Legal guides for founders and business owners
Long-form, practical guidance on the commercial legal questions that come up as a business grows — written for founders, directors and operators rather than lawyers.
Company & Governance
Shareholders' agreement guide for UK startups
What a startup shareholders' agreement should cover in England and Wales: vesting, drag and tag, reserved matters, deadlock and leaver provisions.
Read guideHow to choose a commercial solicitor
How to assess commercial legal advisers in the UK: experience, fee structures, regulation, responsiveness and the questions worth asking before you instruct.
Read guidePartnership agreement vs shareholders' agreement
How partnerships, LLPs and limited companies differ in liability, tax, governance and documentation — and which agreement your business actually needs.
Read guideDirectors' duties and responsibilities in the UK
The seven statutory directors' duties under the Companies Act 2006, plus filing obligations, conflicts, wrongful trading and personal liability risks.
Read guideJoint venture agreements guide
Choosing a joint venture structure, governance and deadlock, IP and contributions, profit sharing, competition law and exit routes for UK joint ventures.
Read guideCompany formation and structure guide
Choosing a UK business structure, incorporating a private limited company, share classes, directors and PSC registers, and the filings required after formation.
Read guideMinority shareholder being excluded from a company
Shut out of decisions, information or pay as a minority shareholder? Your rights, what unfair prejudice means and the routes that usually resolve it.
Read guideYour first meeting with a business lawyer: what actually happens
What usually happens at a first meeting with a commercial lawyer: the questions you will be asked, conflict checks, scope, costs discussion and next steps.
Read guideWhat documents to bring to a business lawyer, by type of matter
A practical checklist of the documents a commercial lawyer usually needs for contract reviews, disputes, regulatory questions and company secretarial work.
Read guideWhat does a company secretary do for a private limited company?
The usual company secretarial tasks for a UK private limited company: Companies House filings, statutory registers, board minutes and share changes.
Read guideWhat does a commercial solicitor do for a business?
What a commercial solicitor does: contracts, disputes, regulatory questions and company records, when a business needs one and how to get good value.
Read guideSpecialist commercial law firm or full-service law firm: which suits your business?
Comparing specialist commercial law firms with full-service firms: breadth, depth, cost, continuity and how to decide which fits your business legal needs.
Read guideCan company directors be personally liable for company debts and decisions?
When UK company directors can face personal liability: personal guarantees, wrongful and fraudulent trading, breach of duty, disqualification and tax.
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Contracts
Software licensing agreements explained
Licence scope, IP ownership, support, warranties, liability caps and open-source risk in UK software licensing agreements — a guide for tech companies.
Read guideTerms and conditions for SaaS businesses
What UK SaaS terms and conditions should cover: subscription and renewal, uptime, data protection, acceptable use, liability, suspension and exit.
Read guideNon-disclosure agreement (NDA) guide
How UK NDAs work: one-way vs mutual, defining confidential information, permitted disclosures, duration, remedies and the limits of what an NDA can do.
Read guideCommercial contract negotiation tips
Practical negotiation tactics for UK commercial contracts: preparation, paper control, the clauses worth fighting for and how to close without losing the deal.
Read guideFixed fee vs hourly rate legal costs for business work
How commercial legal work is priced, when a fixed fee suits the job and when hourly billing is fairer, plus the questions to ask before you instruct a firm.
Read guideHeads of terms explained for business deals
What heads of terms are, which parts bind you, what to include for a sale, joint venture or supply deal, and the drafting traps that cause arguments later.
Read guideSupplier not delivering: your options when a contract is not honoured
What UK businesses can do when a supplier misses deadlines or fails to deliver: what the contract controls, how to escalate and the realistic remedies.
Read guideSaaS supplier outage or SLA breach: what you can do
When a software supplier keeps going down or misses its service levels: what the contract usually says, what service credits mean and how to escalate.
Read guideHow long does it take to draft and agree a commercial contract?
What drives the time it takes to draft, negotiate and sign a business contract in the UK, and practical steps that help agreements close sooner.
Read guideReviewing a SaaS contract as a customer: what to check before you sign
A customer checklist for SaaS contracts: service levels, data protection, liability caps, price rises, auto-renewal, supplier changes and exit rights.
Read guideA contract review checklist for businesses: what to check before you sign
A practical checklist for reviewing a business contract before signing: parties, scope, payment, liability, termination, IP, confidentiality and governing law.
