Legal guides and articles for business owners
Practical guides to the law that affects business owners and their families, and articles by our solicitors.
Articles
How to choose a solicitor for your business
Choosing a solicitor is difficult because you are buying judgement you cannot see until the work is under way. This article sets out…
Three legal documents every business owner should have
Some of the most difficult situations a business owner can face are easier to deal with if the right document is already in place. T…
Four questions to answer before you call a solicitor
Legal advice is more useful when your solicitor knows what you are trying to achieve. This article sets out four questions to answer…
How to control the cost of legal advice for your business
Most business owners buy legal advice only occasionally, which makes it hard to judge value. This article explains how legal work is…
Guides
Commercial and corporate
Buying a business: the legal steps from offer to completion
Share or asset purchase, due diligence, warranties and indemnities, TUPE, stamp duty and VAT: the legal steps in buying a small or medium-sized business.
02Cross-option agreements for shareholder protection insurance
Why shareholder protection policies need a cross-option agreement, how it preserves inheritance tax business relief, valuation, trusts and what can go wrong.
03NDAs: when you need one and what it should include
When a non-disclosure agreement is worth having, the clauses that decide whether it protects you, what it cannot stop, and what to check before you sign one.
04Partnership and LLP agreements: what they should cover
What happens without a partnership agreement, how LLPs differ, and the terms on profits, decisions, leaving, death and disputes that partners should agree.
05Personal guarantees: what directors and guarantors need to know
What a personal guarantee commits you to, how lenders enforce them, what you can negotiate, legal advice for spouses and partners, and how to be released.
06Selling your business: the legal process and how to prepare
How to prepare a business for sale, what buyers check, how warranties and disclosure limit your risk, and the tax points owners should know before selling.
07Shareholder agreements: what to include and why
What a shareholder agreement covers, how it works with your articles, and the clauses on decisions, leavers, deadlock and death that protect company owners.
08Terms of business and commercial contracts: what to include
The clauses your terms of business need, how far you can lawfully limit liability, charging interest on late payment, and making sure your terms apply.
Disputes and judicial review
How to challenge a public body's decision by judicial review
How a business can challenge a public body's decision by judicial review: grounds, time limits, the pre-action letter, permission, costs and remedies.
02How to recover an unpaid business debt
Recovering an unpaid invoice in England and Wales: statutory interest and compensation, letters before action, court claims, enforcement and statutory demands.
03How to resolve a commercial dispute with another business
What to do when a dispute with a customer or supplier starts: time limits, pre-action letters, mediation, arbitration, court claims and who pays the costs.
04How to resolve a shareholder dispute in a private company
Shareholder disputes in private companies: your rights under the articles and the Companies Act, removing a director, deadlock, buy-outs and court petitions.
Property
Buying commercial property: what to check before you commit
Buying business premises or investment property in England or Wales: title and planning checks, surveys, VAT, SDLT rates, finance and pension purchases.
02Commercial leases: what to check before you sign
What a business tenant should check in a commercial lease: rent review, service charge, repairs, assignment, break clauses, renewal rights and SDLT.
03How conveyancing works when you buy or sell a home
Buying or selling a home in England or Wales: each conveyancing stage, exchange and completion, current Stamp Duty Land Tax rates and leasehold checks.
04Renewing a business lease under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954
Renewing or ending a business tenancy under the 1954 Act: section 25 notices, section 26 requests, court deadlines, interim rent and compensation.
Wills, probate and private client
Inheritance tax for business owners: business relief from 2026
How business relief works from 6 April 2026: the £2.5 million allowance, 50% relief above it, spouse transfers, AIM shares, instalments and planning to do now.
02Lasting powers of attorney: how they work and how to make one
The two types of lasting power of attorney, how to make and register one, the £92 fee, who can be an attorney or certificate provider, and deputyship.
03Making a will: what makes it valid and what to put in it
How to make a valid will in England and Wales: signing and witnessing, executors, guardians, what happens without a will, and wills for business owners.
04Probate explained: what an executor has to do, step by step
How probate works in England and Wales: when you need a grant, the £526 fee, inheritance tax forms and deadlines, paying debts and distributing the estate.
05Trusts explained: types of trust, tax and trustees' duties
What a trust is, the main types in England and Wales, why people use them, the ten-year and exit charges, Trust Registration Service rules and trustees' duties.
Employment
Employment Rights Act 2025: what changes for employers and when
Employment Rights Act 2025 timeline for employers: what is in force, what starts in October 2026 and January 2027, what follows in 2027 and how to prepare.
02Employment law essentials for small business owners
The employment law small business owners in England and Wales need: status, contracts, pay, holiday, sick pay, discrimination, discipline and dismissal.
03Hiring your first employee: what the law requires
Taking on your first employee in England and Wales: status, right to work checks, PAYE, pensions, insurance, the written statement and the contract.
04How to dismiss an employee fairly: a guide for employers
Dismissing an employee fairly in England and Wales: the fair reasons, the qualifying period change in 2027, the Acas Code, notice and compensation limits.
05How to run a fair redundancy process: a guide for employers
A redundancy process for employers in England and Wales: genuine reasons, pools, selection, consultation, alternative roles, notice and redundancy pay.
06Restrictive covenants for employers: how to make them enforceable
How restrictive covenants in employment contracts work in England and Wales: non-competes, non-solicitation, what courts enforce and what to do about a breach.
07Settlement agreements: a guide for employees
What a settlement agreement means for employees: the legal advice, who pays for it, how the money is taxed, references, negotiating the terms and timescales.
08Settlement agreements: a guide for employers and HR advisers
When to use a settlement agreement, how protected conversations work, what makes it valid, tax and National Insurance on the payments, and common mistakes.
Insolvency
Directors' duties when a company is in financial difficulty
How directors' duties change when a company is insolvent or close to it: the creditor duty, wrongful trading, transactions that can be reversed and what to do.
02Options for a company in financial difficulty
The options for a company that cannot pay its debts: informal deals, HMRC payment plans, a moratorium, CVA, restructuring plan, administration and liquidation.
03When are company directors personally liable?
When a company director can be personally liable: guarantees, wrongful trading, misfeasance, preferences, loan accounts, disqualification and HMRC notices.
Legal updates for business owners
An email when a change in the law affects business owners and their families. You can unsubscribe at any time.
By subscribing you agree to our privacy notice.