About Us | Postlethwaite Solicitors | Employee Ownership Solicitors

We are a boutique legal practice specialising in employee ownership and are 100% employee owned ourselves.

Our experience from a wide range of commercial transactions and situations over the last 20 years ensures we stand by your side and ensure that what you do is fit for purpose, commercially sound and tax efficient.

We are specialists in both share schemes and employee ownership. Arguably, we have one of the most experienced legal teams in the country for employee ownership transactions, with 140 completions (as of Jan’24) and act as a specialist adviser to the Employee Ownership Association.

Our firm and lawyers are top ranked in our area of expertise by Chambers & Partners and Legal 500.

Why us?

Our Mission

Our Values

Our Team

Our process

We can help you identify the right employee share scheme or new ownership structure for your business, then work with you to ensure its successful implementation and launch. This might involve:

Analysis

A first meeting with you, without charge, to discuss your objectives and map out how you might achieve them, with a guide to the likely cost

Design

Design of your share scheme or transition to employee ownership: some more detailed planning of how it is going to work

Implementation

Legal implementation, preparing your employee share scheme or employee ownership documents, advice on taxation, liaison with HM Revenue and Customs as needed

Communication

Communication with participants, so that they understand how your share scheme works

Why us?

Choose us if you want the reassurance of working with a fully regulated law firm which asks all the important questions.

Our focus is on helping you find the right solution, then putting it in place. You will need a result that’s been carefully designed to achieve particular business objectives, not an off-the-shelf or commodity solution.

By engaging us you will benefit from

the combined knowledge and experience of the members of our team
our shared expertise derived from working with a diverse range of businesses in many different situations

We consider your immediate needs and also look at what could happen in the future

If you set up a share scheme and plan an eventual sale of your company, the buyer’s due diligence will include a thorough review of your share scheme to ensure it complies with tax rules and company law.
If you are planning to establish an employee ownership trust, you will need to consider what ownership pressures might arise in the future and how they can be addressed.

From the moment I was introduced to Postlethwaite…I knew we had the right solicitors to help us manage and negotiate the transition of TensCare to employee ownership. Postlethwaite solicitors were clear about the processes and benefits involved and upfront about their fees.
Neil Wright, Tenscare
or

Our mission

To help our clients build successful, world-class, sustainable businesses with an engaged workforce through the employee ownership model and to do the same in our own company.

To promote the employee ownership model for its positive social impact.

Our values

Looking after our clients

Trust

We create a relationship of trust with you so you feel confident in our advice and your dealings with us.

Clear Communication

We listen to you to understand what you want to achieve and provide our advice with clarity.

Responsive

We ensure that we are available to respond to your needs in a timely manner.

Value

Our clients value high-quality advice, our charges for which are competitive, reasonable and clear.

Professionalism

Our advice is practical, and solution-focussed, technically thorough and precise.

Working together at Postlethwaite

Positive purpose

We believe in the value of our work for our clients and are 100% employee owned ourselves.

Mutual support

We pool knowledge, help and support each other and work in a collegiate manner.

Communication

We are open about our business’ activities and place a high importance on communication within the firm.

Respect

Everyone has an important role to play and we ensure respect at all times.

Employee ownership and reward sharing

We are 100% employee owned and enable all our employee to share in our company’s profits and contribute as owners to our shared success.

Commitment to environmental sustainability

We consider the environmental impact of the way the business is run and factor it into our decision making.

They combine a magic circle level of expertise with a more personal service
Chambers

To explore how employee ownership could work for your company, call me on 020 3818 9420.

ROBERT POSTLETHWAITE, MANAGING DIRECTOR

Neil Wright

15:43 27 Aug 24

Postlethwaite Solicitors played an instrumental role in our successful transition to becoming an Employee-Owned Trust (EOT) just over seven years ago. Their expertise and guidance ensured a smooth process, providing clear step by step guidance on the Trust formation and tax implications and benefits. As well as being really professional and friendly team to work with. Since becoming employee-owned, we've seen significant improvements in both business performance and team wellbeing. Our employees are more engaged, motivated, and committed to our shared success, which has driven growth and innovation across the board. The sense of ownership and community has fostered a positive workplace culture, making TensCare not just a better company, but a better place to work. It's not always about the economics or the legalities of a commercial enterprise but about having a positive societal impact as well. We were grateful to have had all the legal aspects covered by the support and dedication we received from Postlethwaite Solicitors. We still look to them for advice on Trust matters from time to time and get prompt and clear advice every time

Jim Smith

11:08 05 Aug 24

Our experience with David Reuben and Judith Harris at Postlethwaite Solicitors has been excellent and we are so pleased that we decided to use them to help and guide us to transition to an employee owned business! From the very first phone call I made to David I was met with professionalism and expertise and that just carried on to final completion where the transition was seamless.If you're seeking legal guidance for employee ownership, share scheme or any other business matter, look no further than Postlethwaite. Their professionalism, expertise, and dedication make them the top choice for any legal needs.

laura traill

10:40 30 Jul 24

The process was incredibly smooth and efficient from start to finish. Everything was explained clearly. Totally pain free process!

Bray Plastics

13:51 24 Jun 24

After a lot of consideration as to the best way to ensure the business succession of Bray Plastics, we opted for an Employee Owned Trust. Right from the outset, Postlethwaites have been brilliant, with outstanding customer communications and a whole wealth of knowledge and experience in EOTs. We would 100% recommend Postlethwaite Solicitors to any company wishing to transition to an EOT. Big thanks to Robert, Hannah & the team!

