Tailor your agreement to fit your business needs. Our commercial lease solicitors negotiate favourable terms, ensure compliance with legal obligations and help you avoid unexpected costs when leasing a business premises.
Book a complimentary consultation
A short call with one of our founders about your business and your legal priorities. We reply within one business day.
Included in our subscription plans
Most lease problems don’t start in a dispute with the landlord. They start with heads of terms signed too early, a repair clause nobody read, or a break date that passed. These are the ones we see most often at Lawyerly.
Heads of terms review
We review the heads of terms before you commit, flag the points that will cost you later (rent review, repairs, break rights, deposit) and tell you what to push back on while you still have leverage.
Lease drafting and negotiation
For terms up to three years we draft or negotiate the lease ourselves, in plain English, so you know exactly what you are taking on. For longer leases we bring in specialist property counsel and manage the process for you.
Landlord and tenant disputes
Repairs not done, a deposit withheld, a rent review you disagree with or a break you want to exercise: we tell you where the lease puts you and deal with the landlord on your behalf.
commercial lease solutions
A lease is usually the biggest contract a small business signs, and the one it reads least. The term, the rent review, the repairing obligation and the break clause decide what the premises really cost and how easily you can leave. We make sure you understand all four before you sign, then stay on hand for the life of the lease.
When something changes, whether that is a move, a sublet, a rent review or a landlord who is not keeping their side of the bargain, you already have a solicitor who knows your lease and can act quickly.
Book a complimentary consultation
A short call with one of our founders about your business and your legal priorities. We reply within one business day.
We review the heads of terms and the draft lease, set out the risks in a short report and tell you which terms to accept, negotiate or refuse.
Leases and licences to occupy with a term of up to three years, drafted or negotiated by your solicitor, with clear responsibilities on both sides so misunderstandings do not turn into disagreements.
For leases over three years we brief specialist property counsel and manage the process end to end. Throughout the term we advise on assignments, sublets, variations and rent reviews, and deal with the landlord if things go wrong.
With Lawyerly, it stops being a worry, and becomes an advantage.
We pair you with one of our qualified solicitors whose expertise and experience fits your business.
Work with your legal professional through our online Client Hub. Wherever you are, whenever you need us.
Pay a monthly subscription or a fixed fee for one-off work. The price is always agreed before we start.
Our commercial solicitors have worked at top-tier law firms and global legal departments, the kind of senior legal team most SMEs can't justify building in-house.
Legal Service Director
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Legal Service Director
SRA No. 634623
Patricia is a corporate and commercial solicitor whose practice centres on mergers and acquisitions, early-stage investment rounds (particularly angel and pre-seed), and the commercial agreements that underpin high-growth businesses. Trained at DLA Piper and seasoned through a range of in-house counsel roles, she has advised FTSE100 corporations, public bodies, and high-profile individuals.
As Senior Solicitor and Legal Services Director at Lawyerly, Patricia leads service delivery for a client base weighted toward tech and AI. She guides founders and investors through funding rounds, structures strategic acquisitions, and negotiates the subscription agreements, technology licences, and partnership arrangements that scale-ups depend on. Her fluency in data privacy, IP, and regulatory matters means she can drive the full range of workstreams that tech deals demand, keeping transactions moving and valuations protected.
Qualifications
LLB (Hons); LPC MSc in Law, Business and Management
Commercial Solicitor
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Commercial Solicitor
SRA No. 576972
James is a commercial and corporate solicitor whose practice centres on commercial contracts, technology and intellectual property, and disputes, sharpened by a keen commercial sense for how the law plays out in business reality. He has practised at Pinsent Masons, EY Law, and across a range of in-house roles, leading on SaaS and software licensing negotiations, M&A due diligence, and commercial litigation alongside international stakeholders on high-value, complex matters.
As Commercial Solicitor at Lawyerly, James brings that range to SMEs that need serious commercial advice without the complexity of a traditional firm relationship. He negotiates and manages contracts, advises on technology and IP, and helps clients pre-empt the disputes that derail growth. His particular fluency in contract management and technology law means he can tighten commercial frameworks and reduce legal risk as businesses scale.
Qualifications
LLB (Hons); LPC (Commendation)
Commercial Solicitor
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Commercial Solicitor
SRA No. 839517
Ashrelle is a commercial solicitor who built her practice at Browne Jacobson LLP, a leading UK national law firm, advising private and public sector clients on contracts, IP, and procurement. Her experience extends into real estate, clinical negligence, employment, and government infrastructure, giving her a breadth few solicitors at her level can offer.
As Commercial Solicitor at Lawyerly, Ashrelle focuses on practical commercial advice for growing businesses, building the long-term client relationships that turn legal counsel into trusted partnership. She is as comfortable reviewing a software agreement as steering a complex procurement, and her employment expertise lets her advise on the people-side issues that sit alongside the commercial ones, keeping clients covered across the full picture of their business as it scales.
Qualifications
LLB (Hons); LPC LLM
Co-Founder & Director
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Co-Founder & Director
Jackie has spent twenty years working on how legal services reach the people and businesses that need them. Before co-founding Lawyerly she built and led one of Africa's largest alternative legal organisations, growing it to more than 500 people serving 100,000 clients, and her work there was recognised in legal services, technology, innovation and dispute resolution. She holds a PhD, awarded with distinction, and has been named among the top five women in legal technology.
