Legal Documents for Small Businesses

Small Business Legal Contracts

All businesses have clients and it’s important to safeguard this relationship with a signed contract. It protects both parties and sets out their rights and obligations, expectations and clarifies what will happen in the event of a dispute. This provides clarity to both parties.

Contracts, sometimes also known as agreements, can be tailored to each individual clients’ needs if they are drafted correctly.

All of our legal documents are created so that they can be easily adapted for each client.

Business Terms & Conditions

These are more commonly used by businesses who do not need to customise their offering with each client. They create a legally binding relationship the same as a contract does. The document sets out the rights and responsibilities of both parties. They can be used for service or product based businesses in both a business to business and business to consumer relationship.

Terms & Conditions are crucial to avoid any misunderstandings about your services or products and to ensure that your prospective customers know what to expect before they do business with you.

E-Commerce Terms of Sale

Used by e-commerce businesses they are simply terms & conditions for any business which sells online through a website. If you run an e-commerce business then there are additional obligations to consider. Especially if you are selling to consumers. We can guide you on your legal obligations depending on your business and create terms which cover your business appropriately.

You also need to ensure your website is compliant to minimise risk. This will depend upon your company formation and who you are selling to. Additional consideration is needed if you are selling internationally.

Business Sub-Contractor Agreements

Many small businesses use sub-contractors, also known as associates in some industries.

To protect your business having a formal agreement with your sub-contractors is important to reduce your exposure to risk. Failing to have an appropriately drafted agreement with your sub-contractors could leave you liable to your client for any negligent acts of your sub-contractors.

Let us help you protect your business by creating a bespoke agreement that doesn’t leave you open to third party risk.

Business Non-Disclosure Agreements

Commonly referred to as NDAs or Confidentiality Agreements they are used by many businesses to formally establish a confidential relationship.

They are extremely important to have in place to protect any sensitive information that may be made available during pre-contract negotiations.

You can opt for a unilateral or mutual agreement depending upon your circumstances.

We can provide you with an agreement suitable for your specific needs.

Joint Venture Agreements

Joint ventures are different from a normal partnership or a Limited company. Knowing the difference and what is needed for both parties to be legally liable and compliant is important. When you enter into a joint venture, it is usually a coming together of two organisations with complementary strengths for one particular project.

Entering into such an agreement can be extremely beneficial to both parties. It also brings a different dimension to a business offering. Something which can be appealing to potential clients and customers. However, it is very important that you have a proper agreement in place before proceeding with any business related practices.

Shareholders Agreements

If you run a limited company guaranteed by shares with multiple shareholders you should consider whether a shareholders agreement would benefit the company.

The agreement usually outlines shareholders’ rights and obligations, sets out how the company should be operated and above all seeks to protect both the company and the shareholders.

We can draft an agreement tailored to your company setup and which governs the actions of shareholders.

Trademarks

Building a reputable brand is difficult. Protecting it from copycats is even harder. Having a registered trademark is the safest way to protect your brand.

Trademarking your business provides essential legal protection and is a vital first step in safeguarding your business because it prevents anyone from riding off the back of your success.

We can take the stress out of this for you by advising you on process, carrying out the appropriate checks and liaising with the Intellectual Property Office on your behalf.