OUR SERVICES
Mergers and Acquisitions
Investment Rounds
SEIS and EIS Tax Reliefs
Shareholder Agreements and Articles of Association
Shareholder Disputes and Buyouts
Joint Ventures
Founder and Vesting Contracts
Share Option Schemes
Employee and Consultancy Agreements
Technology and Intellectual Property Contracts
Strategic Company Law Advice
Financial Services
Commercial Property
Last updated on November 24th, 2020 at 02:37 pm
Welcome to
‘The Jonathan Lea Network’
We are a firm of solicitors based in Haywards Heath, Mid-Sussex. We work with clients throughout the UK and around the world, adopting a tailored, pragmatic and clear approach to each matter we take on.
Put simply, through our work we aim to increase your profit, protection and free time. We only accept instructions on matters where we know we can add value and will always ensure that clients have the benefit of fee certainty, including a commitment to fixed fees where possible.
What are unapproved / non-tax advantaged share option schemes and how are they used?
Published -0 days ago
An unapproved share option scheme (which is now increasingly referred to as a non-tax advantaged share option scheme) provides the right, but not obligation to acquire a given number of shares from a company at a future date for a fixed price.
For the purposes of this article, we will continue to refer to these schemes as “unapproved” schemes because this is how many people still refer to them. Many industrial professionals, however, have adopted the term “non-tax advantaged” in place of “unapproved”.
Changes to HMRC SEIS/EIS Guidance for Film and TV Companies
Published 35 days ago
HMRC updated its Venture Capital Schemes Manual VCM8560 on 15 March 2021.
The update is regarding Example 3 of VCM8560 which presents an example of a qualifying film company.
The new guidance provides further clarity on how the risk-to-capital condition applies to Film and TV production companies that are seeking SEIS/EIS advance assurance approval.
A Guide to Convertible Loan Notes
Published 84 days ago
Convertible Loan Notes (“CLN”) are loan notes which grant the holder a right to subscribe or convert the loan amount into shares in the relevant company. We will explore the potential benefits and drawbacks of using CLNs in more detail below, but they are often used as a form of bridging facility by start-up companies ahead of a future round of venture capital financing.
Where an investor invests in a company via a CLN, unlike a venture capital investment where equity is issued up-front, the investment amount will be treated as a loan to the company and (subject to the terms of the CLN) there will be an option or right to convert that amount into shares in the company at a later point in time. Another key difference when investing via a CLN as opposed to venture capital, is that the share price and most likely the class of share will not be known at the date of the investment.
Quick Guide on Contract Termination
Published 84 days ago
This blog aims to provide a short overview and explanation of contract termination with key considerations for those creating contracts. Throughout this blog, we reference an article by Kira Systems on ‘How to Terminate a Contract’, which includes several useful infographics that demonstrate how to include a termination clause within a contract.
Employee Guidance Where Employers Demand Covid-19 Vaccination
Published 95 days ago
The United Kingdom Medical Freedom Alliance (UKMFA), Lawyers for Liberty and The Workers Union of England have published an open letter to employers who are demanding Covid-19 Vaccination of Employees. Employees and potential employees are able to share this letter with employers who are proposing to mandate Covid-19 vaccines on their employees.
