Contracts Articles
Expert articles and practical legal guides on contracts for uk businesses.

UK Shareholder Agreement: What It Is, What To Include, And When You Need One
When you start (or grow) a company with other people, it’s easy to focus on the exciting bits: building the product, winning customers, hiring your first team member, and getting revenue in...

Conditional Contracts and Agreements: What They Are and How to Use Them
If you’ve ever tried to close a deal while something important is still “up in the air” (funding approval, landlord consent, board sign-off, due diligence results), you’ve already run into the problem...

Permanent Employee vs Contractor: Key Legal Differences in the UK
If you’re hiring (or thinking about hiring) your first team member, one of the biggest early decisions is whether you need a permanent employee, or whether a contractor is the better fit....

Back-to-Back Contracts: Key Clauses, Risks And When You Need One
If you run a small business that delivers work for a client by using a supplier, freelancer, or subcontractor, you’ve probably had this moment: your client contract promises the world, but your...

Asset Purchase vs Share Purchase: Key Differences, Pros and Cons (UK)
If you’re buying or selling a UK business, one of the first big decisions is how the deal is structured. In most small business sales, you’ll hear two common options: an asset...

Essential Legal Documents UK Startups & SMEs Need To Protect Their Business
When you’re building a startup or small business, it’s easy to focus on the exciting stuff first: finding customers, improving your product, hiring your first team member, and getting your brand out...

Trial Shifts In The UK: Employer Pay, Contracts And Legal Compliance
Trial shifts can be a really practical way to check whether someone is the right fit for your team before you commit to hiring them. But if you get trial shifts wrong,...

Where To Find A Company’s Articles Of Association (And What To Check)
If you run a small business, you’ll eventually find yourself needing to check another company’s documents before you do something important with them - sign a contract, bring on an investor, appoint...

Sole Trader Description: What It Is, Why It Matters And Examples
If you’re running a small business (or getting ready to launch one), you’ll probably come across the term “sole trader” pretty quickly. And if you’ve ever been asked to provide a description...

Statement Of Work (SOW): What To Include In Your SOW Template
If you’ve ever agreed a project over email, started work, and then realised you and your client had completely different expectations - you’re not alone. Most small business disputes aren’t caused by...

Mistake In Contract Law: Unilateral Vs Common Mistake And Void Contracts
You’ve negotiated the price, agreed the scope, shaken hands (or at least exchanged emails), and started work - then someone realises something is “wrong”. The wrong company name. The wrong specification. A...

Service Agreement Template UK: Key Clauses And Common Mistakes To Avoid
If you’re running a small business, chances are you’re regularly engaging people to do work for you - designers, consultants, trades, developers, marketers, virtual assistants, and more. And at some point, you’ll...

UK Investor Agreement: Key Terms Founders Need Before Taking Funding
Taking investment can be a huge moment for your business. It can help you hire faster, build product, scale marketing, or simply give you enough runway to stop “bootstrapping by sheer willpower”....

Childcare Services Agreement: Key Terms To Include In the UK
Running a childcare business is rewarding, but it’s also high-stakes. Parents are trusting you with what matters most to them, and you’re juggling staffing, safeguarding, schedules, payments, and compliance - often all...

What Is a Sole Trader in the UK?
If you’re launching a small business, one of the first (and most important) decisions you’ll make is how to structure it legally. It affects your tax, your admin, the contracts you sign,...

Franchise Costs in the UK: What to Budget Before You Sign
Buying a franchise can feel like a shortcut to running a proven business model - you get a recognised brand, established systems, training, and (in some cases) an existing customer base. But...

Restricted Shares in the UK: Startup Share Issuance and Vesting
If you’re building a startup, you’ll probably hit the same question sooner or later: how do you give key people real skin in the game without giving away too much, too early?...

Indemnity Clauses in UK Contracts: Meaning, Risks and Drafting Tips
If you run a small business, there’s a good chance you’ve seen an indemnity clause buried in a contract and wondered whether it’s “standard” or a genuine red flag. Indemnity clauses can...

Key Legal Terms in Product Distribution Agreements in the UK
If you’re growing a brand, launching a new product line, or expanding into new regions, your product distribution strategy can make (or break) your margins and your reputation. On paper, distribution often...

Sample UK Bill Of Sale: Key Inclusions And Common Mistakes
If you’re buying or selling business assets in the UK, you’ll often see people searching for a sample bill of sale so they can get something in writing quickly. That instinct is...

Manager-Employee Confidentiality Laws In The UK: Employer And HR Guide
If you run a small business, confidentiality isn’t just a “nice to have” - it’s often what protects your customer relationships, pricing, internal processes, and commercial edge. But confidentiality can get messy...

Intra-Group Agreements UK: When You Need One And Key Terms To Include
If you run a group of companies (for example, a holding company and one or more trading subsidiaries), it’s normal for money, staff, intellectual property, services and customer data to move between...

Contract Terms Explained: What Every UK Business Must Include
If you’re running a small business, “terms of contract” can sound like something only big companies with in-house lawyers worry about. But in reality, the terms of a contract are what protect...

Equipment Leasing In The UK: Key Terms, Risks And Pre-Signing Checks
Leasing equipment can be a smart move for small businesses. Instead of tying up cash in expensive machinery, vehicles, IT hardware or specialist tools, you can spread the cost and (in many...
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