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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.

The sheer volume of law that affects even the smallest one-person business is mind boggling. Whereas consumers are treated as legal novices and so are vigorously protected by the law, businesses are treated as legal experts. They are expected to know, understand and abide by a vast array of ever-changing laws; ignorance of the law is no excuse.

It is therefore important that businesses quickly get an understanding of the main laws that affect their particular type of business.

Many types of business are not even allowed to start trading until they have successfully applied for the appropriate licences from their local authority or some other licensing authority. For example, food-related businesses.

Then there are rules around what type of business you can use particular premises for, and what alterations you are able to make to the premises.

Any business that sells directly to consumers will need to abide by the consumer protection laws.

The rules covering Health & Safety, fire, and waste disposal cover all types of business, but sectors such as construction and manufacturing are particularly affected.

We are gradually building up this section to cover 200 different types of business. While we cannot begin to cover all the laws that affect each sector, we will summarise some of the main ones. The aim is to get you started on journey of understanding the key laws that affect your business.