company secretarial

Through our dedicated company secretarial department we are able to provide a complete compliance service together with registered office facility. Our advisory service covers all aspects of Company Law including specific advice on more complex matters as required.

The company secretarial department provides a full range of company secretarial services that are designed to ensure compliance with statutory obligations and avoid the risk of penalties and prosecution. The services can be delivered either as specialist 'one-off' advice or assignments or, more typically, as ongoing annual compliance support. We aim to deliver a tailor-made solution best suited to particular needs.

Qualified and experienced professionals, who specialise in company procedures and relevant statutory compliance, staff the department. It serves clients of all sizes ranging from entrepreneurs and fledgling companies to publicly listed companies and their subsidiaries, limited liability partnerships, companies limited by guarantee and off-shore entities. Our knowledge of company legislation releases clients from this administrative burden allowing directors and proprietors of businesses to devote more time to what they are good at - developing their businesses.

We can undertake the full range of company secretarial duties, either on behalf of a client or as a reliable support service for a client's in-house secretarial function. 

our services include:

• Registration of new companies (UK and overseas - through our network of affiliated offices) and re-registration and change of name.
• We will attend to all the formalities associated with incorporating a new company, re-registering a company from private to public (and vice versa) or effecting a company's change of name. Some restrictions are imposed on the acceptability of a proposed company name.
• We will advise on any likely 'sensitive' words and restrictions and check at Companies House on whether there are any existing similar names.
• The Articles of Association of a company regulate how that company can operate. We can advise on the most appropriate share capital structure and tailor the constitution accordingly, including preparing all requisite documentation.
• Registered office facility at a prestigious London address. A registered office is the address of a company to which all official and statutory letters and reminders will always be sent. A registered office need not be the same address as the company's principal place of business but must be located in the same jurisdiction as that of the company's incorporation.

maintenance of statutory registers and records:

We will maintain and update client company registers on a secure database. The registers can be provided in hard or electronic copy, as and when requested.

 

preparation and filing of all returns:

We will prepare and file the client company annual return each year on a client's behalf ensuring that the filing deadline is met. We will also notify the client each year in advance of the annual accounts filing deadline, sending all necessary documentation to ensure the accounts are filed timely and efficiently.

 

nominee director and secretary facility:

Every incorporated company must have at least one director (although this director must be a natural person it is permissible for a corporate entity to act as an additional director). Public companies are also required to appoint a qualified company secretary. Although the Companies Act 2006 removed the legal requirement for private companies to have a secretary, some companies (especially larger ones or where the directors are based abroad) continue to have a secretary. We can provide corporate officers to fill these positions for those clients who do not have a second person available or who wish to maintain anonymity.
 

assistance with board and shareholder meetings:

We will, upon request, prepare all paperwork relating to structural changes in a company including, amongst other things, changes in officers, share transfers and allotments and accounting reference date. We will advise a client if a shareholder meeting needs to be held and provide all necessary documentation for signing, including circulating to shareholders. If required we can also attend any meetings in an advisory capacity. Please note that a private company is no longer required to hold an annual general meeting unless it is a traded company or is required to do so by its articles of association.

share capital reorganisation, purchase of own shares and other specialist transactions:

We can provide professional advice and assistance on practical aspects of company law and complex issues such as share restructuring, reduction of capital, pre-emption provisions, bonus and rights issues, and purchase of own shares.  

company striking off and restoration:

We will prepare all the necessary documentation for signing and statutory filing, ensuring any filing deadlines are adhered to.

 

due diligence:

We can undertake a comprehensive review of a company's statutory registers and filing history to ensure the company is in compliance with legislation.

 

company and company officer searches:

We are frequently instructed to perform a transactional role, ensuring that the statutory compliance requirements in relation to any particular transaction are identified, and dealing with all the filings and notifications that can so often be overlooked.

The department uses 'Blueprint' company secretarial software to maintain and operate each client's statutory records on our computer system. This facility enables immediate access to and automated updating of all registers and record.

Recognising that client instructions are frequently time-sensitive we undertake to deal with matters in an efficient and courteous manner.