Six Hours of Free Legal Advice for Staffordshire Start-Ups: KMC Partners with Staffordshire County Council
Starting a business takes courage. It also takes contracts, terms and conditions, policies, and a hundred legal details that most new business owners have never had to think about before. Get them right and you build on solid ground. Get them wrong and a single dispute, unpaid invoice, or badly drafted agreement can undo years of hard work.
That is why we are proud to announce that KMC Legal & Finance is working with Staffordshire County Council as part of their business start-up support programme, offering six hours of free legal advice to eligible start-ups and early-stage businesses across Staffordshire.
Who is this for?
Staffordshire County Council’s start-up and growth support is aimed at businesses aged 0 to 5 years based in Staffordshire (excluding Stoke-on-Trent). Whether you are a budding entrepreneur still shaping your idea, a new business finding its feet, or an early-stage company ready to grow, the council’s programme offers practical help, and our free legal advice sits right at the heart of it.
You can find full details of the council’s start-up and growth support, including the StartUp Mentoring Scheme, the Get Started and Grow Scheme, the Growth Ladder, the Women in Business Programme, and Build and Scale, on the Staffordshire County Council website.
What can you use your six hours for?
Six hours with a solicitor is a serious head start. Here are just some of the ways new businesses can use this time with us:
Terms and conditions that actually protect you. Many start-ups copy T&Cs from a competitor’s website or download a free template. The problem? Those terms were written for someone else’s business, someone else’s risks, and sometimes the wrong jurisdiction entirely. We will make sure your T&Cs reflect how your business actually operates, protect your payment terms, limit your liability appropriately, and comply with UK consumer law.
Contracts that are legally sound. Supplier agreements, client contracts, freelancer arrangements, partnership agreements: a contract is only as good as its drafting. We can review what you have, draft what you need, and explain exactly what you are signing before you sign it.
Choosing the right business structure. Sole trader, partnership, or limited company? The structure you choose affects your personal liability, your tax position, and how you can grow. We will help you understand the options before you commit.
Shareholder and founder agreements. If you are starting a business with someone else, the most important document you will ever sign is the one that sets out what happens if things change: who owns what, who decides what, and what happens if one of you wants to leave. Most founders skip this. The ones who regret it always wish they had not.
Employment basics. Taking on your first member of staff? Employment contracts, written statements of particulars, and basic workplace policies are legal requirements, not optional extras. We will help you get compliant from day one.
Protecting your name, brand, and ideas. Your business name, logo, and original work have value. We can advise on the basics of protecting your intellectual property before someone else takes advantage of it.
Data protection and GDPR. If you hold customer data, and almost every business does, you have legal obligations under UK GDPR. We will help you understand what applies to you and what you need in place.
Getting paid. Late payment is one of the biggest killers of small businesses. We can advise on payment terms, late payment interest, and what to do when an invoice goes unpaid.
Why does early legal advice matter so much?
In our experience, the legal problems that hurt small businesses most are almost never exotic. They are ordinary, predictable, and preventable: a handshake deal that fell apart, a contract clause nobody read, a business partner dispute with no agreement to fall back on, a customer refusing to pay with no enforceable terms in place.
The businesses that avoid these problems are not lucky. They simply got advice early, while the fix was still cheap and simple. Six free hours with a solicitor at the start of your journey can save you thousands of pounds, and a great deal of stress, further down the road.
About KMC Legal & Finance
KMC Legal & Finance is a Staffordshire-based specialist legal firm operating nationwide, founded by Katie McCreath. We act for individuals and businesses across civil litigation, contract disputes, family law, criminal defence, and specialist areas including equine law. We are proud of our Staffordshire roots, and prouder still to support the next generation of Staffordshire businesses.
We are always in your corner. Now we can be in yours from day one.
How to get started
If you are a Staffordshire start-up or early-stage business (0 to 5 years old) and want to take advantage of six hours of free legal advice through the Staffordshire County Council programme:
Call us: 0800 9494 667 Visit: kmc-legal.co.uk Council programme details: staffordshire.gov.uk
Your business deserves the strongest possible start. Let’s build it on solid legal foundations.
