Welcome to the December edition of the Bracher Rawlins newsletter

Our first article in this edition takes a look at the key legal issues to be aware of when launching a new consumer product, providing guidance on the two main pieces of legislation to be aware of and important guidance around brand protection, intellectual property and IP.

We then provide thoughts on commercial property issues to consider when selling a business, with partner Richard Price outlining why it is so important to iron out any issues early on in the sales process.

Finally, Hannah Slaughter outlines the repercussions for directors, should they fail in their duties as a director of a company in financial distress.

We hope you enjoy this edition and would like to wish all our clients, contacts and connections a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Launching a new consumer product is exciting, with a great deal of attention going on the branding, packaging, and every touch point of the consumer experience. But behind the scenes, it is important to pay just as much attention to the legal issues if you are to maximise value from this new product in the long term.

Matthew Cowan explains more here

If you are selling your business, the buyer will want to know all about any commercial property the business owns or occupies.  The issues will be similar to those that would come up if you were simply selling the property, but there are some key differences in approach when it is part of a business sale.  If you get your commercial property lawyer involved early in the transaction, you should be able to avoid the deal being derailed by last-minute property issues.

Richard Price explains more here

As a director of a limited company, you can trade with the privilege of limited liability. As a result, you also have to be mindful of the many duties you have to everyone you deal with on a day-to-day basis. A director of a company in financial difficulties has even stricter duties, to ensure that the company’s creditors suffer as little as possible leading up to a liquidation or administration. A failure in those duties can have serious repercussions if your company becomes insolvent, including leading to your personal disqualification as a director for up to 15 years.

Hannah Slaughter explains more here