Boutique Commercial Law · Est. 1994
Barrett & Sloane acts for founders, boards and family enterprises at the moments that define them — transactions, disputes and decisions where judgement matters more than volume. Partner-led on every matter, without exception.
Practice Areas
We do a small number of things to an exacting standard. Select a practice area to see how we work within it.
From first term sheet to final completion, we structure deals so they survive contact with reality — and with the other side's lawyers.
We litigate to win, but we advise to resolve. Every dispute begins with a candid assessment of merits, cost and the value of your time.
People decisions carry legal weight and human consequence. We help you act decisively while treating both with proper care.
Property underpins most balance sheets. We keep transactions moving and portfolios quietly in order, year after year.
Your ideas are assets; we treat them accordingly. Registration, contracts and enforcement handled as one coherent strategy.
For many clients, the business and the family are the same conversation. We plan for both, quietly and thoroughly.
Our Approach
We have never written a mission statement. We simply keep the promises below — and clients seem to notice.
The lawyer you meet is the lawyer who acts for you. No handoffs to the junior team, no account managers, no relay of messages. When it matters at 7pm, you have a direct line.
Anyone can list five routes and their risks. You are paying for a recommendation. We give you one — clearly stated, plainly reasoned, and defensible in front of your board.
Most of our matters run on fixed or capped fees, scoped in writing before we start. Where the hourly rate is unavoidable, you will see it coming — never on the invoice first.
A technically perfect document that kills the deal is a failure. We negotiate to protect your position and preserve the relationship you'll be trading on next year.
The Partnership
Four partners, one shared standard. Between them, over ninety years of practice at the sharp end of commercial law.
Thirty years of commercial litigation and arbitration. Known for settling the unsettleable — and for winning when settlement fails.
Has completed over 200 transactions across manufacturing, software and family enterprise. Deal-maker first, draftsman second.
Advises investors and developers on portfolios from single sites to £80m schemes. Precise, unflappable, quietly relentless.
The partner boards call before the difficult conversation. Combines employment strategy with a deep brand-protection practice.
Notable Matters
Client names withheld as a matter of course. References available on request, with our clients' consent.
Acted for founding shareholders on the disposal of a third-generation family manufacturer to a European trade buyer, including management incentivisation and property carve-out.
Successfully defended a logistics client in an LCIA arbitration concerning alleged breach of a long-term framework agreement; claim dismissed with costs.
Advised a regional developer on site assembly, joint venture structuring and forward-funding for a landmark riverside scheme across eleven titles.
Obtained urgent interim relief for a financial-services client after the coordinated departure of a senior desk, protecting client relationships and confidential information.
Designed and implemented a trust-based succession across two generations of a family hotel business, aligning ownership, management and inheritance planning.
Arrange a Consultation
The first meeting is with a partner, takes about forty-five minutes, and carries no fee and no obligation. Tell us what you are trying to achieve; we will tell you honestly whether — and how — we can help.
Request an Appointment