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Entrepreneurs

Specialist legal advice for entrepreneurs, their businesses and families.

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We understand the personal elements behind a business. Our market leading private wealth lawyers seamlessly integrate top-quality corporate and private client services to work extensively with entrepreneurs at every stage of your personal and business journey.

From young ambitious entrepreneurs setting up your own business, to scale ups securing growth capital, and founders exploring options to exit, our corporate experts advise on all aspects of the business lifecycle. They are supported by specialists in relevant key areas including technology, data protection, incentives, employment, commercial and real estate.

Our private wealth team often advise founders on the wider family and wealth considerations of business ownership including tax efficient structuring before and after an exit event. We support you with planning what happens after a sale, should you choose philanthropy, or to make the most of new commercial opportunities.

Bringing us in early ensures your business and personal interests are protected and helps us to crystallise value for you after years of hard work.

Services

Exit strategies

From sales to trade or to private equity, IPOs or MBOs, we help our clients with your own path to exit.

Read our guidance note

Private wealth advice

Providing guidance on estate planning and succession, trusts and tax planning to secure your wealth for the long term.

Philanthropy and charities

Expert philanthropy and charity law advice, ensuring impactful and sustainable contributions that make a difference.

Pre-sale

In the lead up to a liquidity event, we work to identify the possible issues that could emerge during the sale process and help the
business remediate or manage these issues much more effectively

Transaction

Advising on deal terms and working alongside corporate finance advisers and
accountants to deliver the best structure and strategy for any exit.

Post-sale

We work for business owners and entrepreneurs to assist with tax planning and wealth structuring post liquidity event, advising on long-term trust and company structures to hold family wealth.

Corporate finance

We work in multi-disciplinary teams with lawyers from other specialist practice groups, including our substantial corporate finance team, to offer “best in class” service.

Tax and trusts

We act on some of the highest value and most complex succession and tax planning work in the UK and on some of the world’s largest and most complex trust restructuring work.

Examples of our work

Omlet

Advising the founding shareholders of this fast-growing pet accessories brand on the investment by Piper, a leading UK private equity firm specialising in investing in fast-growing consumer brands.

Regency Purchasing Group

Advising the shareholders on the sale to Foodbuy Europe Limited, which is part of Compass Group PLC. 

LexAble Limited and LexAble Services Limited

Advising the founding shareholder of this leading provider of specialist education software with a focus on dyslexia and mental health, on the sale to Norwegian company Lingit.

The founders of a high-growth renewables business

Advising on trust planning and the availability of business relief on their shares, including a clearance application to HMRC, ahead of a significant liquidity event.

A longstanding founder client

Advising on implementing a family trust pre-sale, and negotiating the deal on behalf of the trustees with the purchaser.

A Medtech entrepreneur

Advising on creating a family investment company post sale, to hold discretionary investment portfolios and rollover equity in a US LLC vehicle.

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Our team

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April 2026 tax reform

Proposed reforms to inheritance tax, in particular business property relief, are set to take effect from 6 April 2026. These reforms will significantly impact business owners, and change the way entrepreneurs need to think about planning their exit.

We regularly advise founders on pre-sale structuring, especially on the use of trusts to hold family wealth over the long term.

There is a window to implement trust planning under the current rules up to April 2026, and benefit from 100% inheritance tax relief if the conditions are met. However, from 6 April 2026, the scope to transfer assets into trust pre-sale tax-free will be much more limited, and we expect founders to use more holding company structures as a result.

Our experts on trust planning and corporate structuring are guiding our clients through these key considerations ahead of next April.

What others say

“Dominic and the team at Burges Salmon were excellent throughout the process. The Burges Salmon team dissected every element of the process and ensured that we were protected, but more importantly that the business has the ability to thrive alongside working with the Foodbuy team in the future. I could not recommend Burges Salmon and their team highly enough for their integrity, knowledge and work ethic.”

Alex Demetriou, founder and managing director of RPG

“The team are fantastic and show real empathy towards their clients. They are approachable, collegiate and very knowledgeable.”

Legal 500 UK 2024

“The Burges Salmon partners and the supporting team are responsive, engaged and very much subject experts. They are a pleasure to work with.”

Legal 500 UK 2025

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Insights

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