Business Law

Full Member Articles

These items are only available to FIRA members. Please click here to view membership benefits and for details on how to join. Please feel free to continue to browse the site for information, services and suppliers.

Forming a business

Whether you are forming your first business or adding to an existing one, it pays to set it up correctly. Choosing the wrong business structure will expose you to unnecessary costs and risks later on.

Intellectual property

Whether your business relies on innovative new products or just the strength of your reputation, it almost certainly involves some intellectual property. You need to use your own intellectual property as effectively as possible while avoiding infringing others' rights to theirs.

Interest on late payments

Small businesses already have a legal right to claim interest from late-paying customers. The statutory right to interest, introduced under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998, will be extended to cover all businesses and public bodies on contracts agreed after 7 August 2002.

New business law in 1999

This briefing provides an overview of the developments in business law in the year 1999, including tax, that are most likely to affect small and medium-sized businesses.

New business law in 2000

This briefing provides an overview of the developments in business law in the year 2000, including tax, that are most likely to affect small and medium-sized businesses.

New business law in 2001

This briefing provides an overview of the developments in business law in 2001 that are most likely to affect small and medium-sized businesses. It follows publications covering the same area for 1999 (LA 7) and 2000 (LA 9). Developments in employment law are covered separately, in New employment law in 2001, LA 12. There are titles covering the same area for 1999 (LA 6) and 2000 (LA 8). These briefings provide pointers to changes that might affect your business, but do not deal with issues in detail. If you need to know more, talk to your professional adviser, or follow the cross reference to the appropriate Directors’ Briefing.

Website and email law

Some people like to think of the Internet as an unregulated free-for-all, but this is simply not the case. The law still applies, although in some areas its interpretation and effects are not entirely clear.

Your business and the environment

We are all concerned about the environment, but most of us prefer to believe it is someone else's problem. Such complacency can be costly.

Your firm and the Data Protection Act

Many small businesses assume they do not need to worry about the Data Protection Act. They are wrong. All organisations, whatever their size, are subject to the Act and non-compliance can result in personal liability for directors and damages claims against companies.

This website has been optimised to work with JavaScript.

Please enable javascript on your browser to get the most out of this site.

FIRA Helpdesk

Leading furniture expertise

Industry Advice Line
+44 (0)1438 777700

Monday to Friday: 9am to 5pm

The Furniture Ombudsman

The sign of fair trading in the furniture industry

Consumer Line
08701 620 690