Commercially focused legal advice for businesses

Members of the Law Society

Charlotte and Anne both hold practising certificates from the Solicitors Regulation Authority

Charlotte SRA Number: 16737
Anne SRA Number: 161005

Why Oyster Law?

The Oyster team gives a Client access to a dedicated and responsive lawyer focused on providing clear and pragmatic advice; a lawyer who has at least 20 years’ of relevant experience and is adept at grasping the Client’s business’ concerns, prioritising commercial risks and delivering an optimal solution.

We operate on a flexible retainer or hourly basis, to suit you.

Our lawyers are outgoing and genuinely enjoy what they do. We think this shows – and truly sets us apart.

Who We Are

Together Charlotte McKnight and Anne Whalley have more than 50 years combined legal experience.

Charlotte McKnight

Partner

Charlotte qualified in 1995. Her expertise combines solid commercial law, General Counsel/Company Secretarial and board member experience with a proven track record of operating at the highest levels among some of the world’s largest oil, gas, shipping and technology companies. Pragmatic and innovative, she brings her insight and expertise to find the best legal solutions for SMEs, company boards and multinational institutions.

Anne Whalley

Partner

Anne qualified in 1993. A highly experienced General Counsel, Company Secretary and board member, she combines a strong background in corporate law, commercial matters, employment law, leasehold property acquisition and management, compliance and strategy. Anne is pragmatic with a ‘can do’ attitude that her clients really value. Anne has been acting as a freelance General Counsel and Legal Director since 2015. Her current clients include businesses in the hospitality, retail, property services and software sectors.

Services include

Company formation, shareholder agreements and Articles of Association

Non-disclosure agreements, heads of terms, term sheets

Drafting, negotiating and advising on all types of commercial contracts - including terms and conditions, supply agreements, licences, distribution agreements, reseller agreements, referral agreements, software agreements, SAAS, MSAs, framework agreements, franchise agreements

Business strategy, exit planning and due diligence

Company sales and purchases and reorganisations

Asset sales and purchases

Intellectual property – advice and registration

Employment - contracts, policies, redundancy, disputes and settlement agreements

Debt recovery

Company secretarial support

Advice on fiduciary duties, directors’ duties and responsibilities

Compliance – policies, registrations, data protection

Training for teams on key issues like data protection, anti-money laundering, anti-bribery, managing risk, negotiating terms

Sectors

Recruitment

Software

Retail

Hospitality

Pharmaceutical

Maritime

We can turn our hand to most things so please get in touch with us, even if the matter you need help with is not listed above: [email protected]

Client Testimonials

Charlotte McKnight is an expert in her field and our go-to lawyer for support and assistance. As a busy in-house legal team, we can rely on Charlotte to quickly comprehend our legal and commercial objectives and provide us with the advice we need. We know that, with Charlotte, the advice we receive will be well-thought out with all facts considered. She is simply proven, trustworthy and gets the job done.

Head of Legal, Risk and ComplianceTax Computer Systems Ltd

I have worked with Anne many times in the past and found her to be one of the best legal counsels in the business. Anne is not just a lawyer but a very commercial business person, which means she reviews contracts from all perspectives. She is also very experienced in acquisitions and sale processes, making sure the client is fully covered and getting the best deal possible. It is very rare to find somebody with such rounded experience, covering contracts, property, licensing, acquisitions, sale processes and general legal advice. I would have no hesitation in recommending Anne and will be using her again in the future.

CFOVarious Eateries plc

I have been working with Charlotte for four years, in which time she has become a critical member of our team. Her balance of knowledge, detail and pragmatism are exactly what we need at this stage of our growth journey. Moreover, having Charlotte alongside when we have had to face some challenging legal conversations is priceless. In each of these, we got everything we expected. It is so important for me to have complete confidence in our legal counsel, and in Charlotte I have that. If you are considering appointing Charlotte and her team, I cannot recommend highly enough that you do so.

CEORotageek Ltd

Not only does Anne see the bigger picture, but she also has the (increasingly rare) ability to sort the wheat from the chaff and pick out the key issues when bombarded with information and, at times conflicting advice, from a whole host of professionals.

PartnerAddleshaw Goddard LLP

I've worked with Charlotte for many years across a range of businesses and projects. She has incredible fluency across financial and commercial matters and great international experience. Most crucially, she's able to help me focus on the points that matter and give advice from a practical and commercial perspective. She is most assuredly the lawyer you want on your team.

CFOAdviser & Board Member

I have worked with Anne for over 7 years. She is highly diligent, commercially astute, and cares about our company and people. Anne is amazing at working to budget and is brilliant at building relationships with customers and other lawyers. She is creative with a deep understanding of the art of negotiation, whilst always offering other ways to problem solve, or indeed explaining the impact of certain decisions on future value of contracts and company. She is comfortable working in an entrepreneurial and highly corporate environment and always goes above and beyond. Anne never fails to give solid advice and is a key member of our team as we continue to grow. She just helps get the job done properly and efficiently - she is brilliant.

Co-FounderFocalAgent Limited

Contact

    Address

    Oyster Law
    3rd Floor
    86-90 Paul Street
    London
    EC2A 4NE

    E: [email protected]

    Charlotte McKnight

    E: [email protected]

    T: 07901 930 307

    Anne Whalley

    E: [email protected]

    T: 07768 810 773

    Oyster Law Limited (“Oyster Law”) is a limited liability company registered in England & Wales with company number 15336564.

    Our registered office is c/o RNS Accountants, 50-54 Oswald Road, Scunthorpe, United Kingdom, DN15 7PQ.

    © 2025 Oyster Law Limited