Legal advice for the manufacturing sector
Practical legal expertise to support manufacturing businesses.
It is important for manufacturers to have legal advisors that understand their current industry pressures such as supply chain issues, recruiting skilled workers and unstable economic conditions.
We are strategic legal partners, working with manufacturing clients. Our knowledge of the sector puts us in the best position to support their success – whether that’s running day-to-day operations, handling challenging times or embracing new opportunities.
How can we help?
Simply expand the sections below for more information on the services and support available to you.
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Our award-winning corporate lawyers work with you to understand your business goals and help you to achieve the right result.
From business mergers, acquisitions and restructures, to shareholder arrangements and joint venture arrangements, our experienced team can support you.
We work with a wide range of manufacturing clients, from local owner-managed businesses to multi-national corporations, and tailor our support to fit your needs.
Find out more about our corporate law services.
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Commercial contracts are at the heart of how your business operates and are crucial for the smooth running of operations.
Our experts can help you to get the right commercial agreements in place with suppliers, partners and customers.
We can also advise you on protecting your intellectual property rights, as well as other areas of commercial law including projects and IT.
Find out more about our commercial law services.
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Employment law frequently changes, and many employers find it difficult to keep up with developments.
Our employment law solicitors and HR specialists can reduce the burden on your business and make sure you are compliant and protected.
We can advise you on a wide range of issues, including relations with trade unions, employment contracts, employment tribunals and restructuring and redundancy.
In addition to expert legal support we aim to keep our clients up-to-date with developments in employment law through regular bulletins, case law analysis and our free webinar programme.
Through working closely with our HR consultancy partner, Kent HR, we can also support you with HR implementation, such as staff handbook and policy updates, employee relations support, employee wellbeing, and ad hoc project support.
Find out more about our employment law and HR services.
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Our commercial property lawyers can support you with your business premises – whether you want to buy or sell commercial property, negotiate leases and Heads of Terms, or raise finance to develop your premises, we can help.
Our team includes experts in planning and environmental law, who can support you with planning applications and environmental permits where needed.
Find out more about our commercial property services.
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Our specialist lawyers provide practical support and advice on a range of regulatory matters, including health and safety and environmental law.
We help our manufacturing clients to understand and meet their responsibilities, to reduce the risk of breaches.
If your business is facing a regulatory investigation or prosecution, our expert advice on how to respond can reduce the burden and stress.
Find out more about our regulatory law services.
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Our commercial dispute resolution solicitors are experienced negotiators and litigators, who can help you resolve a wide range of business disputes, such as disputes over contracts, property, partnerships and commercial fraud.
We regularly use alternative dispute resolution to achieve a speedier and cheaper solution for our clients. These methods can also help to preserve your commercial relationships.
If court proceedings are unavoidable, we offer full support and transparent pricing so that you know where you stand.
Find out more about our commercial dispute resolution services.
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Our award-winning team has led the way in debt recovery for more than 30 years.
We can support manufacturing businesses of all sizes, giving you peace of mind that your debts are being recovered efficiently and professionally.
Our services are tailored to meet your needs. We can assist in all debt recovery matters including legal action, portfolio management, in-house training and auditing your current processes.
Find out more about debt recovery.
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Is your firm facing an asbestos disease, hearing loss or other industrial disease or accident claim? Are you unable to locate your liability insurers?
Our specialist lawyers have extensive experience in tracing liability insurers, who have then met the costs of the claim. We can effectively defend your business against industrial disease claims, whether that’s getting the other side to drop their claim or fighting it to the court. Our team also aim to settle cases as early as possible and would not encourage you to run up costs of fighting a hearing loss or asbestos disease claim, unless we consider the claim is defensible at an economic cost.
Find out more about our defending industrial disease claims services.
Meet the Legal advice for the manufacturing sector team
Legal advice for the manufacturing sector Case Studies
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Employment tribunal claim against two respondents, including a renowned motor manufacturer.
Brachers has successfully acted for the employer in a case brought by a former employee who was dismissed after he walked off the production line.
We acted for the employer in a case brought by a former employee who was dismissed after he walked off the production line.
The employee claimed he had been dismissed because of whistleblowing and health and safety reasons.
We mounted a strong defence on behalf of the employer in a 15-day employment tribunal hearing.
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Brachers defended an asbestos-related lung cancer claim for the UK division of an international pharmaceutical and food manufacturer.
Brachers has successfully defended an asbestos-related lung cancer claim for the UK division of an international pharmaceutical and food manufacturer.
The claim was from an ex-employee of a south-eastern perfume/soap oil processing factory, who was allegedly exposed to asbestos from lagging of pipes/sills in the late 1950s to early 60s. There were additional claims for earlier exposure by building employers and he was an ex-smoker.
We were instructed on the eve of the proceedings and identified likely breach duty but possible defences of causation (dependent on whether his exposure was above threshold to cause lung cancer) and contributory negligence.
We prepared and served a defence, not admitting breach and disputing causation and contributory negligence with a detailed request for further information regarding the claimant’s employment and exposure history. We traced the company’s insurers and before handing over to their panel firm, we contacted a former colleague who confirmed the claimant’s account and instructed our own chest consultant to advise on causation and damages issues.
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Claimant’s solicitors persuaded to drop £250,000 mesothelioma claim and pay our client’s legal costs
Brachers has successfully persuaded claimant’s solicitors to discontinue proceeding following evidence of no exposure to asbestos insulation board.
PD Ltd was a medium-sized company making display signs for the retail industry. Their former employee SB had died of mesothelioma. His widow claimed this was caused by asbestos exposure from making up shop sign/display boards when employed by our client in the early 1970s. She instructed leading asbestos specialist solicitors. They claimed from PD Ltd damages of over £250,000 plus costs.
SB used to cut up the sign boards and sweep up debris for our client. His widow claimed the signs were made of asbestos insulation board (AIB). The company’s founder, the present MD’s son was still alive and he used to design the signs. We obtained a full statement from him to show that AIB was never used in manufacturing these boards and we supported this by our research confirming AIB was not used in that industry. We pointed out JB’s later career as a painter and decorator was a more likely source of asbestos exposure.
We served the witness evidence and then drafted and served a full defence to the proceedings. We persuaded SB’s solicitors not only to discontinue proceedings but to pay our client back their own reasonable legal costs of defending the case.
Our client commented, “… fantastic news and a huge relief to us … Thanks for everything.”
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Collective redundancy consultation process for over 250 employees across a nine-month period.
We acted for a manufacturing business that was closing one of its factories and launching a collective redundancy process.
We provided all legal support to our client when they needed to close their Kent factory. Our advice covered the collective redundancy consultation process for over 250 employees across a nine-month period.
Our work involved:
- Project planning, including the provision of detailed timelines and Gant charts
- Preparing template documentation
- Meeting scripts and structures
- Financial modelling of termination costs
No employment tribunal claims were received following the conclusion of the process.
What our clients say
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