Thinking of starting a business on your own or with a business partner? Don’t leave it too late to consider the legal issues and budget for them! Here are the top issues we are most commonly asked to advise on by new entrepreneurs: Business Entity: Will you start up as a sole trader (under your
Robert Bedford, Past President and Council Member of the Hertfordshire Law Society, is an Employment Partner at Machins Solicitors, Luton. Here he considers the effects of the changes in employment legislation on vulnerable and low-paid employees The Introduction of Employment Tribunal Fees The introduction of fees to bring claims in the Employment Tribunal 18 months
Apprentices will get the biggest pay boost when the National Minimum Wage increases come into effect in October. The adult rate will rise by 20p from £6.50 per hour to £6.70, a 3% increase. However, the rate for apprentices will rise by 57p to £3.30 per hour. The government says the larger increase is designed
Two brothers have been banned from being company directors after they breached their duty to creditors when their business went into liquidation. The two men ran a company that provided payroll services. The business got into financial difficulties and was wound up in October 2012. An Insolvency Service investigation found that two weeks after the
The government wants to speed up the planning system and make it easier for developers to build more houses. The proposals centre on ‘section 106’ agreements, which oblige developers to meet certain conditions before planning permission is granted. These conditions often involve issues such as building new roads for improved access and providing an affordable
A Court of Appeal ruling that a 10% uplift should be applied to general damages awards in civil claims for pain and suffering does not apply to employment tribunals. That was the decision of the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) in a recent discrimination case. The hearing involved a woman who claimed that her employer had
The government is tightening up the Prompt Pay Code (PPC) to encourage firms to pay invoices quicker and so improve cash flow for smaller firms. Business Minister Matthew Hancock says the PPC will now promote 30-day terms as standard and introduce a 60-day maximum limit. Unless firms can show there are exceptional circumstances that justify
A steel production company has won a damages claim against a former director and members of his family after they formed a rival start-up business. The director, his son and daughter-in-law all worked for the production company at the same time. The son and daughter-in-law left to set up their own business in the same
New measures are to be introduced to try to reduce the cost of disputes over Intellectual Property and design rights. The new Designs Opinions Service is aimed at small and medium-sized businesses and will be similar to the current Patent Opinion Service, which was introduced in 2005. It will be run by the Intellectual Property
A company has succeeded in getting a court injunction to prevent one of its former directors from poaching its staff and customers, and using its confidential information. The case involved a director who had begun working for the company in 2008 and was given a number of shares. In 2012, a new Directors’ Service Agreement