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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.

Stages of divorce: from application to final order

On 6 April 2022 the administrative process of getting a divorce completely changed, as the law moved to a ‘no-fault’ based system. It is now much simpler than the previous nine-stage process.

This article summarises these stages of divorce in simple terms. The same stages apply for dissolution of a civil partnership.

While you can still apply for a divorce by post, HM Courts & Tribunals Service offers an online service to make the process faster and easier.

Application and response

You cannot begin divorce proceedings until you have been married for at least a year.

The person seeking a divorce (the 'applicant') submits an application to the court (using a Form D8) declaring that the marriage has broken down irretrievably, and pays the £593 court fee.

Within 28 days the court sends a copy of the divorce application to your spouse (‘the respondent’) together with a ‘Notice of Proceedings’, and an ‘Acknowledgment of Service’ to complete and return to the court. This is all generally sent in an email and followed up by a letter.

The respondent has 14 days to return the Acknowledgment of Service. If the respondent declines to return it, a ‘process server’ can be instructed to serve the application to the respondent by hand and the process server then provides a statement confirming that the respondent has received the divorce papers.

Alternatively, you and your spouse can apply as joint applicants.

  • The person who initiates the joint application is called applicant 1 and their spouse is called applicant 2.
  • Applicant 1 pays the court fee and completes most of the application form.
  • Applicant 1 sends the application to the court, which then sends it to applicant 2 to check and to add further information on the online court portal.
  • The completed application is then sent to applicant 1 to approve before it is issued by the court.
  • The court sends both applicants an Acknowledgment of Service to file.
  • The applicants apply together for the conditional order and the final order (see below).
  • You can switch from a joint application to a sole application at any time, for example if you feel that your spouse is unreasonably delaying progress.

(In the rare situation of a divorce being disputed - on the grounds that the marriage was not valid in the first place, or the UK court lacks jurisdiction to rule on the case - a respondent must file this answer with the court within 35 days of receiving the divorce application.)

Cooling off period

There is a 20-week cooling off period after the court has issued the application, before you can apply for a conditional order- which is the first stage of the divorce.

During this period you can work to resolve any financial arrangements, although any agreements made are not legally binding at this stage.

Conditional order

You (or you and your spouse jointly) apply for a conditional order. Once the court has checked that all the paperwork is in order, it will provide a date for the conditional order to be made.

The conditional order means that the court accepts that you will be able to divorce.

Final order

Six weeks and a day after the court makes the conditional order, you can apply to the court for a final order (either as a sole applicant or as joint applicants with your spouse).

This legally ends your marriage.

Note that these stages of divorce only cover the divorce itself - ie the ending of the marriage. You may also want the court to deal with financial issues and with arrangements for the children.

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