Founders selling for the first time need more than high-level legal advice

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Some founders selling their businesses for the first time are not sure where legal advice is needed or how deep that advice should go.

In past deals where I acted for buyers, I have seen:

– A founder who asked their lawyer for a “high-level review” of sale and purchase agreement and received comments that overlooked key issues such as sellers’ liability or indemnity (key risk points for sellers).

– A lawyer stepping away when the negotiations turned to seller’s representations and warranties, presumably because it was outside the lawyer’s scope. The founder was left negotiating and completing the disclosure schedule without legal advice.

Not all legal input is the same.

Founders don’t need to become legal experts, but they do need legal support that’s engaged, experienced, and able to navigate what’s really at stake in a sale.

#malaysiancorporatelawyer

This post was first posted on LinkedIn on 12 June 2025.

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