Office in a Box
Our experience of funding and supporting new start social entrepreneurs tells us that there are key items they require and want help with when starting out. This includes:
• Legal structures
• Marketing and branding
• Web sites
• HR and other legal support
Firstport are working to gather resources to help entrepreneurs in these key areas. Our office in a box will be developing over the next few months.
LEGAL STRUCTURES SUPPORT
Designed to offer choice and quality we are working with two key partners on this – Burness LLP (solicitors) and Oswalds (company formation agent). This enables us to offer negotiated prices with both firms. A variety of supported options and associated costs are outlined below.
TEMPLATES AND GUIDANCE NOTES - FREE
We have also been working with Burness to provide templates you can use to enable you to register a company yourself. A full list of templates is given below and a guide to understanding these will also be made available.
1. Company Ltd by Guarantee without Charitable status
2. Company Limited by Guarantee with Charitable status
3. Community Interest Company Ltd by Guarantee
4. Community Interest Company Ltd by Shares
We can talk this through with you using our legal guidance booklet and questionnaire.
TEMPLATES AND LEGAL CHECK WITH BURNESS LLP
Using the templates for the types of legal entity listed above we will talk you through your requirements. You would draft the articles of association, with assistance from us, and would complete all relevant Companies House forms and any additional relevant forms (e.g. application for charitable status or community interest statement in the case of a community interest company.) Burness would then review the papers (prior to these being filed) and provide comments on these, e.g. suggesting improvements and/or highlighting any potential difficulties.
Costs are outlined below for this service:
1. Company Ltd by Guarantee £150 plus VAT
2. Company Limited by Guarantee with Charitable status £300-400 plus VAT
3. Community Interest Company Ltd by Guarantee £200-250 plus VAT
4. Community Interest Company Ltd by Shares £200-250 plus VAT
FULL SUPPORT WITH COMPANY FORMATION AGENTS OSWALDS
Prices listed below are available through Firstport and are reductions on rates for direct quotes. (Note: the same applies in relation to quotes from Burness). Following completion of a simple questionnaire outlining your needs Oswalds will write and file your legal documents. On completion of the work you will receive your original incorporation certificate, 8 bound copies of your Articles of Association and information on managing the new company. Support is available for the following legal structures:
1. Company Ltd by Guarantee
£250 (saving through Firstport from £320)
2. Company Limited by Guarantee with Charitable status
£450 (saving through Firstport from £700)
(Oswalds also offer additional legal services – see below)
FULL SUPPORT FROM SOLICITORS BURNESS LLP
Under this package, soliciters from Burness would guide the group through the process of registering the social enterprise company including holding an initial meeting to discuss the relevant legal entity to suit your needs.
Burness will thereafter draft the articles of association and prepare any relevant papers (e.g. application for charitable status or CIC forms, where appropriate), based on information provided to them by you. Burness will incorporate the company and will arrange for registration with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (and with HMRC Charities) in respect of companies applying for charitable status for charity tax relief. Similarly, Burness will liaise with the CIC Regulator in respect of those companies applying to become community interest companies. Once incorporated guidance will be provided in relation to operating a company of the type registered.
1. Company Ltd by Guarantee £800 plus VAT + £20 Companies House fees
2. Company Limited by Guarantee with Charitable status £1250 plus VAT + £20 Companies House fees
3. Community Interest Company Ltd by Guarantee £1100 plus VAT + £20 Companies House fees
4. Community Interest Company Ltd by Shares £1100 plus VAT + £20 Companies House fees
ADDITIONAL LEGAL SERVICES
Please contact us if you need to know more in relation to registering a patent, trademark, ongoing secretarial and compliance services. We can help guide you to other deals and contacts, including Oswalds for this.
If you would like further information on this please contact us on 0131 220 0511 or email info@firstport.org.uk