Written by Fraz Butt, Senior Director · SRA-regulated · Last reviewed 8 September 2026 This startup legal guide covers the decisions that matter most as you build a business in the UK: choosing the right company structure, agreeing ownership with any co-founders, putting proper contracts in place, hiring your first employees, raising investment, and […]
Written by Fraz Butt, Senior Director · SRA-regulated · Last reviewed 8 September 2026 Protecting your intellectual property means registering trademarks for your brand name and logo, understanding that copyright in original work arises automatically without registration, and knowing what steps to take if a competitor copies your work. Your brand name, logo, product […]
Written by Fraz Butt, Senior Director · SRA-regulated · Last reviewed 8 September 2026 Before hiring your first employee at your startup business, a founder needs a written contract of employment, a small number of core policies, and an understanding of statutory obligations such as pension auto enrolment and the right to work checks. […]
Written by Fraz Butt, Senior Director · SRA-regulated · Last reviewed 8 September 2026 Raising investment as a UK startup business usually involves agreeing a term sheet with an investor, which sets out the key commercial terms, followed by formal legal documents including a subscription agreement and an updated shareholders agreement, and often involves […]
Written by Fraz Butt, Senior Director · SRA-regulated · Last reviewed 8 September 2026 Negotiating commercial contracts effectively means knowing which clauses are worth pushing back on, such as liability caps, payment terms and termination rights, and which are standard market practice not worth spending time on. Many business owners either accept the first […]
Written by Fraz Butt, Senior Director · SRA-regulated · Last reviewed 8 September 2026 Generic terms and conditions downloaded from the internet put a business at risk because they are written for a different business, in a different sector, facing different risks, and they rarely reflect how your business actually operates or what could […]
Written by Fraz Butt, Senior Director · SRA-regulated · Last reviewed 8 September 2026 Every commercial contract, whether with a supplier, a customer or a platform, should clearly set out what each party is agreeing to do, how much will be paid and when, what happens if something goes wrong, and how either party […]
Written by Fraz Butt, Senior Director · SRA-regulated · Last reviewed 8 September 2026 A founders agreement is a document, sometimes informal and sometimes forming part of a formal shareholders agreement, in which the people starting a business together set out their roles, their ownership split, how much time and money each will commit, […]
Written by Fraz Butt, Senior Director · SRA-regulated · Last reviewed 8 September 2026 A shareholders agreement is a private contract between the owners of a company that sets out how the business is run, how decisions are made, and what happens if a shareholder wants to leave, dies, or is not performing. Any […]
