Misclassifying staff as self-employed

Hello! I am Gemma, your legal assistant at Lawyer Destroyer. It is a pleasure to help you today. Getting someone's employment status right is a common headache for businesses, but treating staff as self-employed when they are actually employees or workers can be a very costly mistake. In the legal world, we sometimes call this … Read more

Employment contracts for first employee

Hello! I am Gemma, a legal assistant at Lawyer Destroyer. Congratulations on hiring your first employee. This is an exciting step for your business, and I would be happy to explain exactly what documentation you need. The legal position: Under employment law in England and Wales, you are legally required to give your new hire … Read more

Sending marketing texts without consent

Hello there. I am happy to help you look into this. The short answer is usually no, but there is an important exception that might apply if these people are already your customers. The rules on text message marketing in England and Wales are regulated by the Information Commissioners Office, and they apply strictly to … Read more

Mailing list consent after purchase

Hello! I am Gemma, a friendly legal assistant here at Lawyer Destroyer. I would be happy to explain how email marketing rules work. The short answer is yes, you can add people to your mailing list after they buy from you, but you have to follow a specific set of rules. Under UK data privacy … Read more

Email marketing to past customers

Hello! I can certainly help you figure this out. The short answer is yes, you usually can email marketing offers to past customers, provided you follow a helpful legal exception known as the soft opt-in. The legal position: In England and Wales, electronic direct marketing is governed by rules known as the Privacy and Electronic … Read more

Customer data deletion requests

Hello there. Yes, customers can absolutely ask you to delete their personal data, but you do not always have to do it. The legal position: Under UK data protection laws, specifically the UK GDPR, individuals have a right to erasure. This is sometimes called the right to be forgotten. It means a customer can request … Read more

Customer data sent to wrong person

Hello there. I am Gemma from Lawyer Destroyer. Dealing with a data mix-up can be stressful, but try not to panic. Sending customer data to the wrong person is a personal data breach under the UK GDPR. Handling it quickly and calmly is the best approach. Here is what you should do. Immediate containment steps: … Read more

Business data breach consequences

Hello there. I am Gemma, a legal assistant at Lawyer Destroyer. I am happy to explain what can happen if your business experiences a data breach. The legal and regulatory position: In England and Wales, data protection is governed by the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. The regulator in charge of enforcing … Read more

ICO registration requirement

Hello! I am Gemma, a friendly legal assistant at Lawyer Destroyer. I would be happy to help explain how the rules work for registering with the Information Commissioner's Office, which is usually just called the ICO. The legal position: Under current data protection laws in England and Wales, the old system of registering with the … Read more

Website cookie consent requirements

Hello! I am Gemma, your friendly legal assistant at Lawyer Destroyer. I would be happy to help clear this up for you. The short answer: In most cases, yes. Under the law in England and Wales, you generally need to ask visitors for their permission before placing cookies on their devices. However, there is an … Read more

Website privacy policy requirement

Hello! I am Gemma, a legal assistant here at Lawyer Destroyer. It is great to meet you. The short answer is almost certainly yes. If your website is accessed by people in England and Wales, you will generally need a privacy policy. Legal position: Under UK data protection laws, specifically the UK GDPR and the … Read more

Business website information requirements

Hello there. I am Gemma, a friendly legal assistant at Lawyer Destroyer. I would be happy to explain what information you need to display on your business website. The law in England and Wales requires certain details to be visible to your customers so they know exactly who they are dealing with. Running a compliant … Read more

Legal duties selling goods online

Hello there! I am Gemma, a friendly legal assistant here at Lawyer Destroyer. Taking your business online is an exciting step, and I would be delighted to explain your legal duties when selling goods in England and Wales. The rules you need to follow depend heavily on who you are selling to. If you are … Read more

Refusing refund for change of mind

Hello there. I am Gemma, a legal assistant here at Lawyer Destroyer. I would be happy to help you figure out where you stand with this customer. Whether you can refuse a refund for a customer who has simply changed their mind depends almost entirely on how and where they bought the item from you. … Read more

Contract cancellation for late payment

Hello there! I am Gemma, your friendly legal assistant at Lawyer Destroyer. I would be happy to help you understand your options when a customer is paying late. The short answer is that just because a customer is late paying, it does not automatically give you the right to cancel the contract entirely. Here is … Read more

Stopping supply for unpaid debt

Hello! Dealing with a customer who owes you money can be very stressful and bad for your cash flow. I am here to help you work out the best way forward. The short answer is that whether you can just stop supplying them depends almost entirely on what was agreed in your contract or your … Read more

Time limit for unpaid business invoice

Hello there. I am Gemma, your legal assistant here at Lawyer Destroyer. I would be happy to explain how much time you have to recover an unpaid business invoice. The legal time limit: In England and Wales, you generally have six years to chase an unpaid business invoice. This time frame comes from the Limitation … Read more

Interest on late commercial invoices

Hello! I am Gemma, your legal assistant here at Lawyer Destroyer. The short answer is yes, you absolutely can charge interest when another business is late paying your invoice. The legal position: In England and Wales, you are protected by the late payment of commercial debts legislation. This law automatically gives you the right to … Read more

Customer refusing to pay invoice

Hello there. I am Gemma, a legal assistant at Lawyer Destroyer. Dealing with an unpaid invoice can be really frustrating, but I can certainly help you understand the usual steps for recovering a debt in England and Wales. Understanding the problem: The first thing to consider is why the customer is refusing to pay. Their … Read more