Selling a Business · Broker-Led Sales

Listed with a broker? You still need your own deal lawyer.

The deal counsel that brokers put on their files: quick document turnarounds, flat fees, and a closing that stays on schedule.

Your broker finds the buyer. Your lawyer protects the deal. A broker's job ends with a signed agreement and a closed sale — but what that agreement says about warranties, indemnities, and what you're on the hook for afterward is legal work your broker can't do for you.

Good brokers want a responsive deal lawyer on the file — slow legal work is the most common reason closings drag past their dates. We turn documents around in days, keep your broker in the loop, and keep your closing on schedule.

Where we fit in a broker-led sale.

  • Before you list. A review of the broker's listing and commission agreement — what you'll owe, and when, deserves a second set of eyes.
  • At the letter of intent. Price, structure, conditions, and exclusivity get locked in here. We negotiate it before you're committed.
  • Share or asset sale. Worked through with your accountant — often the biggest after-tax decision in the deal.
  • The purchase agreement. Representations, warranties, indemnities, holdbacks — the pages that decide your risk after closing.
  • Due diligence. We manage the legal side so buyer's counsel doesn't re-open settled points.
  • Closing. Funds flow, consents, filings, and your obligations during the transition.

Flat fees, quoted for your sale.

We quote broker-led sales individually, as a single flat fee agreed before we start — no hourly meter to slow your closing, and no fee surprises for your broker or your client. Send the deal outline and you'll have a fixed number up front.

Legal information, not legal advice. The content of this page is general legal information and does not create a lawyer–client relationship. Every transaction is different — speak with a lawyer about your situation before acting. Fixed fees are confirmed at engagement, after a scope confirmation, and are exclusive of HST and disbursements.

Common questions.

Do I need a lawyer if I already have a business broker?

Yes. A broker markets your business, finds and screens buyers, and negotiates the headline deal — but brokers don't draft or review the purchase agreement, and their commission depends on closing, not on how well the fine print protects you. The representations, warranties, indemnities, and holdbacks in the agreement decide what you can be sued for after closing. That review is a lawyer's job.

What does the lawyer do that the broker doesn't?

The broker runs the sale process; the lawyer papers the deal. In practice: reviewing the listing and commission agreement before you sign it, structuring the deal as a share or asset sale with your accountant, negotiating the purchase agreement, managing legal due diligence, handling employee and lease issues, and running closing. A good broker will tell you the same — most closings that stall, stall on the legal side.

When should the lawyer get involved?

Earlier than most owners think: ideally before you sign the broker's listing agreement, and certainly before you sign a letter of intent. Both documents lock in terms that are hard to walk back — the LOI in particular sets the price, structure, and exclusivity that shape everything after.

Let's Talk

Already listed, or about to be?

The best time to bring in your deal lawyer is before the listing agreement — the second-best is before the letter of intent. Either way, book a call.

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