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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.

Managing a complaint at work: a step-by-step guide

As an employer you need to be prepared to have to deal with a complaint from someone who works for you. More formally this is known as a grievance and it could be to do with their work, where they work or who they work with.

Often the best way to deal with grievances is for the line manager to have a quiet word with the employee to try and settle the matter during the course of a normal working day. However, if that doesn’t work, you need to take action to sort out the matter formally:

Acas have produced a step-by-step guide for managing a complaint at work. It is aimed at small firms and is broken down into the following sections:

Getting prepared
Step 1: Look into the complaint
Step 2: Prepare for meeting
Step 3: The meeting
Step 4: Taking action
Step 5: Handling an appeal
Legal check
Real-life situation
True or false?
FAQs

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