Contracts Articles
Expert articles and practical legal guides on contracts for uk businesses.
Restrictive Covenants in Employment Contracts in the UK: What to Know
If you’ve ever had a great employee leave and immediately start working for a competitor (or take your customers with them), you’ll know how quickly that can turn into a serious business...
13 January 2026
Corporate Law Essentials For UK Small Businesses And Startups
When you’re building a small business or startup, it’s easy to focus on the exciting stuff first: your product, your customers, your marketing, your next hire. But at some point (usually sooner...
13 January 2026
Employment Rights Act 1996 (ERA 1996): Key Rules for UK Employers
If you employ staff in the UK (or you’re about to hire your first team member), the Employment Rights Act 1996 (often shortened to ERA 1996) is one of the key laws...
13 January 2026
UK Business Plan Template: Key Inclusions And Legal Considerations
When you’re starting (or growing) a small business, it’s easy to think a business plan is just for investors, banks, or “serious” startups. But in practice, a solid business plan is also...
13 January 2026
IR35 Assessment: Check Contractor Status And Reduce Risk In The UK
If you hire contractors (especially for IT, marketing, design, construction, consultancy, or project work), IR35 can feel like one of those “we’ll deal with it later” issues. But the reality is: carrying...
12 January 2026
Sick Leave In The UK: Employer Rights And Employee Entitlements
Sick leave is one of those workplace issues that can feel straightforward right up until it isn’t. On a good week, it’s a quick message from an employee, a shift cover swap,...
12 January 2026
Boilerplate Clauses in Contracts: Meaning, Examples and UK Risks
When you’re running a small business, it’s normal to focus on the “commercial” parts of a contract first: price, payment terms, delivery dates, scope of work, and what happens if a customer...
12 January 2026EMI Share Options In The UK: A Practical Guide For Startups & SMEs
If you’re building a UK startup or scaling an SME, you’ve probably had the same thought most founders eventually have: how do we attract and keep great people when cash is tight?...
12 January 2026How To Choose The Right Law Firm For Your UK Startup Or Small Business
Picking a law firm can feel like one of those “I’ll deal with it later” tasks - right up until you’re about to sign a big client contract, hire your first employee,...
12 January 2026
Angel Investors: What They Look For And Startup Legal Documents
Raising money from angel investors can be one of the fastest ways to turn a promising startup into a real, scalable business. But here’s the catch: most angel investors aren’t just backing...
12 January 2026What “Confidential” Means in Business Contracts and How to Protect It
“Confidential” is one of those words that shows up everywhere in business - proposals, emails, supplier agreements, employment paperwork, investor discussions and even WhatsApp messages. But in a contract, “confidential” isn’t just...
12 January 2026
What Is Venture Capital Funding? UK Startup Investment Guide
If you’re building a startup with big growth ambitions, you’ve probably heard founders talk about “raising VC” like it’s a rite of passage. But when you’re the one actually doing it, venture...
12 January 2026
Crowdcube Fundraising for UK Startups: Key Legal Checks Before Launching
If you’re building a startup, fundraising can feel like the moment everything “gets real”. Equity crowdfunding (including campaigns run through Crowdcube) can be a powerful way to raise capital, validate your idea,...
12 January 2026
Franchise Meaning: How Franchising Works And Key Legal Essentials
If you’re exploring ways to grow your business (or launch one with a proven model), you’ve probably come across the term “franchise”. It’s often talked about as a faster route to expansion...
12 January 2026
How To Write A Job Description In the UK
Hiring in a small business is exciting - and a little risky. When you’re making your first (or fifth) hire, you’re not just adding another pair of hands. You’re setting expectations, shaping...
12 January 2026
Fixed-Term Employment Contracts In The UK: Rights, Renewals And Ending Them
If you run a small business, there are plenty of reasons you might want to hire someone without committing to a permanent role straight away. Maybe you’ve landed a big project, you’re...
12 January 2026
Payment in Lieu of Notice (PILON) in the UK: What Employers Need to Know
If you run a small business, there will probably come a time when an employee needs to leave quickly - whether that’s due to performance, misconduct concerns, redundancy, or simply a breakdown...
12 January 2026
UK Statutory Redundancy Pay Calculator: How to Calculate Redundancy Pay
Redundancy is one of those business decisions you never want to make in a rush. If you’re a small business owner, you’re usually balancing cashflow, team morale, customer expectations and compliance -...
11 January 2026
How To Register A Company In The UK: Step-By-Step Guide
When you’re building a startup or growing a small business, there’s a point where “just getting started” turns into “we need to formalise this properly”. That’s where registering a company in the...
11 January 2026
Notice Periods in the UK: What Employers Need to Know
If you employ staff (or you’re about to hire your first employee), the “notice period” is one of those terms that comes up constantly - in resignations, performance management, redundancies, and even...
11 January 2026UK Annual Leave Calculator: How to Calculate Holiday Entitlement
If you employ people in the UK, getting holiday entitlement right isn’t just about being a “good employer” (although it helps). It’s a legal compliance issue, and it can quickly turn into...
11 January 2026Secondment Meaning And How It Works For UK Employers
If you’re running a small business, there’s a good chance you’ll hit a point where you need extra capability - but not necessarily a permanent hire. Maybe you’ve won a short-term project,...
11 January 2026B2B Contracts: Key Terms, Risks And Clauses For UK Businesses
If you run a small business, chances are you deal with other businesses every day - suppliers, distributors, consultants, agencies, software providers, manufacturers, landlords, and more. That’s the world of B2B ....
11 January 2026IR35 Explained: Who It Applies To And How To Stay Compliant In The UK
If you hire contractors (especially through personal service companies), IR35 can feel like one of those “tax things” you only deal with when something goes wrong. But in practice, IR35 is a...
11 January 2026
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