In a private limited company the death of a major shareholder can cause a number of issues.  This note sets out to avoid the most common issues whilst retaining the 100% relief from IHT that applies to shares in trading companies.

There are a variety of legal structures through which a business can be operated. This note looks at incorporated structures in the context of for-profit businesses.

The briefing also details how to incorporate a company yourself without the need for a lawyer or accountant. 

A social enterprise is a business carried on for a social purpose. Social enterprises can be operated via a number of structures. This briefing discusses some of those structures including Community Interest Companies, Industrial & Providential Societies and Charities.

This legal briefing will focus on trade marks and in particular on registering trade marks in the UK and the consequences of non-registration. Trademarks law is a deceptively complicated area governed by an intricate mix of statute and case law which can make securing the right level of protection particularly challenging. 

The latest in our legal briefings focusses on cookies. We explain what they do and why websites use them. We also look briefly at the legal regime around the use of cookies and what online businesses need to do to remain compliant.

Is your company using contact details, personal information and business leads responsibly and lawfully?

This briefing sets out the law around use of leads and what you should do to comply. For practical guidance, we are holding a DIYLegal drafting session dealing with privacy policies on 9 May 2012. Further information can be found here.

The Finance Bill 2012 introduced a start-up version of the Enterprise Investment Scheme, known as the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS).

SEIS will apply to shares issued on or after 6 April 2012, but before 6 April 2017.

One of the biggest problems for small businesses is getting paid promptly by their customers. Increasingly customers choose either to delay payment to improve their own cashflow or attempt to renegotiate the cost of a product or service once it has been received or performed.

The Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) aims to help smaller companies to obtain finance by offering incentives to potential investors.

Companies that qualify for EIS are significantly more attractive to investors than those that don’t.

Most companies do business with customers over the internet. As a result, companies are increasingly looking to streamline execution formalities for documentation. This legal briefing discusses some of the options available.