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Data & Regulation
Data protection and UK GDPR compliance for startups
A practical UK GDPR compliance route for startups: lawful bases, records of processing, privacy notices, processors, security, breaches and marketing rules.
Read guideRegulatory compliance for fintech startups
FCA authorisation, appointed representative routes, payment services, e-money, AML obligations, consumer duty and financial promotions for UK fintechs.
Read guideData breach: what to do in the first hours and days
A personal data breach at a UK business: immediate containment steps, how the risk assessment works, what gets recorded or reported and who to tell.
Read guideWhat happens in a regulatory compliance review for a business?
How a regulatory compliance review usually works: scoping, gathering documents, identifying gaps, prioritising actions and keeping compliance under review.
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Disputes
Business dispute resolution: the options for small businesses
Business dispute resolution explained: negotiation, mediation, adjudication, arbitration, expert determination and court compared for UK small firms.
Read guideDirector disputes and how to resolve them
How director disputes arise in UK private companies, the practical routes to resolving them, what the company's constitution controls and when to take legal advice.
Read guideRecovering unpaid invoices from business customers
A step by step guide to chasing unpaid B2B invoices in England and Wales, from internal credit control and letters before action to court claims and enforcement.
Read guideDisputing a debt your business does not accept it owes
Chased for money you dispute? How to answer demands and debt collectors, what a genuine dispute means and the steps that protect your business.
Read guideReceived a letter before action? How to respond properly
What a letter before action means, the deadline that matters, what a good reply contains and the mistakes that turn a manageable claim into a court case.
Read guideHow long does a commercial dispute take to resolve?
The typical stages of a business dispute in England and Wales, what makes one take weeks or years, and how negotiation and mediation affect the timeline.
Read guideThe most common contract disputes for small businesses, and how to prevent them
The contract disputes small businesses face most often: late payment, poor performance, scope creep, termination rows and liability caps, with prevention tips.
Read guideCommercial mediation: what to expect before, during and after the day
How commercial mediation works for business disputes: choosing a mediator, position papers, the day itself, confidentiality and settlement agreements.
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Funding & Exit
SEIS and EIS: a practical guide for founders and investors
How SEIS and EIS work in the UK: qualifying conditions, advance assurance, share rights, common disqualifying mistakes and what founders must get right.
Read guideFunding round legal checklist
Term sheet to completion: cap table, due diligence, subscription agreement, articles, board consents, Companies House filings and post-closing obligations.
Read guideExit strategy legal planning
Preparing a UK company for sale: exit routes, pre-sale housekeeping, warranties and indemnities, earn-outs, escrow and the tax and timing decisions that matter.
Read guideBusiness sale falling through and what to do next
When a deal collapses before completion: what you are still bound by, how to protect confidential information and how to reset ready for a new buyer.
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Intellectual Property
Intellectual property protection for tech companies
How UK tech companies protect IP: copyright in code, trade marks, patents, trade secrets, employee and contractor assignments, and IP in commercial contracts.
Read guideProtecting your business idea legally
Ideas are not protected in themselves. How UK law protects the expression, brand, know-how and relationships that turn an idea into a defensible business.
Read guideSomeone is copying your brand, product or content
Found a competitor using your name, designs or copy? How to check what you own, gather evidence and choose between takedowns, letters and formal action.
Read guideSaaS agreement vs software licence: what is the difference?
How a SaaS subscription agreement differs from a traditional software licence: rights granted, hosting, data, service levels, fees and ending the contract.
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People & Premises
Commercial lease guide for growing businesses
Heads of terms, security of tenure, break clauses, rent review, repair obligations and dilapidations — what UK businesses should check before signing a lease.
Read guideEmployment contract essentials for first-time employers
What UK employers must include in a written statement of particulars, plus probation, notice, confidentiality, IP, restrictive covenants and policies.
Read guideCommercial lease dilapidations claims explained
What a dilapidations claim is, how the schedule and the process work at lease end, what usually drives the figure down and how business tenants can prepare early.
Read guideFormer employee taking clients or company data
What to do when a leaver approaches your clients or copies company information: the evidence to secure, what covenants can do and your realistic options.
Read guideDispute with your commercial landlord and how to handle it
Repairs, service charges or rent review problems with a commercial landlord: what the lease controls, how to escalate and where the real leverage sits.
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Radcliffe Enterprise Law advises founders, scale-ups and established businesses across Oxfordshire and the Thames Valley on contracts, disputes, regulation and governance.