Legal & Compliance for Business
You do not need to become a lawyer. You do need to know what to ask one.
Most owners meet a legal requirement for the first time when it has already cost them something: a customer who will not pay, a partner who wants out, a notice nobody expected. This session gives a map of the main legal areas a small business touches, what to keep in writing, and when to stop guessing. It is general information for awareness, not legal advice. For your own situation, speak to a qualified lawyer, chartered accountant or company secretary.
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Most legal trouble starts with something small that nobody wrote down.
Running a business creates responsibilities towards customers, suppliers, employees, partners and the government. They arrive gradually: a first hire, a first large order, a first partner. Each one is easy to postpone because nothing seems to depend on it yet.
The cost shows up later and all at once. A customer disputes what was agreed. A co-founder leaves with no arrangement for their share. An annual filing is missed. The requirement was always there; it simply went unnoticed.
This session is general information for awareness, not legal advice. It will not tell you what to do in your particular case. It will help you see which areas apply to you and when it is worth paying a professional to look at them.
What the session covers
33 topics across 7 areas. Seven parts, each at the level of 'know that it exists, and know what to ask'. 6 apply to almost any business; the rest only in a particular case.
Choosing and Understanding a StructureWho is legally responsible when something goes wrong.6
Hypothetical example: two friends run a small catering business as an informal partnership. A supplier is unpaid after a bad month. Because partners are liable jointly and individually for the firm's acts, the supplier can look to either of them personally. A made-up case, used only to show why structure matters.
- A sole proprietorship has no existence separate from its owner, so the owner is personally the party to contracts and debts
- A partnership is governed by the Indian Partnership Act, 1932; each partner is liable, jointly with the others and also individually, for the acts of the firm done while they are a partner
- A limited liability partnership (LLP) under the LLP Act, 2008 is a body corporate and a legal entity separate from its partners
- A company under the Companies Act, 2013 is a body corporate with perpetual succession, able to hold property, contract and sue in its own name
- Limited liability has limits; for example, a personal guarantee given for a business loan is a personal promise. Ask a lawyer where the limits lie
- Changing structure later is possible but has consequences for contracts, registrations and tax, so ask before, not after
Registrations, Licences and FilingsWhat to check, not a complete list.5
- Whether your structure needs registration or annual filings with the Registrar of Companies (companies and LLPs file annually)
- Whether registration as a micro, small or medium enterprise on the Udyam portal is relevant; it is free of cost on the official government portal
- Whether your state's shops and establishments law requires you to register your premises or business
- Whether GST and any sector-specific licences apply to what you sell or do
- A simple compliance calendar, so that no deadline is discovered late
Which of these apply depends on your structure, size, location and sector. Your CA or company secretary can confirm.
Contracts and AgreementsAn oral agreement can be valid. Proving it is the difficulty.5
- Under the Indian Contract Act, 1872, an agreement made by free consent, between competent parties, for a lawful consideration and a lawful object can be a contract, written or oral
- If there is a dispute, the person claiming the right has to prove what was agreed
- What to put in writing: who the parties are, what is being supplied, the price, when it is paid, timelines, what happens if either side fails, and how it ends
- Keeping the emails and messages that confirm what was agreed
- When a lawyer should read a contract before you sign
People You Work WithEmployees, contractors and partners.4
- Written appointment letters for employees; India's four labour codes, in force since 21 November 2025, make them mandatory for workers
- Whether a person is an employee, a contractor or a freelancer is decided by how the arrangement works, not only by the label on it; ask before assuming
- Written terms for partners and co-founders
- Wages, records and statutory contributions, in outline
Your Name, Brand and CreationsIntellectual property in one page.3
- Registering a company or LLP name with the government is a separate matter from owning a trademark
- Copyright in an original work arises when it is created, but who owns it, especially if a freelancer or agency made it, needs checking
- Designs, patents and trade secrets, in outline, and when to ask a specialist
Money, Tax and RecordsWhat your accountant needs from you.5
- Proper invoices, kept in an order someone else could follow
- Separating personal and business money
- Keeping bank, GST, TDS and payroll records together
- Knowing the filing dates that apply to you, and who is responsible for each
- Asking your CA what they need from you, and by when
Disputes and NoticesIf it appliesWhat to do when something arrives.5
- Never ignoring a legal notice, however unfair it seems
- Writing down what happened and when, while it is fresh
- Keeping the documents, messages and payment records together
- Knowing that most claims have time limits, so waiting is rarely free
- When mediation or negotiation is worth trying before court
Questions to take to your lawyer, CA or company secretary
- Is our structure still the right one for what we do and what we plan?
- Which registrations, licences and annual filings apply to us, and are they up to date?
- Which of our customer, supplier and employee arrangements should be in writing?
- Who owns our name, logo, website and software?
- Which dates should be on our compliance calendar?
- What would you want us to have in place before a dispute, not after?
A basic legal readiness check
- Our structure and registrations written down on one page
- A list of our key agreements, written or not
- Appointment letters for everyone who works for us
- A compliance calendar with owners
- A named professional we can call
- A folder where notices and agreements are kept
How the session runs
A plain-language walk-through of each area, followed by a made-up business taken from start-up to first dispute to show where the gaps appear. Participants then tick through a readiness list for their own business and leave with questions for their own professional. The session gives general information, not legal advice, and does not discuss real cases or anybody's specific situation. Who leads it and who answers questions is agreed with the host in advance.
What your students leave with
- A plain picture of the main legal responsibilities that come with running a business in India
- A general understanding of how the common business structures differ, especially on personal liability
- Which registrations, records and filings are worth checking for their own business
- Why written agreements matter, even though an oral agreement can be valid
- A short list of things that should never be left undocumented
- A set of questions to take to their own lawyer, CA or company secretary
Scheduled sessions
Nothing scheduled yet
Sessions are arranged with a college once a date is agreed. Ask us and we will find the right person for it.
A student rather than a college? See what is coming up, or ask your placement team to host this.
You do not need to become a lawyer. You do need to know what to ask one.
Tell us who your students are and what stage they are at. Sessions are free for participants.