Dental Law Solicitors And Specialists

The acquisition or disposal of a business is a time consuming and complicated matter at the best of times… and that is before the additional complexities surrounding the CQC formalities and GDS Contract are considered in respect of the sale and purchase of dental practices.

For this reason, it is necessary when buying or selling a dental practice to ensure that a legal professional with relevant and proven experience in the field of dental law is instructed.

Our team of specialist commercial lawyers at Wilson Browne has a wealth of experience having acted for numerous dentists nationwide in the buying and selling of dental practices.

Matters that our experienced specialist dental lawyers will advise on include:

• TUPE considerations;
• Providing for how any uncompleted dental work at a practice will be apportioned between the buyer and the seller;
• Practice freehold/leasehold property considerations;
• CQC formalities including the CQC registration process;
• GDS Contracts and liaising with NHSE on your behalf;
• Warranties and Indemnities.

Where a dental practice provides an NHS service to patients, it is frequently the case that the practice will be subject to a GDS contract, although this can lead to complications in the sale and purchase of practices. These GDS contracts provide the dental practice with a yearly target to achieve, measured through Units of Dental Activity (UDAs). The complication derives from the fact that GDS contracts cannot be assigned to other parties.

We’ll guide you every step of the way, making the transaction as smooth and quick as possible.

Written agreements are the cornerstone of any successful business relationship carried on between two or more parties.

The risk of a dispute between partners of a dental practice are just like any other business so it is vital to have a clear agreement from the outset regarding how the partnership will be run.

Partners can sometimes make the mistake of thinking that an informal verbal agreement will carry as much weight as a written document; or instead that one will never be necessary as the risk of a future dispute at the time is relatively slim. Particularly when starting out, everyone is in the honeymoon period and disagreements seem unlikely and furthest from your thoughts, but just like any relationship, things can and do go wrong which is why it pays to have clarity from the start.

Getting everything agreed (in writing) early on, can save time, money and stress later.

Other things to consider are things like share valuations; what should happen if a partner dies or retires from the practice.

Our team of specialist lawyers  has a track record f acting for numerous dentists nationwide in the preparation of partnership agreements for their practices.

Where a dental practice provides an NHS service to patients, it is frequently the case that the practice will be subject to a GDS contract, and this can lead to complications in the sale and purchase of practices.

These GDS contracts provide the dental practice with a yearly target to achieve, measured through Units of Dental Activity (UDAs). The complication derives from the fact that GDS contracts cannot be assigned to other parties.

Our experience in this area will help you safely navigate the challenges, namely, the parties entering into a short-term partnership relating to the GDS contract, following which the seller can depart from the practice in a smooth and coordinated way.