The Base Legal Blog

You have an upset customer and they are demanding a refund. You’ve tried to explain your position, you’ve referred to your terms, but what do you do?  Ultimately, the law says if you have to give a refund a not.  This blog is to help you guide you through understanding whether you have to give…

I am creating an online package for my service offering, what do I need to know? Service providers are more commonly packaging up services to be purchased online.  It is important to understand that you can’t compromise your legal obligations when streamlining your services this way.  Here are my top tips when selling online service…

The consumer law applies automatically to every business that operates in Australia.  It creates a base level of guarantees that must be satisfied when conducting business.  These guarantees apply to businesses that deal directly with consumers and in business to business transactions where the cost is less than $40,000.00. The thing about these guarantees is…

I love a co-work space!  If only confidentiality requirements didn’t stop me working in a one.  They are popping up more and more as a solution for small businesses and expanding to shared spaces for trades and creative businesses. There are key legal concepts you need to understand when running a co-work space of any…

You may have heard about the new laws in place for reporting data breaches.  The laws are quite complex so here is my break down for what small businesses need to know 1. Do they apply? The laws are part of the Privacy Act.  Generally the Privacy Act only applies where a business has a…

You’ve decided to create an online market place to connect consumers with service providers.  This means, essentially you are acting as a middle man.  That’s great, but the fact that your service is connecting people doesn’t mean it is all care and no responsibility. There are several legal documents you will need for legal protection.…

While every business is different, as a lawyer I would always recommend you consider having terms and conditions, a contract or agreement for your business’s products or services,  with the other people that you work with, your customers or suppliers. Here are the reasons why you have terms and conditions in your business, regardless of…

In my work with small businesses, I’m often asked to advise clients if they should hire an employee or engage a sub-contractor when their business is at a stage of bringing someone else on. And it is really important to get legal advice on employees and subcontractors and how the law works. Basically, it’s not…

I’m often asked by clients, how you can share your intellectual property (IP), but also have some restrictions around what people can and can’t do with it. This question arises from clients who are looking to run courses – both online or physical but it can also apply to people who want to share some…

A contract should be a clear legal document that sets out your rights and responsibilities and that can protect you if things go awry. Here are my tips on what contracts, of any sort, should include. Identify the parties. Contracts should clearly identify who is involved.  It is important that a company is identified by…