GSC Solicitors LLP

Founded in 1972, this boutique City firm advises both business and private clients. Historically renowned for its premium commercial property expertise and international private client work, over the decades the firm has expanded into a full-service firm with corporate, litigation, real estate, employment, immigration, banking and tax practices. Clients range from corporates, listed companies, to small and medium-sized enterprises and high-net-worth individuals, in the UK and overseas. GSC Solicitors LLP is the only medium-sized law firm that speaks 16 foreign languages in house, with dedicated international desks to help overseas clients who come from the five continents.

The firm’s biggest asset is client relationship. Some of GSC’s clients stay with the firm for as long as over 30 years, that inspired the well-established programme ‘GSC’s Next Gen’. The programme is aimed at the next generation of entrepreneurs, professionals and successors of family businesses ensuring that the next generation are well equipped for the business challenges in complex business environment.

GSC’s entrepreneurial thinking has enabled the firm to become a trusted advisor to businesses. The firm is known for its holistic understanding of business, technology and the climate that businesses operate. The firm’s partners are included in the CityWealth Leaders’ List, International Membership Network ‘Abacus Worldwide’, where GSC is just one of very few law firms that represents UK’s legal professionals; and GSC’s senior partner Saleem Sheikh was recognised by the unbeatable award from The Magic Circle as the ’Entrepreneurial Individual’ – a small selection of firm’s achievements to mention.

Types of work undertaken
Commercial property: The department, led by Harvey Posener, acts for institutional investors, corporate occupiers, private entrepreneurs and professional landlords. It has extensive experience representing major occupiers, particularly in the hotel and leisure, franchised business, and healthcare sectors. The department offers significant market reputation and experience in commercial property development, funding, leases and sales.

Property finance: The department, headed by Peter Belcher, advises on secured and unsecured corporate lending and security arrangements, merger and acquisition financing, refinancing and development funding, financial restructuring and venture capital. It also deals with legal due diligence, warranties, covenants and inter-creditor issues. The department manages property financing of a number of international major fast food franchises, each with a large number of outlets; and is also specialised in the healthcare sector, helping owners and operators deal with all aspects of real estate financing in this highly regulated industry.

Residential real estate: GSC’s lawyers deal with high value conveyancing throughout England and Wales, including Crown property and other historical estates. The firm offers exceptional understanding of the complex issues including finding the best way that fits seamlessly with tax, family and private wealth management.

Construction: The GSC team acts for developers, contractors, Project Managers, sub-contractors, consultants and funders involved in the construction industry. They provide advice on all aspects of the construction procurement process, from contracts and development agreements to collateral warranties and third-party rights. The construction team is headed by Stephen Jones.

Planning law: The department headed by Philip Kratz, has an extensive experience in all aspects of planning and development related law, from complicated planning-conditional acquisitions, to enforcement notice issues.

Private client and trusts: The team headed by GSC’s senior partner, Saleem Sheikh, has a particular focus on advising on international private wealth providing high net worth individuals, families and entrepreneurs with holistic, tailored advice in relation to their interests both in the UK and further afield. The team is known for its strong track record in a broad range of private client issues, such as the setting up of both onshore and offshore trusts for wealth preservation, succession planning to help ensure family businesses pass down through generations without being unduly burdened with tax liabilities, as well as helping entrepreneurs to realise the sale of their successful venture in the most tax efficient way. The group helps ensure family businesses are properly structured so they can pass from generation to generation without being unduly burdened with tax liabilities and family disputes.

Tax investigation and disputes: GSC’s  experts, led by Saleem Sheikh, comprise of highly specialised professionals with experience in handling high level tax investigations. The team helps companies and individuals who are facing tax litigation, including white collar crime/fraud charges and regulatory offences. Services include negotiating with tax authorities, assisting in making voluntary discloses if unpaid tax and advising on legal professional privilege issues.

