Commercial

Overview

Commercial agreements are essential to all businesses to capture value and manage risk. Getting commercial contracts right helps our clients to create and run efficient and profitable enterprises.

The Gowling WLG team appreciates that clients are looking for pragmatic legal advice which helps secure and maximise the right opportunities. Our lawyers are equally at home advising on complex, high value, multi-jurisdictional projects or managing high-volume day-to-day contracting requirements.

We bring together experts from different practice areas and multiple jurisdictions to ensure your agreements work everywhere you do business. Our advice is strengthened through our specific expertise in key industry sectors, such as life sciences, real estate, retail, financial services, food and beverage, automotive, IT, telecom, defence, health, government projects, aviation and travel.

Our international client list includes leading global consumer goods brands, industrial manufacturers and supply chains, government departments and other crown/public bodies, and major financial institutions.

From local startups to high-profile global powerhouses, we draft and negotiate commercial agreements, whether they relate to routes to market or procurement and supply chain. We're also ahead of the game when it comes to IT and technology, and have market leading expertise in issues such as cloud computing, data protection and security, and Safe Harbor.

Other services include:

  • Business process outsourcing
  • Consumer and travel law
  • Data protection and Safe Harbor
  • Distribution and agency agreements
  • E-commerce
  • Franchise agreements
  • IT development, software licensing and outsourcing
  • Logistics
  • Manufacturing
  • Merchandising
  • Telecom agreements
  • Procurement
  • Property and facilities management
  • Sales and marketing
  • Sponsorship

You'll find us to be creative problem solvers focused on delivering solutions. By bringing together our experience and technical expertise, we deliver advice that maximises your opportunities and position.

Let Gowling WLG take care of all your commercial contract needs. Please contact us to learn more.

Germany

Your business relies on a range of agreements and contracts that allow you to operate efficiently and profitably across the supply chain. With global markets becoming increasingly regulated, getting these agreements right is crucial to your success.

What you need are sector-focused lawyers who don't just understand the small print but see the bigger picture when it comes to what you're trying to achieve.

That's why you should choose Gowling WLG for all your commercial law needs. Responsive and approachable, we're committed to delivering premium legal services at a reasonable cost.

With offices in Stuttgart and Munich, we know how to steer clients - including those who have little experience doing business in Germany - through their projects successfully. Our lawyers hold comprehensive experience in private practice and have also worked in-house, giving us a broad understanding of how corporates work and what they expect.

Whether you need assistance on a negotiation or a complex contractual scheme, we're just as comfortable in managing your high-volume, day-to-day contracting requirements as we are in handling your specific projects.

You can count on us for timely, high-quality legal advice relating to matters such as research and development, engineering, tech, procurement and supply chain, tooling, manufacturing, sales, merchandising, advertising and marketing, e-commerce, logistics, sponsorship, property and facility management.

Our specialty areas include commercial work relating to:

  • Nomination letters and agreements
  • Procurement contracts and (framework) supply agreements
  • Quality assurance agreements
  • Warranty agreements
  • Interface agreements and "back-to-back" (supply chain)
  • Logistic and consignment stock agreements
  • Tool contracts and tool transfer agreements
  • Agency, distribution and franchise agreements
  • General terms and conditions, CISG, Incoterms
  • Cross-border business
  • Business process outsourcing
  • Distribution schemes
  • Product roll-outs

We have particular in-depth industry expertise in the automotive sector - a natural fit, with Stuttgart being home to numerous major auto manufacturers and suppliers. Our specialty areas include commercial work relating to manufacturing, tooling, engineering and tech.

Learn more

For a hands-on, partner-led service that offers you quality in every aspect, then get in touch and let's talk about how we can help you achieve more.

Latest news

UK

The best possible deal, delivered on time by lawyers who understand you, your business and your sector. That is what you'll receive from our commercial team.

The firm "treats this area as a standalone specialism" and "punches well above its weight" with "proven abilities in handling large and complex mandates" (Legal 500).

In-house legal teams can outsource commercial contracts of all sizes, description and complexity to our expert team, which has worked with the likes of Marks and Spencer, AstraZeneca and Premier Foods on meeting and exceeding compliance standards.

What you can expect from one of the UK's largest dedicated commercial teams of more than 30 lawyers:

  • Breadth of capability - from high volume routine contracts, such as more than 100 contracts for Marks and Spencer, to the most complex, such as advising CBRE on Europe's largest property management requirement for PRUPIM with 1300 properties
  • Sector experience - established track-record in food and drink, life sciences, real estate, retail, financial services, automotive, IT, aviation and travel industries
  • Keen and confident - a natural ability to put ourselves in our clients' shoes and become an extension of the in-house legal team. Positive client feedback secured David Lowe a win as UK Projects and Procurement lawyer of the year 2013 International Law Office Client Choice Awards

The team works closely with colleagues in real estate, corporate, employment and insurance. Public procurement experts also provide valuable insight into contracting with private sector.