Guides
Business law

This guide highlights the main legal risks you need to consider if you are buying another business or enterprise. Your business should always take legal advice at the outset of any acquisition.

The June 2010 Budget increased the lifetime allowance for entrepreneurs' relief from £2 million to £5 million. We have produced a checklist or your business clients that highlights the increased limit and sets out the other main features of the relief.

There are different ways to expand your business into a new market or territory. Two common methods are distributorship and agency. It is important to be aware of the key differences between appointing an agent or a distributor when considering how best to market, sell, or distribute your products.
Data protection checklist
[ 5. January 2010]

This checklist highlights the key legal obligations businesses should consider when dealing with personal data about customers, suppliers, employees or any other individual who you may encounter in the course of your business.

Commercial property
A break clause can be included in a fixed-term lease allowing either you or your landlord to terminate the lease early.

This guidance is aimed at businesses who are not regularly engaged in acquiring business premises or who may not have within their organisation expertise in this area.

Matters to look out for on inspection

Letting business premises
[30. November 2009]

A brief guide for landlords on getting ready to let

This guidance is aimed at property owners, individuals and businesses, who are not full time professional landlords but who have one or more business properties amongst their assets.

Employment law
Checklist: flexible working
[ 7. November 2010]

This checklist outlines how your business should respond to a flexible working request from one of your employees.

This checklist summarises the changes to employment legislation that will come into force in October 2010. 

This checklist highlights the risks that your business and its employees should be aware of when using the internet and e-mail at work, sending work-related e-mails or discussing the workplace on the internet.

Legislation exists which allows workers to take statutory holiday while they are off sick. This means that workers on long-term sick leave can take holiday and be paid for it, even where they have exhausted their right to statutory and/or contractual sick pay. 

With the approach of the summer holidays employers should be aware of the rules which apply to the employment of children and young people.  

Lease extension & buying your freehold
Checklist for Landlords or Management Agents
Relationships

Before you book the venue there are some things you should consider planning for in the event of a breakdown of the relationship, or death of either or both partners.

Residential property

It is important to specify how you want to own the property when you are buying it, to avoid any uncertainty in the future.

Buying a house is an exciting event in many people's lives.

Whether you're a first time buyer or a veteran of the property ladder, the process of buying and selling a house is littered with potential pitfalls.