POST CATEGORY : Legal

ReachLocal’s guide to Online Reviews

The proliferation of the Internet has made it easier for consumers to conduct their own research and inquire with other consumers. In the same token, it has made it easier for anyone and everyone to become publishers in their own right. However, the anonymity of the online space also opens this up to deception and fakers who write embellished reviews beyond what they can show factually. In the legal sense, this is often referred to as defamation.

Online review guide

As the Internet industry matures, so do the legalities surrounding many variables that can happen in the online space – in most cases, the law simply extends itself to online.…

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Remaining Compliant as a Small Business Owner: 3 Things to Keep in Mind

While it is often overshadowed by the importance of commercial growth and performance, compliance with British laws and regulations remains extremely crucial. This is a challenge that has come into focus recently, with Google Glass business users being urged to ensure that they comply fully with existing data protection laws.

Business regulations

This is just one of the many compliance issues facing small business owners, however, as concepts such as health and safety, taxation and building regulations must be given careful attention at all times. If you fail to do this, you could impede your businesses long-term growth and ultimately cost you significant sums of money.…

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Business Insolvency: What to Do Next

Insolvency can be a tough time for you and your business. Just the terminology itself can be intimidating and unnerving. But it doesn’t have to be and there are ways of making the process transpire as smoothly and pain-free as possible. Business insolvency is legally defined as a company which is unable to pay its debts. This can be either one of the two; the company is unable to pay debts as they fall due, or the company does not have enough assets to cover its debts.

Insolvent business

If your company is facing insolvency and you are struggling to pay your debts, help is available.…

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Keeping Up with Business Regulations

It is of vital importance that you stay up to date on business regulations in your sector to keep pace with new rules and practices. Compliance with business regulations should never be compromised because there can be serious repercussions for a company if it is discovered that there is a lack of compliance.

Business regulations

Failure to comply with regulations can result in huge fines in some industries, and compliance is important from business start-up through to sale. If a business is found to be ignoring some part of business law it can result in negative publicity that can damage a business image and brand permanently.…

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What are The Key Deal Terms of a Litigation Funding Agreement?

The key document that governs the relationship between a third party litigation funder and a claimant is a litigation funding agreement (“LFA“).

Litigation Funding Agreement

LFAs are complex legal contracts, which are customised to the facts of each individual claim, but the following are the main key elements:

Termination rights

It might seem counter-intuitive to list termination rights as the first key element, but in practice this is one of the most important aspects of the LFA.

As a claimant (or the claimant’s solicitors) you need to be comfortable that once you have entered into a LFA, your funder will provide the agreed level of third party litigation funding until the conclusion of the claim and only pull out if certain objective tests are met.…

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5 Tax Pitfalls to Avoid This Year

Most entrepreneurs shudder at the thought of dealing with their taxes. With their eye firmly on growing their business and forging ahead the idea of meticulously tracking and recording every aspect of their business is at the very back of their minds. But if anything is going to take the wind out of a business’ sails it’s not keeping everything in order.

Business taxes

Here are five of the most common things that tend to trip up entrepreneurs. Make sure you avoid them this year.

1. Claim Your Legitimate Expenses

Make sure that you claim for every item to which you are entitled.…

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‘I Am Small Business Proud’ Campaign Shares Story of Immigration Lawyer

This week, Capital One’s I Am Small Business Proud campaign is making stops in Texas to interview entrepreneurs in various industries. The nationwide trek is part of a 35-city tour by Brooklyn-based filmmakers Trisha Dalton and John Sears who are “gathering exclusive content and insights into the lives of small business owners,” according to their rep.

Starting a Law Firm

On Monday, the filmmakers visited Austin, Texas where they interviewed Vi Nanthaveth, founder of an immigration law firm. Like many who migrate to America, Nanthaveth started her business after gaining experience in her profession.

Vi Nanthaveth

“I almost feel like [immigration law] was something that fell on my lap,” says Nanthaveth.…

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6 Steps Every SMB Owner Needs to Complete After Incorporating

Forming an LLC or Limited Liability Corporation is a great first step toward legitimizing your company and to insulate you and your family from the financial liabilities of your business.

Most small business owners quickly find out the hard way that there’s a few more steps they need to take before moving away from their days operating as a sole proprietor.

SMB owner

Here are 6 you don’t want to forget about:

1. Compliance Plan

Now that you’re an LLC, the state(s) you operate in and are registered in will expect a yearly report. This is more of a formality than something you’ll need to dread every single year, simply involving you updating your company and personal contact info for state records.…

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Everything You Need to Know About Business Partnerships (Especially With a Friend or Relative)

As if entrepreneurship wasn’t scary enough, we have this incomparably unknown and yet timeless institution of corporate America, from the smallest endeavor of the lemonade stand to a superior launch of a law firm — the business partnership. Of course, one would think that such a thing would be a lot easier to deal with than simply being a sole proprietorship as many entrepreneurs are. That’s not the case.

business partnership

You’re cooperating with another human being, basically. It’s a type of unincorporated business, subject to everything like taxes, certain regulations and even government inspections depending on the industry you’re in. There will always be conflicts of interest, disagreements and legal repercussions.…

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Everything You Need to Know About Choosing The Right Business Structure

If only it were so cut and dry when starting a business, we wouldn’t have all these headaches with paperwork, legal stuff and guidelines to deal with. However, the way business works would be a disaster if we didn’t have these specific legal structures to choose from, namely….

  • Sole Proprietorship
  • Partnership
  • (C) Corporation
  • (S) Corporation
  • LLC (Limited Liability Company)

business structure

That’s a lot to take in, especially if you may not know how they’re all different. Each one has specific advantages depending on the needs of the business. Each one also has certain aspects you must take into account, or else you’re losing money on account of your negligence.…

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