A Google User

18:19 09 Jun 24

We have recently made our firm, the most longstanding recruitment firm for the retail industry, an Employee Owned Trust. The service, guidance and support from this firm was outstanding. We would highly recommend them to anyone who wishes to convert to a trust or to enquire as to whether such a change would be worthwhile. The advice is clear and unbiased. Our firm is Retail Human Resources Ltd and if anyone wants to contact me, please feel free to do so. Search rhr.

Charles Burgess

18:19 09 Jun 24

Sam Thatcher

08:04 18 Apr 24

Our experience with Postlethwaite has been nothing short of exceptional! We were instantly met with professionalism & expertise.As a company transitioning to an employee-owned model, and Postlethwaite navigated us through every step with clarity and efficiency. Their team's deep understanding of employee ownership structures ensured that our transition was seamless.They took the time to understand our unique needs and objectives Their proactive approach and attention to detail instilled confidence in us every step of the way.In summary, if you're seeking legal guidance for employee ownership or any other business matter, look no further than Postlethwaite. Their professionalism, expertise, and dedication make them the top choice for any legal needs.

Justin Wilkie

16:28 27 Feb 24

We used Toby and his team for an EOT scheme , I have to say the attention to detail was fantastic and all the way through very pro active and responsive

flick learning ltd

14:58 11 Dec 23

We have recently transitioned to an Employee Owned Business, with the help of David Reuben and Toby Locke. We were so pleased with how responsive and helpful both were throughout the process; they are clearly experts in their field. The transaction proceeded exactly as outlined at the beginning of the process, with everything explained in clear and concise language. The draft documents were produced very quickly and we hit our initial deadline for completion a few weeks early. Even following the completion of our EOT, Toby has remained in touch to ensure that all the necessary post completion milestones are finalised. You really get the sense that the firm are looking to do an excellent job and go the extra step to ensure everything is concluded properly. We would have no hesitation recommending Postlethwaite's to anyone looking to move to an EOT or setup a share scheme for their employees.

Hannah Mann

15:34 27 Jun 23

Our company Garner Tackle formed an EOT back in 2019. We were guided through the whole process by Robert and the team at Postlethwaite's. From beginning to end the process was so easy, the team explained everything to us in a way we could understand. Over the last 4 years the changes to our business have only been positive, our staff are happier, more motivated and care deeply about the company and it's success. The move to become majority employee owned has been a complete success and we're so happy we used Postlethwaite's to advise and manage the process. Thank you 🙂

Simmons Gainsford

08:26 20 Jun 23

We have worked closely with Postlethwaite Solicitors for many years and more recently on several EOT transactions. They are always responsive and timely in dealing with both us and our clients, and their advice is always clear, particularly when discussing some of the more technical tax issues. David Reuben is a pleasure to work with. He always goes above and beyond, and overall we consider the team at Postlethwaite Solicitors to be experts in the Employee Ownership field.

Stuart Edmundson

06:15 02 Jun 23

David and Toby expertly guided us through an at times technical process with great knowledge, skill, pragmatism, patience and good humour. They hit all deadlines and communicated very well, clearly and quickly throughout. They are the go to experts in the EOT field. Extremely impressive and reasonably priced - highly recommended. Support staff good too. Many thanks to all at Postlethwaites.

David Walker

07:21 19 May 23

We found Robert and the team to be very straight-forward, approachable and flexible in their dealings with our transition to Employee Ownership. It was a please to do business with them.

David Wise

16:34 17 May 23

Professional. Courteous. Well informed esp. on EO. The ability to ask tough questions with empathy. Always reply in a timely fashion. Safe hands.

Peter Freeman

11:46 09 Feb 23

An excellent outcome and outstaying service from the team at Postlethwaite. Their advice at every stage was clear and they were first class in terms of demystifying what looked at the outset a rather daunting process.

Mike Fahey

15:54 01 Oct 22

We used them for an EMI scheme. Excellent to deal with, always very responsive, super knowledgeable and a quick turnaround. Highly recommend.

Nick Doyle

07:40 16 Sep 22

The team at Postlethwaite enabled Nikwax and Páramo to preserve our unique purpose-led values whilst building a sustainable future as we transition from being founder owned to an exciting employee-owned collective. Nothing was too much trouble; complexities and challenges were solved with an efficient, collaborative and ultimately bespoke approach that worked for us. Thank you for helping us to secure a special and exciting future as Partners in our business!

Anna Jones

11:53 14 Jul 22

My wife and I have recently transitioned our business into a 100% Employee Owned Trust.We both unreservedly recommend using Postlethwaite solicitors.Right from our initial contact with David Reuben it was clear that this was someone who listened carefully to our plans and explained what is a complex transaction clearly and concisely.David promised a turn key solution and that is exactly what he and his team delivered .As the process progressed, we were introduced to Jo Cunningham who's attention to detail and speed of reply to any question very often outside of normal working hours was amazing .The entire process was completed on time and under budget we were never rushed or felt under pressure. Postlethwaite really do deliver client satisfaction.In summary if you are looking to transact what may well be the biggest step in your company’s journey you need sound clear thoughtful professional advise, in our opinion you need Postlethwaite!Howard and Anna JonesJust Pudding Basins Ltd

Simon Mellinger

12:38 26 May 22

Many thanks to David, Toby and the team at Postlethwaite for their impressive work on completing our EOT. Highly efficient and very easy to work with, they made the whole thing painless!