Nouveau Legal

Nouveau Legal, based on Baker Street in central Middlesbrough, provides dedicated commercial law support to businesses across the UK and beyond. Its services include employment and HR, commercial law, business restructuring, intellectual property, debt recovery, and business sales and acquisitions.

The Challenge

Founded in 2023 by Legal Director Adeel Bashir, Nouveau Legal was created to respond to what he saw as a gap in the market for specialist business law support tailored to SMEs. The firm’s ambition is to build long-standing relationships with growth-focused businesses and support them as they scale.

As the business grew, Nouveau Legal began receiving regular requests from international clients with business interests in England, including clients in America, Portugal and Spain. The firm identified the Middle East as a key new market but needed to build relationships in person to turn interest into long-term opportunities.

Adeel said: “We have international clients repeatedly requesting support from us. We act for clients internationally in America, Portugal and Spain who have business interests in England, and they were requesting our services on a regular basis.”

He added: “One of the new markets we wanted to get into was the Middle East, and the Export Fund allowed us to do that.”

The Support

Nouveau Legal received support through the Tees Valley Export Fund, which helps businesses starting out on their export journey or looking to grow or diversify their existing export activity.

The programme offers grants between £3,000 and £10,000 for eligible companies, with a 25% match funding requirement. It can support activity including attending overseas trade fairs and conferences, commissioning market research, adapting websites for new markets, or securing passes and licences to trade abroad.

With support from the fund, Adeel travelled to Dubai to attend a key conference and meet prospective clients face to face. The visit helped the firm strengthen relationships in a market it had identified as a priority for future growth.

Adeel said: “For us, it was very important to be out there in-person to meet with the prospective clients to build those relationships. We’ve continued to work on those now we’re back in the country.”

He added: “Businesses really appreciate the effort of someone taking the time to learn about them, and more so if you are flying out to a different country to see them. It speaks volumes.”

The Impact

The Dubai visit has already led to new work for Nouveau Legal, helping the firm take further steps onto the global stage. The business has also continued to attract international instructions.

Adeel said: “We’ve recently had instructions from clients in Malta for contract law support, and only last week from a client based in Texas who required Intellectual Property support in the UK. We’re looking to build on that international footprint.”

The fund also helped reduce the financial pressure associated with travelling overseas, including the upfront costs of attending events and the time spent away from the business.

Adeel said: “You do have the upfront cost of attending, but it’s also the cost of being away from the business. Having access to the Export Fund allowed us to have that space to know our costs are covered.”

Looking Ahead

Nouveau Legal is now focused on building on the momentum created through the Export Fund and growing its reach in international markets, while remaining rooted in Middlesbrough.

Adeel said: “Over the past few years, there’s been a lot of brain drain from people moving out. But I’ve always been very passionate about Middlesbrough and always wanted to stay and grow in this area.”

On the fund, he added: “It helps open another avenue to potential work and broadens your horizons. Going to another country and understanding how they operate in person makes a really big difference. I would recommend it to all businesses as well as those looking to expand.”

The Tees Valley Export Fund aims to increase the number of Tees Valley businesses involved in exporting and to grow both the range and value of exports from companies already trading internationally.

The programme is funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and delivered in partnership with the Department for Business and Trade.

To find out more about the Export Fund, go to: Tees Valley Export Fund – Business