How LawEasier has helped others.
There are many different ways that using LawEasier we can help with your business legal requirements. Take a look at some of the case studies below.
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Ben
Ben had been a self-employed carpenter for some time when he won a large contract with a well-known construction company to fit its interiors. Ben realised that in order to fulfil the contract he would need to find a new workshop and hire some staff to help. As Ben needed to hire some employees, he used LawEasier to guide him through the numerous compliance issues relating to employment laws and health & safety regulations.
How we helped
Daunted by the prospect, Ben turned to us for guidance and used our Legal Healthcheck tool which recommended he put employment agreements in place, as well as carry out a health & safety assessment of his premises. This gave Ben the tools and confidence needed to satisfy the requirements from his contractors.
Doug
Doug had inherited his butchers’ shop from his father and the family’s tradition of insisting on buying good quality produce from local farmers had served them well. He was able to cut out the middle-man when he bought his own slaughterhouse and, after leasing other premises in the next town, Doug soon found that he had built himself a small empire. Doug’s reputation grew and he was offered a contract selling his meat products through the local supermarket.
How we helped
At this point, Doug contacted mayo Wynne Baxter for advice and our legal team guided him through the contract that the supermarket had produced. We also recommended that, in order to protect his home, Doug should consider changing his business into a limited company and, after some discussions with his accountants, Doug did just that using LawEasier. Furthermore, because some of Doug’s family members had an interest in the company, we also recommended that a shareholder’s agreement was appropriate to reflect these shares and the respective rights attached.
Wendy
When Wendy first started up her furniture restoration business, she like many entrepreneurs, fitted it around her family life and worked from home. However, Wendy’s business quickly grew, and the orders took off with unexpected speed. She soon had a great deal of interest from people wanting to join her in her venture, so she sought our help in deciding the best way to structure her business.
How we helped
We recommended that Wendy considered setting up as a limited company to protect her home or, at the very least, offer her business associates a partnership agreement. Wendy and her business partners decided that a partnership agreement would suit her, with the view to changing to a limited company in the future. LawEasier guided Wendy through the options available in our partnership agreement to ensure that it was right for her and Wendy was off with a flying start!
Susan
Susan ran a successful consultancy business and had a number of blue-chip companies as her clients. However, when one large contract came to an end, Susan turned her attention to managing her smaller clients and noticed that a number were not paying their invoices on time, at which point Susan contacted our legal team for advice.
How we helped
We reviewed her terms and conditions and discovered that they were no longer suitable for her circumstances and advised on a new consultancy agreement to be introduced where possible. We also told Susan about the Late Payment of Commercial Debts Interest Act which enabled her to claim the Interest of 8% over the Bank of England base rate, along with statutory compensation linked to the amount of money she was owed and any reasonable costs that she incurred in recovering that debt. For those companies who had not paid in over two months, a letter before action was sent, which in most cases resulted in a swift settlement of the bill. We were also able to reassure Susan that she had six years to sue on an unpaid invoice if needed. Armed with this Susan was able to remove most of her cash flow problems.
Des
Small business owner, Des contacted us when one of his newer members of staff started to request time off as his partner was seriously ill. Des had naturally given his employee the time off without question but came to us as he was unsure about the sort of questions that can be asked of an employee requesting leave in these circumstances.
How we helped
Our legal team promptly advised him of his rights and explained that an employer is entitled to ask suitable questions to establish whether the situation was a genuine emergency and if there was anyone else in the family that could assist in the support. Not only does this keep the communication between the employer and employee flowing, but it also establishes that a request of this nature can be subject to scrutiny by an employer. We explained that time taken off for family emergencies has been confirmed by the Employment Appeal Tribunal as being transient in nature and cannot be used for extended absences.