These were the same principles upon which our Founder, Mr Charles R de Alwis, set up the firm in 1993 and we are very proud to have been able to consistently achieve these guiding principles.

Our clients include businesses, private individuals and charities both local to London/Essex, National and International.

We attain the highest standard of business efficiency as evidenced by accreditation from Investors in People since 2002 to date. To help our private and corporate clients, we have links with law firms in many EU countries, as well as Sri Lanka and Dubai.

Please feel free to explore our website to find out what type of services we can offer you.

This is an area where we provide a total business consultancy service through our consultancy company, CDA Consulting, which offer Pay Roll services, Health & Safety Procedures, Inspections and monitoring, all aspects of back office HR support including preparation of Employee Handbooks, specimen letters for the employers to use, advice on disciplinary issues, work permit applications, and everything that an HR Department in a company should have!

Our service also includes representation at the Employment Tribunal, preparation of Compromise agreements and assisting HR Departments to present re-structuring programs.

This leaves the Companies and their owners to concentrate on their core business activities, leaving all non-core work to a trusted Consulting company.

For Private Clients:

Employment (Compromise Agreements).

Lasting Powers of Attorney and Public Guardianship (Court of Protection).

Family/Divorce/Relationship breakdowns.

Moving home (Sales and Purchases).

Wills & Inheritance Planning.

Personal Litigation.

If your business requires……..new office premises or wishes to dispose of its existing premises,…….then we offer a one stop facility.

Through our corporate consultancy arm, we can act as your property Agents in both finding and disposing of your property, and we as your Property lawyers can deal with the conveyancing process, whether it is a short term Licence, long term lease or sale/purchase of the freehold.

We also liaise with Surveyors in dealing with schedules of dilapidations and wants of repair and act for landlords and tenants to bring about the best settlement without recourse to time consuming litigation.

Please check out our ‘Client Profiles’ section to see who we currently work with.

(1) Are you contemplating starting a business?

(2) Are you currently running a business and you need advice?

(3) Are you thinking of selling/retiring from your business?

You may wish to talk to someone trusted and professional for advice. Look no further, we can assist you.

We can offer you fixed fee interviews to discuss your issues and offer preliminary advice, during which we will tell you what you need to do, and if we are to deal with your matter, how we charge and the cost to you.

You may be a small business or a large multi-national company, but we see the person seeking the advice as an individual. We never forget that.

The advice we give is always in a commercially realistic understandable language. We adopt a ‘Can-do’ concept to business matters.

We will always tell you if you cannot do something the way you suggest, but equally we will actively look for a pro-active way forward and advice you how to reach your desired objective.

Areas of work we cover:

Business start up advice and incorporation of limited liability companies for you.

Employment law advice, as well as preparing employee handbooks, procedures, contracts of employment, compromise agreements, and employment tribunal representation.

Commercial agreements/contracts and litigation.

Commercial property matters including new leases, renewals of leases, assignment of leases, and the buying and selling of land and buildings.

Acquisition of an existing business (if acting for the buyer) and in the case of us acting for the seller, then the sale of your business.

Debt recovery litigation.

Company secretarial service.

Payroll and HR services.

Commercial Agreements

These include:

•Business Contracts between two or more parties
•Sale/Purchase of businesses and the sale of shares in companies
•Company matters including formation and re-organisation of share capital, reduction of share capital application in the High Court
•Shareholder’s agreements
•Preparation of Employee Handbooks, Employment Contracts
•Partnership agreements
•Joint ventures agreements
•Striking Out/Liquidating Companies

Should you wish to see a lawyer at our office before you make your Will, or wish to prepare a Nil Rate Tax Band Will to avoid or minimise your inheritance tax, then please feel free to telephone us on 0208-597-5717 for an appointment.

Probate

We act for Executors or Administrators in dealing with Probate with the Probate Registry. Most probate matters are straightforward applications and some involve the administration of the estate.

This means, we can act to get all the money’s into one account, pay off the liabilities including inheritance tax, and the net estate divided and distributed to those who are entitled to receive under the terms of the will or in the absence of a will under the laws of intestacy.

Where a person is already unable to handle their own financial affairs it is too late for a LPA to be prepared.

A third party must apply to the Public Guardianship Office (previously called the Court of Protection) to be appointed. The process is complicated and time consuming, and although we have the expertise to deal with this for you, we recommend preventative action by you making a LPA.

Please feel free to contact our Reception on 0208-597-5717 for more information/appointment.

Compromise Agreements: If your employer and you have reached an agreement where he/it would pay you in excess of what you are legal/statutorily entitled to, such an agreement must be approved by a solicitor who is independent of your employer.

This is a solicitor of your choice must act for you and we will be pleased to act for you, provided we have not acted for your employer previously.

As our Client, you are personally liable to pay our fees, generally, there is a clause in the compromise agreement which states that your employer will meet this costs subject to a maximum amount.
We will be pleased to act for you and to advise you as to the suitability of such payment terms and conclude the agreement.

Employment Tribunal Applications:

In the event your employment has been terminated in an unfair manner or is not the subject of a compromise agreement, then you must within three months from the date of termination of your employment make an application for unfair dismissal or other form of remedy to the local Employment Tribunal.

We can assist you from the very outset up to the final hearing. It may make sense to check with your Trade Union or your Home Insurance policies to see if you are covered for litigations/legal expenses cover, as otherwise none of the fees paid to us cannot be recovered in Tribunal proceedings.

When you see us for the first time, you may wish to do so on an initial fixed fee interview basis.

You can therefore discuss your problem/concerns with a lawyer of this firm, who will provide outline advice as an independent lawyer giving you both the pros and cons of your thoughts.

We will also inform you of the likely cots (including Court Fees etc) that are payable if you decide to start formal legal proceedings. This initial fixed fee interview of up to 30 minutes duration will cost you only £60 plus VAT, a total of £70.50.

Our team deals with all aspects of Divorces, Injunctions, Separations, children and financial/property matters.