with David from instruction through to completion.
Fees
Agreed hourly rates with regular cost updates at agreed milestones.
Fixed-fee quotes are available where the scope is well-defined - incorporations, standard shareholder agreements, and standard-form contract reviews.
Typical timeline
Two to six weeks on a contract review or a standard incorporation with shareholder agreement.
Business sales typically run twelve to twenty weeks from heads of terms to completion.
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Starting, growing, or selling a Manx business?
The first conversation with David is free of charge - up to thirty minutes, no obligation.