— Running and growing your business
Legal advice for early-stage funding rounds
Raising investment can be a crucial step for a growing business. We advise founder-led companies, particularly sustainable and purpose-led businesses, on funding rounds. We help with the legal documents, investor terms, shareholder arrangements and completion process, making the transaction as smooth and straightforward as possible.
A few of our clients:
Legal Support for Sustainable Businesses Raising Investment
Raising investment is an exciting stage in the growth of any business, but it can also feel unfamiliar, time-consuming and document-heavy — particularly for founders who are managing the process for the first time.
We support sustainable, purpose-led and growing companies with early-stage funding rounds, typically up to around £1 million. Our role is to help make the legal process clear, manageable and commercially sensible, so founders can focus on building their business while protecting their position.
We work closely with companies raising investment from angel investors, high-net-worth individuals, seed investors, existing shareholders and other early-stage funders. Our advice is practical, responsive and proportionate to the size and stage of the round.
Supporting sustainable and purpose-led businesses
We have particular experience working with businesses that are focused on sustainability, ethical growth, responsible innovation and positive impact. These businesses often need legal advice that is not only technically sound, but also aligned with their values, culture and long-term ambitions.
Whether you are raising your first external investment or completing a further early-stage round, we can help you understand the process, negotiate key terms and put the right legal foundations in place.
Practical, proportionate advice
For many growing companies, a funding round of £250,000, £500,000 or £1 million is a major milestone. We understand that legal costs need to be proportionate and that founders need clear guidance without unnecessary complexity.
Our approach is straightforward: we explain what matters, flag the risks, help you make informed decisions and keep the transaction moving.
Typical clients we support
We work with:
- sustainable businesses;
- B Corp and aspiring B Corp companies;
- ethical consumer brands;
- climate-conscious businesses;
- impact-led start-ups;
- founder-led companies;
- SMEs raising early-stage investment;
- companies taking investment from angels or private investors.
Speak to us
If your business is raising investment, or preparing for a future funding round, we would be happy to talk through the legal steps involved and how we can support you.
How can we help?
We can advise on and prepare the key legal documents needed for an investment round, including:
- investment agreements;
- subscription agreements;
- shareholders’ agreements;
- articles of association;
- board and shareholder approvals;
- founder protections;
- investor rights;
- disclosure and due diligence support;
- Companies House filings and completion documents.
We can also work alongside your accountants, tax advisers and other professional advisers to help ensure the process runs smoothly.
Choose your package
Choose the level of legal support that fits your business now, with a clear route to scale as your needs grow.
— Starter
Starting from
£199/month
Introductory Retainer
For specific legal tasks with a clear scope, timeline and cost.
- Contract review
- Terms and conditions
- Supplier agreements
- Business documents
- Business support
Popular
— ENHANCED
Starting from
£299/month
Monthly Retainer
For businesses that need regular access to senior legal advice with predictable monthly cost.
- Regular legal guidance
- Commercial contract support
- Priority access
- Clear route to scale support
- Business support
— BESPOKE
Starting from
£499/month
Bespoke Support
For more complex commercial, dispute or regulatory cases.
- Corporate & commercial advice
- Disputes & regulatory support
- Strategic legal guidance
- Discovery-led scoping
- Business support
Why Clearly Business Law
Clearly Business Law brings a fresh approach to legal support.
Senior lawyers only
No junior hand-offs or bloated teams.
Fixed-fee certainty
Clear budgeting before work begins with monthly retainer plans
SME focused
Support built around your business decisions.
Human advice
Direct, friendly video consultations.
Flexible & fast support
Direct, friendly and jargon light.
Trusted by growing businesses
Real feedback from business owners using Clearly Business Law for practical, approachable legal support.
“We are delighted to have supported Relode in their important funding round in 2025. Relode is delivering exactly the kind of clean-energy infrastructure the UK needs if it is to meet its net-zero goals, and we’re proud to play a part in that transition. This transaction reflects the type of work where our background in leading law firms, combined with our hands-on, partner-led approach, enables us to provide pragmatic advice to growing businesses and their founders.“
Alison Morjaria, Director of Clearly Business Law
“Clearly Business Law played a vital role in helping us complete our most recent funding round smoothly and on schedule. Their team brought a clear, commercially minded approach to every stage of the process, giving us confidence that the legal fundamentals were in expert hands. Their responsiveness, practicality, and understanding of our business made them an invaluable and trusted partner. We’re grateful for their support and look forward to continuing the relationship as Relode expands its Power Park network across the UK.”
Mikey Clark, CEO of Relode
“I needed a loan agreement to be prepared incredibly quickly. Following a call with Rebecca from Clearly Business Law the work was turned around within a day and met all of my needs perfectly. I was impressed by the efficiency and attention to detail – highly recommended!”
Mr Clarke, Surrey
Need legal support but not sure where to start?
Tell us what you need help with and we’ll point you towards the right package, retainer or next step.