Business

Our business lawyers are adept at negotiating major commercial transactions, experienced in acting for publicly listed companies and are innovative at structuring complex corporate reorganizations.

Richards Buell Sutton LLP has extensive experience meeting the business needs of local and foreign owned enterprises extending across many industries in British Columbia. At RBS, we have a large corporate commercial practice with lawyers adept at negotiating major commercial transactions, experienced in acting for publicly listed companies and innovative at structuring complex corporate re-organizations. We understand that in any economic environment the only certainty is that things will change. Our role is helping clients no matter what the circumstances. Adapting to evolving needs, our legal services are solution driven and cost-effective.

What We Do

In today's business environment, you need legal advice that is specialized, comprehensive and practical. We provide advice in all aspects of starting, maintaining and developing your business including:

  • Business planning and name registration
  • Corporate structure, organization and governance
  • Corporate services, including government filing requirements
  • Director and officer duties and liability
  • Intellectual property protection and IP audits
  • Trade-mark advice and registration
  • Borrowing and lending to finance new developments
  • Financing and raising capital
  • Mergers and acquisitions
  • Early-stage financing and IPO
  • All aspects of buying and selling a business (asset or share purchase and sale)
  • Drafting, negotiating and reviewing all manner of commercial agreements such as:
        • Partnership and shareholders agreements
        • Consultant agreements
        • Employment agreements and stock-option plans
        • Supply agreements
        • Commercial leases

What You Can Expect from Us

Our business lawyers have a primary area of focus with an expertise that typically extends into related fields.  Many of our lawyers also belong to related practice groups at RBS including: Real Estate, Construction, Securities, Intellectual Property, Wealth Preservation, and Employment Law. This allows us to provide a comprehensive, integrated approach to client files that is responsive to the rapidly changing demands of today’s business climate.

Because of the large numbers of corporations we serve and the corresponding requirement for records maintenance we have a high ratio of corporate paralegals to business lawyers.  Our clients benefit because our lawyers are able to delegate routine, as well as more complex corporate services work and file maintenance, to our highly qualified paralegals who perform that portion of work at a lower hourly rate or on a fixed fee basis.  This means your legal services dollars go further with us.

Our clients include:

  • Major financial institutions, credit unions and capital corporations
  • Insurers 
  • Educational institutions
  • National and international retail chains
  • Natural resource and energy sector corporate clients
  • Science and technology industry interests
  • Manufacturing, processing and distribution businesses