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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.

Every business needs to be aware of its obligations under minimum wage and equal pay laws, as well as recent pensions auto-enrolment changes.

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.

You must comply with legal restrictions on employees' working hours and time off, or risk claims, enforcement action and even prosecution.

The right employment policies are an essential part of effective staff management. Make sure any policy is clear and well communicated to employees.

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.

While sick employees need to be treated fairly, you need to ensure that 'sickness' is not being used as cover for unauthorised absence.

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

Most pregnant employees are entitled to maternity leave and maternity pay, while new fathers are entitled to paternity leave and paternity pay.

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

As well as undermining morale, illegal discrimination can lead to workplace grievances. Employee discrimination is covered by the Equality Act 2010.

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

Home, remote and lone workers are becoming increasingly commonplace. Key issues include communication and how to manage and motivate people remotely.

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

The right approach to consulting with and providing information to your employees can improve employee motivation and performance.

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

Disciplinary and grievance issues can be a major burden to employers. Putting in place and following the right procedures is essential.

Following the right dismissal and redundancy procedures helps protect your business and minimise the risk of a legal dispute at tribunal.

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

Employment tribunal claims are a worrying prospect for any employer. A tribunal case is a no-win situation – even if the claim is unjustified.

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.

Also in the news this week - 26 June 2015

26 June 2015

Our round-up of other small business stories making the headlines this week...

Micro-businesses waste hours on accounts

More than half of British micro-businesses and sole traders do their accounts using pen and paper or a spreadsheet, according to a survey conducted by YouGov on behalf of FreeAgent. It means that many business owners are wasting unnecessary time - 23% of those surveyed spend more than one working day per month managing their accounts and 8% spend at least three days on their books.

Aging workforce to cause future staff shortfall

An aging population means that the UK economy will struggle to fill one million jobs by 2035, even taking into account the mitigating effect of migrant workers. These are the findings of new research from the CIPD and the International Longevity Centre-UK. The CIPD is urging businesses to take steps now to build a more age diverse workforce, rather than fall victim to a mass exodus of skills as their workforce ages. There are currently 9.4 million workers in the UK over the age of 50; but while the employment rate of older workers has increased, there is still a 64% drop in the employment rate between the ages of 53 and 67.

Businesses on cold calling repeat offenders

Persistent cold callers and scammers are a significant problem for UK businesses, according to a survey by Protecting. The worst offenders, it says, are recruitment and insurance companies, followed by card processing firms, pay-per-click and SEO experts and utility firms. The poll found that 89% of business owners said they would never buy from a cold caller and 91% said they would be put off buying from a company for life if they persisted in cold calling them after they had been asked to stop.

Creating a new generation of entrepreneurs

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) and the UK's leading enterprise charity, Young Enterprise, are teaming up to give teenagers from across the UK the chance to become the next business stars. The goal is to highlight the value of vocational education, focusing on six schools in disadvantaged areas. Young people will get a share of funding from the FSB as they embark on Young Enterprise's Company Programme, receiving mentoring to help them better understand the world of business. John Allan, FSB national chairman, said: "This partnership is crucial because businesses are concerned that young people aren't prepared for the world of work."

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