Giles Dixon

Why it pays to be protected As businesses tighten their belt in a recession, the need for properly documented contracts is even more important than usual– it is well known that disputes increase when money is tight, and if you are doing business without proper contracts, you are at risk.

New December Regulation Surprise for Small Businesses From 28th December 2009, a new regulation affecting almost every small service business in the country, from accountants to gardeners, will come into force, but many don’t even know about it yet...

Contract Terms - Price and Payment This article is the first of a series in which I will look at different contract terms and the sort of issues that you need to cover in your contract – or to think about in a contract you have been given to sign.

Remedies for Late Payment Getting paid is not always as easy as it should be and threatening to terminate the contract is usually a last resort. There are intermediate steps you can take as well as including some protective measures in your contract terms.

Termination of Contracts In my last article I suggested various ways of dealing with late payment by a customer, short of terminating the contract. This time I deal with termination clauses in contracts.

Termination of Contracts In my last article I suggested various ways of dealing with late payment by a customer, short of terminating the contract. This time I deal with termination clauses in contracts.

Force Majeure: A Clause for When Things Get Out of Control If your supplier’s factory burns down and, as a result, you do not receive some goods ordered by one of your customers, both you and your supplier may be said to have suffered from Force Majeure, that is to say an event beyond your control.

Beware the Dragons! An interesting story has been published on the negotiations between one of the most successful candidates for investment to appear on Dragon’s Den and two of the Dragons, James Caan and Duncan Ballantyne, who together agreed to invest £80,000 in Sharon Wright’s business, Talpa Products. And she had only asked for £50,000!

When, some time after her session in the den, Sharon signed up to a contract with very onerous terms without reading the contract she had been given.