Business crime and regulatory: The group at GSC Solicitors headed by Khurram Arif, has a well-established reputation based on its strong experience in dealing with fraud, business crime, tax and litigation. The group advises both corporate and individual clients and is uniquely placed by their understanding of the commercial environment and their clients’ business interests. The team represents clients during interviews, criminal or regulatory investigations and any Court proceedings in a wide spectrum of areas, such as fraud and asset tracing, money laundering, extradition proceedings, bribery and corruption.

Corporate and commercial: Headed by Clive Halperin, the  work covers all aspects of commercial issues, from start-ups to stock exchange flotation and includes company and business sales and purchases, joint ventures, management buy-outs and institutional buy-ins, company financing and restructuring, venture capital investment, partnership and shareholder issues and agreements. With significant proportion of its work having an international scope, the corporate commercial team also advises on all forms of commercial contracts including agency and distribution, franchising, management agreements, lending and security documentation, sponsorship and marketing agreements and standard terms and conditions of trade. The department’s expertise spans a broad spectrum of commercial issues in a wide range of sector areas from manufacturing to technology and from marketing to healthcare. The firm works for long established businesses and businesses operating new operating models that may not have existed a few years ago.

Media and intellectual property: GSC’s team, led by Justin Goldspink, is well known for its work in the music industry and has a particular focus on online IP issues. The team is specialised in the protection of intellectual property rights at the High Court and the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court. The firm’s IP experts advise help clients on every stage of product or brand’s lifecycle. The firm works in many sectors from fashion to music, from sport to fast moving consumer goods. Trademarks is another key specialism of the firm.

Technology and internet law: GSC’s specialist group has an established record of innovation and experience in the technology and IT sector and specialised in all aspects of internet and digital business. Clients range includes business is in virtual reality, cloud computing, e-commerce and mobile tech. The team is headed by Clive Halperin.

Commercial litigation and dispute resolution: Under Michael Shapiro, the  department handles all forms of disputes, including landlord and tenant, commercial contracts (with international element), debt recovery, emergency injunctions, contested probate and professional negligence. From start to finish the team adopts a commercial and cost-effective approach, designed to achieve an outcome that works for their clients and their business. The international clientele is mostly handled by Barry Samuels, who has decades of hands-on experience in dispute resolution with overseas clients, from global brands to ultra-high net worth individuals – in the Courts, at specialist tribunals or using arbitration and mediation.

Insolvency and restructuring group: GSC’s headed by Michael Shapiro provides expert and commercial advice in all areas of insolvency, corporate recovery, restructuring and turn-around situations. The team is able to deal with major restructurings and formal insolvencies through to representing individual creditors and other stakeholders. The group has significant experience in helping companies in financial difficulty, lenders and investors, turnaround specialists and insolvency practitioners. They advise on business rescues, work-outs, the enforcement of security rights, the protection of creditors’ interests, receivership, liquidation, corporate and individual voluntary arrangements, administrations as well as directors’ duties and responsibilities. Clients include banks and financial institutions, insolvency practitioners, creditors, debtors, companies and directors.

Employment: The department is headed by David Nathan and acts for individuals and companies on appointments, all forms of discrimination, dismissal, boardroom disputes, TUPE transfers, redundancy, compromise agreements, employee rights and employment contracts. They also handle High Court litigation for breach of contract including injunctions to enforce restrictive covenants, actions for breach of copyright and confidentiality and high value claims for non-payment of bonuses. For terminations of senior executives, the team is also able to advise on related issues such as shareholder rights and company law issues.

Corporate and private immigration: The team is specialised in all aspects of UK immigration. The team advises both EU and non-EU individuals and companies who wish to invest, work or set up business in the UK. The team also handles all aspects of sponsorship for UK employers who may want to employ non-EU nationals or transfer existing staff based overseas to the UK. For their private clients, they provide a specialist personalised service to support individuals and families moving to the UK, advising on the best solution to help the client relocate, obtain permanent residence and British Citizenship. The immigration team also has a strong track record in winning complex appeals.

Notary services: GSC also provides to to both private and corporate clients.