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Any big business will have a team of lawyers on hand to help it negotiate the tricky legal issues involved with running a large firm. Smaller businesses face all the same issues, but often don't have easy access to sound legal advice.
Even people working for themselves, such as tradesmen, can encounter a range of complex legal issues in the course of their work. If someone slips and is hurt on a floor you have put down and decides to take legal action, for example, you may find yourself facing a costly legal bill, even if it is not your fault and proceedings don't even make it to court.
Or what if a customer refuses to pay for work carried out? Or a supplier fails to fulfill a contract? How do you take legal action? If you decide to trade online or use direct marketing, for example, there are further legal implications.
If your business is slightly larger and you employ even a small number of people, the legal issues can become even more involved as you will then have to make sure you are complying with employment law, too.
In fact, virtually every facet of your business, from the business name to the accounts, has legal implications.
However, solicitors can be costly and many small businesses try to put off seeking legal advice because they can't afford it, hoping instead that the problem will just go away. This can be a risky strategy as it may mean you miss the opportunity to implement simple remedies to resolve problems before they escalate into something more serious and even more costly.
Free legal advice
Direct Line for Business recognises that for many small businesses the cost of employing a legal team makes it unrealistic and so we have incorporated a free Business Legal Advice Helpline into all or our business insurance policies.
This gives you unlimited access to a team of solicitors and other legal experts, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, all year round.
The advisers provide confidential legal advice and guidance on any commercial legal problems, such as employment, VAT, prosecution, contract disputes and landlord and tenant disputes.
Trading abroad
For those trading beyond the borders of the UK, legal advice can also be offered in respect of matters subject to the laws of and within the jurisdiction of courts in the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, any other member country of the European Union and also Switzerland and Norway.
We all know about the high cost of hiring lawyers, so rather than breaking the bank or burying your head in the sand, give yourself peace of mind by insuring your business through a Direct Line for Business insurance policy. As well as protecting you financially if things go wrong, you'll also be covered when those tricky legal issues arise, as they almost certainly will at some point.
Related information:
Employers' liability insurance - this is compulsory insurance for all businesses that employ staff - Find out how to take out cover with Direct Line for Business.
Public liability insurance - this insurance provides cover for injury to the public or damage to their property.
Tradesman insurance - get a quote online that includes the liability cover your business needs.
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