Adviser services
Compare the specialist advice that supports a business exit.
Different exits need different specialists. This hub gives a simple way to compare the core adviser categories used before, during and after a transaction.
Some owners need help getting the deal done. Others need help understanding price, tax, legal documents or how the wealth changes afterwards. In practice, most exits use several adviser types together. This hub shows where each one fits so you can move from a general overview to a more focused search.
Each service page now includes matching advisors, practical guidance and links to the relevant exit routes. Start here if you want to compare the categories first, then move into the page that matches the kind of support you need.
All services
The main adviser categories
Click through to compare firms by the type of advice they provide.
Corporate Finance / M&A
Deal process, buyer strategy, negotiation and transaction support.
Legal
Completion documents, governance, shareholder arrangements and risk control.
Tax
Structure, reliefs, timing and post-completion tax efficiency.
Valuation
Independent pricing support and fairness analysis before going to market.
Wealth Planning
Personal financial planning for the owner and their family after exit.
Trustee / Employee Ownership
Trust setup, stewardship and ongoing EOT governance.
Guides
Service pages with stronger internal links
Each service page now points into the route pages and matching advisers.
Corporate Finance / M&A
Corporate finance and M&A advisers sit at the centre of a sale process. They help an owner decide whether to go discreetly to a small number of buyers, run a wider auction or prepare the company for a later transaction. That means shaping the story, mapping the buyer universe, testing value and keeping momentum when diligence starts to slow things down. The best advisers do much more than introduce names: they make the process easier to run, more competitive and less distracting for management.
Legal
Legal advisers make the deal real. Once the commercial shape of an exit is agreed, the legal team turns it into a working transaction: drafting the sale documents, tightening warranties, checking ownership rights, handling governance changes and making sure the buyer gets the protections it expects. Good legal advice reduces friction, because it anticipates the issues that can slow down a deal before they become a negotiation problem.
Tax
Tax advisers help owners understand what the transaction means after completion, not just on signing day. They review the structure, the availability of reliefs, the treatment of loan notes or deferred consideration, the tax position of management and shareholders, and any steps that should happen before the deal goes live. In a well-run exit, tax advice changes the shape of the transaction long before completion.
Valuation
Valuation advisers provide the reality check. They help owners and boards understand what the business is worth, whether a price is defensible and how the value changes depending on the route to exit. In practice that can mean preparing a standalone valuation, challenging a buyer proposal, testing a fairness position for shareholders or supporting a transaction where the number itself is under negotiation.
Wealth Planning
Wealth planning advisers focus on the owner after the exit, but they should often be involved before completion. A major liquidity event changes a family balance sheet, investment strategy, lifestyle planning and often the next generation’s expectations. Good wealth planning makes the proceeds useful, not just large. It helps an owner understand how much can be spent, gifted, reinvested or protected without creating avoidable tax or governance problems.
Trustee / Employee Ownership
Trustee and employee ownership advisers help when the owner wants the business to remain independent and transfer control for the benefit of employees. In an EOT or related structure, the technical challenge is not only valuing the company and completing the sale, but also setting up governance that works after the founder steps back. That means trustee arrangements, trust documentation, employee communication and a realistic repayment structure.
Next step
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The advisor directory stays the best place to compare firms once you know which adviser type matters most.