At Lawyerly she is responsible for the firm's strategic direction. Her starting point has not changed in two decades: the law should work for the people who use it, rather than the other way round. That view shapes how Lawyerly is run, from how services are priced to how matters are staffed.
Qualifications
LLB; MPhil (Cum Laude); PhD (Top Achiever Award); Key Regulatory Compliance Certifications
Co-Founder
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Co-Founder
Willem co-founded Lawyerly after twenty years of running and advising businesses, most of which were spent as a client of law firms rather than a member of one. He had seen how legal advice tends to arrive: late, priced by the hour, and detached from the commercial decision that prompted it. Lawyerly grew out of a conviction that it could be done differently.
He read law and marketing at university and later completed MIT Sloan's executive programme in artificial intelligence and business strategy. His career before Lawyerly took in two advertising agencies, which he led through the industry's move to digital, several years in digital publishing, and a period in international development, working on programmes across South East Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.
At Lawyerly he is responsible for growth and for the client experience, ensuring our clients receive the legal support they need.
Qualifications
BA Law; AI Business Strategy (MIT); Nomadic Marketing (UCT)
Director
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Director
Jan began his career in law before broadening into corporate strategy and technology. He holds a Master's in Corporate Law and an MBA, and later completed a Master's in Applied Data Science, driven by a conviction that the legal profession could do far more with the data it generates. That combination of legal, commercial, and analytical training has shaped a career spent rethinking how legal services are designed and delivered, with a particular focus on projects that use data and digital tools to improve legal processes.
As Director at Lawyerly, Jan brings data analytics, financial management, and strategy to the firm. His blend of legal grounding, commercial instinct, and technical fluency means Lawyerly's growth is guided by someone who understands the practice as deeply as the business behind it.
Qualifications
LLB; LLM; MBA; MSc
Answers to the questions we hear most often, on how the subscription works, what it covers and how we charge.
Reviewing heads of terms and draft leases, drafting and negotiating leases and licences to occupy with a term of up to three years, advising on assignment, subletting and variation during the term, and dealing with the landlord when there is a disagreement over repairs, deposits, rent reviews or break clauses. For longer leases we bring in specialist property counsel and manage the process for you. Subscribers get ongoing advice for the life of the lease.
Leases with a term of up to three years are included on the Accelerate, Scale and Enterprise plans. On Scale and Enterprise, longer leases are included too: we brief specialist property counsel, manage the process end to end and contribute up to £1,200 towards their fees per lease, with anything above that agreed with you before work starts. On Accelerate a longer lease is arranged as a fixed-fee project. If you are not a subscriber, we work on a fixed fee agreed in advance.
Longer leases bring Land Registry registration, Stamp Duty Land Tax and the business tenant’s renewal rights under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 into play. That is specialist property work, so rather than do it at arm’s length we brief a property specialist and stay involved as your solicitor. You keep one point of contact, and someone who checks the commercial terms against the rest of your business.
The length of the term and whether there is a break clause you can actually use, how and when the rent is reviewed, what you are responsible for repairing (a full repairing lease on an old building can cost more than the rent), the deposit and what it takes to get it back, whether you can assign or sublet, and what the landlord is promising to do. Heads of terms are usually marked subject to contract, but once they are agreed the landlord’s solicitor drafts to them, so this is the moment to negotiate.
Only if the lease lets you: through a break clause, by assigning it to someone else, by subletting, or by agreeing a surrender with the landlord. Break clauses are strict, with dates and conditions that must be met exactly, and missing one usually means the break fails. We check what your lease allows and plan the route and the timing with you.
Send us the lease and the facts. We tell you where you stand and what the lease entitles you to, then put your position to the landlord or their agent. Most disagreements over repairs, deposits and service charges are resolved by negotiation once the lease terms are set out plainly. If it does not settle, we tell you the likely cost of each step before you take it.
A lease question rarely arrives alone. These are the services our commercial tenant clients use most.
Unlimited access to solicitors who know your business, for the everyday questions and the ones that worry you.
ExploreFormal demands, letters before action and repayment plans that recover unpaid invoices and keep your cash flow moving.
ExploreStrategy, cost control and coordination when a matter heads to court, so the process stays managed and proportionate.
ExploreLearn how our services can benefit you by scheduling a call with one of our team members.
Book a complimentary consultation
A short call with one of our founders about your business and your legal priorities. We reply within one business day.
Willem van der Merwe
Co-Founder
Read profile
Co-Founder
Willem co-founded Lawyerly after twenty years of running and advising businesses, most of which were spent as a client of law firms rather than a member of one. He had seen how legal advice tends to arrive: late, priced by the hour, and detached from the commercial decision that prompted it. Lawyerly grew out of a conviction that it could be done differently.
He read law and marketing at university and later completed MIT Sloan's executive programme in artificial intelligence and business strategy. His career before Lawyerly took in two advertising agencies, which he led through the industry's move to digital, several years in digital publishing, and a period in international development, working on programmes across South East Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.
At Lawyerly he is responsible for growth and for the client experience, ensuring our clients receive the legal support they need.
Qualifications
BA Law; AI Business Strategy (MIT); Nomadic Marketing (UCT)
