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Get help

 LEGAL / IP HELP

If you think you may need a lawyer to help you, fill out your details in the form on this page.  Various areas where businesses need legal advice are described further down this page.  However, the bare minimum legal support a start-up typically needs includes the following:

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Commercial/IP

  • Standard terms & conditions​ for sale or supply of your goods or services (for example physical goods, consultancy services, software as as service, or something else)

  • Website terms of use

  • Privacy policy

  • Supply of essential goods and services (incl. software) to your business

  • Intellectual property 'snapshot review' of its creations, technology and brand: advice on what to protect and how

  • Follow on trade mark, and possibly patent and registered design right application(s)

Corporate Set-Up

  • Founders Agreement

  • Shareholders agreement

  • Articles of association

  • Directors’ duties guide

  • Company formation (see Get Help - Company Formation)

  • Corporate supporting documents (fro example shareholder resolutions, board minutes)

Directors, Employees & Other Staff

  • First director’s service agreement

  • Employment contracts

  • Contractor service agreements

  • Employee enterprise management incentive share schemes

 

You may want to consider taking on external lawyer on a retainer basis to provide an agreed number of hours' support each week or month to meet your legal needs.

legal/IP HELP REQUEST 

Thanks for your query. We'll get back to you ASAP.

Venture Adventures is not a legal services provider but its co-founder Jon Moorhouse is a highly experienced business and intellectual property consultant lawyer at a regulated law firm. 

 

Jon worked for many years in large, international law firms and then also in several global corporations, helping clients on matters of all sizes, from small start-ups to very large joint ventures. He enjoys providing expert legal knowledge whilst being mindful of business drivers and the broader commercial context. As managing director of a small company himself, he understands the constraints on time and resources and works pragmatically and efficiently with his clients to get them where they need to be.

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If you need help on a different specialist area of law, such as employment or commercial premises licensing, one of Jon's fabulous colleagues would be well placed to help you. 

lEGAL HELP

You may need legal support on a range of issues, including:

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  • Partnership agreements

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  • Financial conduct: rules and regulations governing investments

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  • Investment in your business or someone else's: loan or shareholder arrangements

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  • Collaboration or project agreements

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  • Buying, selling or leasing land or premises

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  • Corporate regulatory compliance: competition law, anti-bribery & corruption, anti-money laundering, anti-slavery

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  • In-house 'general counsel,' managing your legal issues, perhaps on a part-time or 'retainer' basis for an agreed number of hours or days per week.

IP HELP

IP help may include:

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  • IP training to key personnel in you business

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  • Sponsorship arrangements

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  • Collaboration agreements for example for research and development

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  • Field trial or testing agreements

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  • What to do if you want to oppose (stop) someone else's application for a registered patent, trade mark or design

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  • What to do if someone else opposes your application for a registered IP right

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  • What to do when someone copies you, including online

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  • What to do if someone alleges you have copied them, including online

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  • Internal IP audit for your won business

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  • Due diligence review of the IP position of a business you are thinking about buying, selling or partnering with

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  • IP assets valuation

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  • IP strategy development and implementation to achieve business goals

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  • IP portfolio management

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  • 'Watch' services, to keep an eye on competitors' and other third parties' use of your IP rights in their products or services, or to be alerted to any applications they make to register their own IP rights (including domain names), in case you would like to stop them.

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  • Third party IP rights searching and analysis

data protection advice

Data protection help may include:

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  • Data protection audit

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  • Preparing or updating your data protection policy

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  • Preparing or updating your cookies policy

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  • Internal data protection process set-up

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  • Data processor or controller arrangements

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  • Data sharing arrangements

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  • Other data protection terms & conditions in your contracts with customers and suppliers.

Employment law advice

Employment law help may include:

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  • Advice on the best way to staff your business: employees or contractors?

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  • Employment contracts for your employees

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  • Employee enterprise management incentive share schemes

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  • Contracts for services with free-lancers, consultants or staffing agencies

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  • Understanding your obligations under health and safety and equality legislation

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  • Advice on how to comply with employment legislation when hiring and firing staff

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  • Workplace disputes 

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  • Managing dismissal and redundancy processes properly

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