IoIC Business Support Helpline

As a member of the Institute of Internal Communication you have FREE access to the Croner Business Support Helpline.

This gives you the power to deal with legal, compliance and tax issues calmly, confidently and with conviction before they impact on your business performance or reputation.

• Your call is answered by a qualified expert.
• The cost of this advice is already covered by the IoIC. 
• IoIC members can find out how to access the helpline here or by calling the Institute head office on 01908 232168.

You don't need to watch the clock when calling the helpline as, unlike when using a solicitor or other professional, your call to Croner is not ‘on the meter’. You can take as long as you need to explain your situation, and Croner will take as long as they need to give you the right advice.

This thorough, personalised approach means that many issues are solved in a single call.

The Business Support Helpline acts like an extension of your business. It gives you access to knowledgeable professionals you can rely on, just when you need them most. You can make confident decisions quickly, based on their robust advice.

No anxious waiting and no appointment needed.

Why use the business support helpline?

When you need advice about:

• Employment Law
• Human Resources
• Health & Safety
• Tax, VAT, PAYE, NIC and payroll
• Commercial Legal matters – covering over 60 topics including commercial contracts, insolvency, data protection and property law.

It’s worth checking before you act because getting it wrong can be expensive.

• A case of unfair dismissal could take 33 hours of specialist advice and cost £6,600*
• The average health and safety fine is £7,310*

When can I call ?

Advice is available Monday to Friday from 9am till 5pm.

Who provides the advice?

Croner, part of Wolters Kluwer, is a leading provider of compliance advice in the UK. All their specialists have professional qualifications and experience of dealing with the kind of issues you’re facing every day.

What about bigger projects?

If you need advice on larger projects, like overhauling contracts of employment or dealing with redundancies, Croner can still help - but this isn't included in your membership. So you can brief exactly what you need, and Croner will quote separately for the project.

*source
2012 Government figures and HSE Website

Commercial advice is available on subjects like these....

Company law, clubs and associations

• club constitutions
• policies
• meetings and procedures
• CASCs
• member disputes
• company articles
• directors' duties
• shares and shareholder rights
• company meetings
• shareholder agreements and disputes
• director liabilities
• dissolution and striking off
• Note: Croner does not advise on charity law, nor do we advise on technical accounting queries

Partnerships, LLPs and sole traders

• rights, responsibilities and obligations
• partnership disputes and dissolution
• consultant, contractor and agency agreements

Commercial contracts

• business-to-business and self-employed contracts
• consumer contracts
• commercial aspects of service or employment contracts (including restrictive covenants)
• standard terms of business
• distance selling
• quality of goods or services
• guarantees or warranties
• cancellations, termination or refunds
• retention of title
• commercial disputes
• late payment and debt collection

Insolvency

• business liquidation
• administration
• receivership
• personal bankruptcy
• statutory demands
• personal guarantees or liability of directors

Data Protection, Freedom of Information and Equality Act

• data protection principles
• ICO notification requirements
• data compliance
• subject-access requests
• third-party requests
• medical records
• equality or discrimination issues

Intellectual property

• text, photographs, designs, music, videos, books, websites etc.
• protecting trademarks
• licensing of IP rights
• passing off
• licence disputes or other infringements of any IP rights.

Property

• freehold or leasehold
• access rights
• boundary disputes
• commercial leases
• lease extensions
• rent review
• repair obligations
• landlord and tenant disputes
• Croner also advises on residential tenancies usually from the point of view of the landlord or letting agent
• Note: Croner does not advise on business rates

Tort law

• negligent products or services
• public liability
• duty of care
• exclusions of liability
• defamation, slander, libel or negligent misstatement.