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  • What is Fast Solutions?
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WHAT ISSUES WILL FAST SOLUTIONS COVER?

For more information on what Fast Solutions can offer please select the topic of interest to you:

• Brand Protection
• Business Structures
• Credit control
• Data Protection
• Disputes
• E- Commerce
• Employment
• Pensions
• Property

Brand Protection

With an ever competitive market place it is a business’ brand that will distinguish it from competitors. As trading conditions become more competitive, it is more likely that competitors will look to take advantage of strong business brands or trade names. 

Fast Solutions can help protect the brand by:

• Ensuring it is registered as a trade mark using Foot Anstey’s fixed price trade mark applications. Without one, a business has to rely on the right of “passing off” which is much less effective i.e. where a business deceives customers into thinking their goods are yours
• Monitoring who is trying to apply for trade marks similar to your business name, using our fixed price trade mark watching, so that you stop this happening
• Advising on what action you can take where trade marks cannot be registered
• Providing a fixed price ‘Cease and Desist’ letter which is designed to stop competitors infringing your rights. This will resolve the majority of disputes without potentially expensive litigation
• Using Foot Anstey’s fixed price Product Clearance Searches so new revenue streams can be created via properly protected new products and services, secure in the knowledge that no other business already owns the rights in the name or product

Business Structures

Fast Solutions will highlight the steps a business can take to protect it from fall outs with suppliers, customers, shareholders or partners. Fast Solutions will help you to anticipate potential problems within your business thus enabling you to minimise the risk of losing time and money on a costly dispute which could damage reputation, irrespective of the outcome. 

Fast Solutions will advise how to:

• Ensure terms and conditions of business are up to date and as effective as they can be to minimise potential claims for breach of contract
• Review the terms on which a business contracts with its suppliers so that these are not signed “blind” and without understanding the detail. Fast Solutions will highlight where a business should seek to negotiate legal terms so as to achieve the best deal for the business
• Put in place a well thought out agreement with fellow shareholders or partners so that if disagreements between owners become more prevalent, the important aspects of running the business are in place. For example, such an agreement could include:
  • details of how decisions are made and by whom
  • a procedure to follow when agreement cannot be reached so that deadlock doesn’t damage the business
  • details of the basis for paying out profits in a manner which retains flexibility, to ensure there is a cushion for unforeseen costs and increasing overheads
  • a procedure to follow when one or more owners want to sell their share of the business, for example covering issues such as who is entitled to acquire such share and how its value will be calculated
  • provisions to safeguard majority and minority interests. For example, if a majority of owners want to sell the business a provision requiring the remainder to follow suit or conversely a provision giving a minority the right to join in any sale

Credit control

For any business, making sure it gets paid is fundamental to prosperity. Through Fast Solutions, we can make sure that:

• Robust credit control mechanisms are in place
• Clear procedures are laid down to ensure debts are dealt with in a prompt and efficient manner
• A fixed fee range of legal options is available for pursuing debts which you can’t collect, ranging from a seven day solicitor’s letter to the issue of court proceedings and all subsequent enforcement action

Foot Anstey offers:

• A volume collection pricing regime with bespoke options available
• A seamless service between our debt collecting team and our litigation team should matters become contested
• A track record of success in collecting both business and personal debt

Data Protection

After so many high profile cases of lost data, the Information Commissioner is being given tougher powers to combat breaches of the Data Protection Act. He will be particularly focusing on online businesses. Can your business afford to be investigated and possibly receive a fine, not to mention the negative press in a tough market? 

Fast Solutions will help your business to comply with the Act by:

• Drafting, for a fixed price, a privacy policy and a data retention policy
• Notifying the Information Commissioner so you comply with your statutory duties

For businesses that already collect a lot of personal information, Fast Solutions will advise how best to audit all the data gathering processes to ensure compliance.

Disputes

There is an increasing trend for litigation as businesses attempt to recoup financial losses or seek to blame others for their loss-making business decisions. Fast Solutions can help by:

• Ensuring any contract entered into safeguards the position of the business and provides a robust basis for resolution
• Identifying whether a business has a winnable claim in relation to a dispute.
• Agreeing matters of principle which need to be defended so as to avoid further damage to the business
• Advising on risk management issues, particularly in relation to the regulatory regime under which the business operates
• Detailing funding options for civil litigation, which can mean that the cost to the business is minimal

E- Commerce

Cash flow is key. Can you afford to give your customers a three month period to cancel their order and then pay them a full refund including two way delivery costs? This is just one of the default positions provided by legislation relating to E-Commerce and Distance Selling.

Fast Solutions will help you to ensure that this doesn’t happen to your business. Fast Solutions will tighten up the payment provisions by establishing effective fixed price E-Commerce terms and conditions for your business.

Fast Solutions can also provide terms of use and online privacy policies at a fixed price. These ensure your website complies with data protection law and you manage your liability to website users.

Employment

However many people a business employs, it is crucial that they are on contracts which enable their numbers and performance to be effectively managed and that managers have access to speedy and practical legal advice. Fast Solutions will help businesses achieve this by:

• Checking employee documentation, including contracts, staff handbooks, policies and procedures and updating or producing them where necessary
• Carrying out training for managers designed to reduce the risk of Employment Tribunal claims
• Advising on how to carry out a reorganisation and/or make redundancies
• Giving advice on day-to-day employment issues such as queries on sickness, performance, flexible working and disciplinary matters
• Representing employers in the Employment Tribunal

Pensions

Pension benefits are a tax efficient way for your business to reward its employees and often an important benefit for employees. There are various different types of pension arrangement available and we can advise you in relation to all of these. There is also a minimum level of pension benefit employers are currently required to provide by law. This minimum level of pension benefit is due to be increased in 2012. Fast Solutions makes sure that your business is:

• Aware of the minimum level of pension benefits currently required by law
• Aware of the proposed changes to this minimum level of pension benefits due to take place in 2012
• Aware that we can help you with any pensions questions you might have

Property

Property costs are a significant overhead for most businesses, whilst for landlords, rent is often the major or principal income.

Fast Solutions reviews the simple steps your business should take to ensure profit is maximised and costs minimised. Fast Solutions will make sure that:

• For both landlords and tenants, a water tight formal lease is in place providing certainty in relation to issues such as security of tenure and providing the basis for avoiding disputes which can lead to expensive litigation
• A business’ rights to break a lease, to review rent (which can be reviewed upwards or downwards) or even to sublet part of its premises is assessed. Knowing what a business can or cannot do will help it take advantage of opportunities that arise to maximise income and profitability
• All outstanding property income can be recovered quickly so that the risk of losing this money is minimised