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Setting up a business involves complying with a range of legal requirements. Find out which ones apply to you and your new enterprise.

What particular regulations do specific types of business (such as a hotel, or a printer, or a taxi firm) need to follow? We explain some of the key legal issues to consider for 200 types of business.

While poor governance can bring serious legal consequences, the law can also protect business owners and managers and help to prevent conflict.

Whether you want to raise finance, join forces with someone else, buy or sell a business, it pays to be aware of the legal implications.

From pay, hours and time off to discipline, grievance and hiring and firing employees, find out about your legal responsibilities as an employer.

Marketing matters. Marketing drives sales for businesses of all sizes by ensuring that customers think of their brand when they want to buy.

Commercial disputes can prove time-consuming, stressful and expensive, but having robust legal agreements can help to prevent them from occurring.

Whether your business owns or rents premises, your legal liabilities can be substantial. Commercial property law is complex, but you can avoid common pitfalls.

With information and sound advice, living up to your legal responsibilities to safeguard your employees, customers and visitors need not be difficult or costly.

As information technology continues to evolve, legislation must also change. It affects everything from data protection and online selling to internet policies for employees.

Intellectual property (IP) isn't solely relevant to larger businesses or those involved in developing innovative new products: all products have IP.

Knowing how and when you plan to sell or relinquish control of your business can help you to make better decisions and achieve the best possible outcome.

From bereavement, wills, inheritance, separation and divorce to selling a house, personal injury and traffic offences, learn more about your personal legal rights.

Health and safety

Effective workplace health and safety management minimises the risk of accidents and cuts costs. You need to understand how health and safety regulations affect your business.

Health and safety policy

Unless you are genuinely self employed, your business needs a health and safety policy. Your health and safety policy must be in writing, unless you have fewer than five employees. The health and safety policy sets out your general approach to health and safety. It also explains how you organise responsibility for managing health and safety in your business.

Your main health and safety policy should also link to any more detailed health and safety policies and procedures that your business may have in place: for example, procedures for using dangerous equipment safely, reporting serious injuries and so on.

Your workplace health and safety

Your approach to health and safety needs to suit your business, taking account of any particular risks. Regular health and safety risk assessments are essential to identify the main risks in your business. You also need to be aware of the health and safety regulations affecting your business activities.

Key health and safety issues include fire safety, dangerous and electrical equipment, and hazardous substances. You also need to ensure that your premises are healthy and safe, and provide the right environment and facilities for employee welfare.

Health and safety - your employees

You must involve employees in health and safety, consulting on issues that affect them and providing the health and safety information they need. As well as creating health and safety procedures, you need to provide training and make sure that employees follow the procedures. You must conduct health and safety risk assessments for homeworkers and lone workers.

As an employer, you are legally required to have employers' liability insurance providing cover against any employee's injury or illness for which you are responsible.