Contracts Articles

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

When A Business Agreement Becomes A Legally Binding Contract In The UK

When A Business Agreement Becomes A Legally Binding Contract In The UK

When you’re running a small business, it’s easy to think a “contract” is something formal, printed, and signed in ink. But in the UK, contract formation can happen much earlier (and much...

26 March 2026
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What Is a Trust in Business? A UK Guide for SMEs & Startups

What Is a Trust in Business? A UK Guide for SMEs & Startups

If you’ve heard people talk about “putting shares in a trust” or “using a trust for succession planning”, it can sound like something only large companies or wealthy families do. But trusts...

26 March 2026
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Licensing vs Franchising: Key Differences For UK Businesses

Licensing vs Franchising: Key Differences For UK Businesses

If you’ve built something that works - a product, a brand, a process, or a whole business model - it’s completely normal to start thinking: “How do I grow this without doing...

25 March 2026
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Exclusive Jurisdiction Clauses in UK Contracts: Meaning and Drafting Tips

Exclusive Jurisdiction Clauses in UK Contracts: Meaning and Drafting Tips

If you’re running a small business, contracts are one of the quickest ways to protect your time, cashflow, and customer relationships. But there’s a part of many contracts that gets overlooked until...

25 March 2026
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Conflicts of Interest and UK Law: Business Risks

Conflicts of Interest and UK Law: Business Risks

Conflicts of interest come up in every growing business. Maybe a director is also running a side venture. Maybe your procurement manager’s “recommended supplier” is owned by a family member. Or maybe...

25 March 2026
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Workplace Conduct In the UK: What Employers Must Include In Policies And Contracts

Workplace Conduct In the UK: What Employers Must Include In Policies And Contracts

When you’re running a small business, “conduct in the workplace” isn’t just a HR buzzword - it’s one of the biggest factors affecting productivity, team culture, customer experience, and your legal risk....

25 March 2026
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Software Licence Agreements: What Businesses Need to Know in the UK

Software Licence Agreements: What Businesses Need to Know in the UK

If your business uses, sells, builds, or integrates software, you’re almost certainly dealing with a software licence - even if you’ve never called it that. Maybe you’re a startup offering a paid...

25 March 2026
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B2B Terms And Conditions: What To Include And How To Protect Your Business (UK)

B2B Terms And Conditions: What To Include And How To Protect Your Business (UK)

If you sell products or services to other businesses, having clear business-to-business terms and conditions is one of the simplest ways to protect your cash flow, your time, and your reputation. It’s...

25 March 2026
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Are Non-Compete Clauses Enforceable In The UK? What To Know

Are Non-Compete Clauses Enforceable In The UK? What To Know

If you’re hiring your first few employees (or scaling quickly), it’s completely normal to worry about someone leaving with your clients, your product roadmap, or the know-how that makes your business work....

25 March 2026
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“All Rights Reserved” Meaning In The UK: When To Use It And What It Protects

“All Rights Reserved” Meaning In The UK: When To Use It And What It Protects

If you run a small business, you’ve probably seen the phrase “all rights reserved” at the bottom of websites, invoices, brochures, presentations, or social media graphics. It feels official. It sounds like...

25 March 2026
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Limited Company Structure In The UK: Practical Overview For Startups & SMEs

Limited Company Structure In The UK: Practical Overview For Startups & SMEs

If you’re building a startup or scaling an SME, choosing the right legal structure can feel like a “boring admin” job you’ll deal with later. But the way you set up a...

24 March 2026
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Business Acquisition Process In The UK: A Step-By-Step Legal Guide

Business Acquisition Process In The UK: A Step-By-Step Legal Guide

Buying a business can be an exciting shortcut to growth. Instead of building from scratch, you might be acquiring customers, staff, supplier relationships, IP, stock, equipment, and a proven market position in...

24 March 2026
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Legal Packages for UK Startups and SMEs: What’s Included and How to Choose

Legal Packages for UK Startups and SMEs: What’s Included and How to Choose

If you’re building a startup or running a growing SME, you’ll probably reach a point where you think: “We need to get the legal side sorted… but where do we even start?”...

24 March 2026
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Do UK Companies Still Need a Company Seal (Common Seal)?

Do UK Companies Still Need a Company Seal (Common Seal)?

If you run a small company, you’ve probably come across the phrase “company seal” (sometimes called a “common seal”) at the exact moment you’re trying to sign something important - a lease,...

24 March 2026
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UK Shareholder Agreement: What It Is, What To Include, And When You Need One

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...

24 March 2026
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Conditional Contracts and Agreements: What They Are and How to Use Them

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...

24 March 2026
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Permanent Employee vs Contractor: Key Legal Differences in the UK

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....

24 March 2026
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Back-to-Back Contracts: Key Clauses, Risks And When You Need One

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...

24 March 2026
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Asset Purchase vs Share Purchase: Key Differences, Pros and Cons (UK)

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...

24 March 2026
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Essential Legal Documents UK Startups & SMEs Need To Protect Their Business

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...

24 March 2026
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Commercial Landlord Fire Safety Responsibilities in the UK

Commercial Landlord Fire Safety Responsibilities in the UK

If you run your business from commercial premises, fire safety isn’t just a “building problem” - it’s a business risk. A fire can shut your operations down overnight, put your staff and...

24 March 2026
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Trial Shifts In The UK: Employer Pay, Contracts And Legal Compliance

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,...

24 March 2026
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Where To Find A Company’s Articles Of Association (And What To Check)

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...

24 March 2026
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Commercial Sublease Agreement in the UK: Key Terms and Pitfalls

Commercial Sublease Agreement in the UK: Key Terms and Pitfalls

If you’re renting commercial premises, space can become a moving target. Maybe you signed a lease when your business was growing fast, but now you’re using only half the floor. Or you’ve...

23 March 2026
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