SMEs, directors & shareholders

• Key contacts
• Case studies
• FWJ takeaway

Welcome to Francis Wilks & Jones, the country’s leading legal advisors to SMEs, directors and shareholders.

We know that running a business can be hard at the best of times. But when one throws in all of the day-to-day challenges, both commercial and personal, it is not surprising that issues occasionally arise which require the expertise of a law firm to help fix. Our team has successfully assisted 100s of clients over the years, allowing them to get on with their business lives.

One of the most astute appointments I have ever made.

A company director we successfully defended against disqualification

Alternative Dispute resolution

We understand that many clients would much prefer to resolve their claim without the need for formal legal proceedings. Our expert team can help you do this. We cover all aspects of the ADR process both formal and informal. These include without prejudice discussions, offers to settle, mediation, arbitration, expert determination and early neutral evaluation.

Claims against directors

Our director defence team is one of the best in the country.  We regularly defend directors with the following – claims by HMRC, claims by liquidators & administrators, claims by company shareholders, Companies House claims and Director disqualification claims. 

We also provide expert advice on directors’ statutory, fiduciary and public interest duties.

Commercial litigation

Sometimes formal legal proceedings are unavoidable.  Whether you are a Claimant or Defendant, our commercial litigation team can advise you throughout the entire legal process.

Our advice covers the wide range of processes and procedures you might experience in a litigation claim. This includes pre-action protocols, issuing claims, the small claims court, defending claims, case management, summary judgment and strike out applications, document disclosure, Part 18 requests for information, witness & expert evidence, security for costs, litigation funding, costs, injunctions and appeals.

Company rescue

We have worked with SME’s, directors, business owners and insolvency professionals for over 20 years. Unlike many other service providers out there, our emphasis is always to help a business survive, not putting it into insolvency.

We provide assistance in the following areas: company voluntary arrangements (CVA’s), business rescue, administrations, liquidations, business restructuring and validation order & winding up petition advice.

Debt recovery

Our debt recovery team has recovered tens of millions of pounds for our clients in the past 20 years. Backed by our state-of-the-art technology and interactive debt platforms, we can help you with the following; letters before action, County Court and High Court claims, CCJ’s and Judgment enforcement, enforcement of foreign judgments, statutory demands, winding up petitions, volume based claims and disputed debt claims.

Director Disqualification

We have been leading the way on defended director disqualification claims for over 20 years.  With the biggest team in the UK, we can advise you on the following: early enquiries from the Insolvency Service, section 16 letters, bounce back loans, voluntary undertakings, compensation orders, Magistrate court claims, common types of misconduct, section 17 applications to remain a director, public interest disqualification and how to deal with the consequences of disqualification.

Freezing Orders

We advise both Claimants and Defendants on Freezing orders.   Whether you are applying for a Freezing order or looking to defend one, we have the team to help. We can also provide advice for third parties caught up in these types of claim, as well as related applications such as Norwich Pharmacal Orders and Search Orders.

Shareholder Disputes

We provide a complete service to shareholders and business owners. Our expertise covers shareholder deadlock, disputes with management, director removal, family business disputes, minority shareholder and unfair prejudice claims, derivative claims, just & equitable winding up, nonpayment of dividends, shareholder rights, business sale & exit and issues regarding company insolvency. 

Tax disputes

Our tax disputes team regularly advises directors and business owners on a range of issues including Disguised remuneration schemes, R&D Tax Credit fraud claims, PAYE & VAT security notices, statutory demand and winding up petition defence, COP 8 investigations, COP 9 investigations, HMRC Loan charges, time to pay arrangements, personal liability notices and account freezing orders. 

Whatever your business enquiry, one of our friendly team of experts will be able to help. The strength and depth of our experience means that we have dealt with 100s of different business situations over the years. Don’t settle for second best, contact us today.

If there was ever a star rating for law firms, Francis Wilks & Jones would score five stars plus. Professional and pro-active, they were able to understand my problem quickly, provide expert advice, outline a solution and put it into place with a successful outcome. I should have gone to them sooner.

A client we successfully defended in director disqualification and insolvency related proceedings