Lawyer offers free T&C checks in bid to reduce business hazards

A spate of new business enquiries that revealed a series of nightmare situations caused by inadequate or inappropriate Terms and Conditions has moved a Wrexham based Corporate and Commercial Lawyer to offer free T&C checks for local business owners throughout November.

A Partner with leading North Wales and Shropshire law firm GHP Legal, says he is concerned that more and more business owners appear to be using off-the-shelf paperwork without realising that they could be putting their businesses in jeopardy.

I have come across some quite dire situations recently, which could have been avoided if the business's terms and conditions had been created specifically for them, taking into account their individual trading needs. In one instance a business owner had copied a competitor's standard T&Cs from the internet, leaving the business in a worse position than if no T&Cs had been incorporated with the customer at all, because they were entirely inadequate.

In another case the business owner had found himself contractually bound to continue supplying goods to a customer, despite that customer still owing for previous goods received. Eventually the customer went bust, owing so much money that the business owner himself was in danger of going under. And another client I saw was facing the choice between continuing to fulfil an existing customer contract at a significant loss, or being sued for breach of contract, because he had no contractual right or ability to pass on increased costs associated with performing the contract.

All this is extremely worrying, which is why I have decided to set aside some time during the whole of November to review general terms and conditions, free of charge, for local business owners. Anyone wishing to take advantage of this should call our Wrexham office on 01978 291456 as soon as possible, as there will clearly be a limit to the number of appointments available within the four week period."

08/10/2013