By looking at your business and the relationships you’ve built, our team will prepare the documents your business needs – creating a strong position for it to trade successfully. In order to protect yourself against unexpected liabilities and to be sure of getting the payments and benefits you are expecting, you need to put in place the right legal contracts for all your customers and suppliers. These will include:
Running Your Business
Creating a strong position for your business to trade successfully.
- Customer contracts andT&Cs of sale
- Supplier contracts
- Website T&Cs
- Protecting your intellectual property
- Employment
Customer contracts and terms and conditions of sale
These will probably be the most important contracts you have, and you should ensure that they match the way you actually do business. We will ensure that they protect your interests so far as they can in accordance with the law and what your customers will agree to. We can also review them regularly as the law changes.
If you deal with “consumers” you may be subject to special rules which give your customers rights, and which specify what your terms can include. Our commercial lawyers will take the time to understand your business and its needs and prepare terms of sale/purchase suitable for your business.
It’s easiest if you can deal with all your customers on standard terms and conditions, but sometimes you have to draft contracts individually. We can advise you on standard Ts and Cs, and also guide you during negotiations and draft custom-made contracts to ensure you get the best possible deal.
We can also advise on all sale and supply of goods, provision of services and agency and distribution agreements, including franchising.
Supplier contracts
These can also be very important, but you may be expected to accept the legal terms which your suppliers present to you. We can review these and advise you on the terms so that you can decide whether these are acceptable or whether you have to negotiate them with the supplier.
Website terms and conditions
Almost every business now relies on its online presence, even if it doesn’t actually trade on it, and you should consider if you need to impose terms on the use of the website and, for example, the terms of trading if any. If you collect any personal information online, you will need a privacy policy.
Protecting your intellectual property
Most businesses rely on intellectual property to some degree, even if that is as little as your trading name (your “brand”), it can be a very important asset. You may wish to protect that name in some way. In addition, there can be important secrets or ideas which are critical to a business. Whatever your business, we can advise on whether protecting the intellectual property is possible or practical whether by copyright, trademark, design right, patents or confidentiality agreements.
Employment
We work closely with our employment team to stay up to date on changes in the law. They can advise you on the impact to your business as your number of employees changes. If you wish to offer share incentives, we can assist on the corporate aspects and ensure that any requirements of tax savings arrangements are complied with.
