Consumer and Commercial Law
Commercial (business or corporate) law is a part of private civil law which regulates the sale and purchase of goods and services when doing business and it deals with the rights, duties and relations of individuals and companies who are involved in business transactions regarding commerce, trade, marketing, sales, and merchandising of goods. If the conduct of a party constitutes a criminal offence then commercial law may also cross over in the sphere of public law.
Areas of Commercial Law
Commercial law covers many aspects of business and trade practices and conduct, rights and obligations of parties in commercial transactions such as:
- Right to the property of the goods, transfer of ownership and passing of property, delivery, possession, acceptance, rejection, returns, pledges and liens in the goods, sale terms, etc. (property and sale of goods law).
- Commercial contracts (commercial contact law).
- Commercial aspects of agency, commission agents, distributors, licensees, partnerships (commercial contact law).
- Carriage of goods by air, land and sea (transportation law, airfreight laws, merchant shipping and maritime law).
- Safety of goods for commercial and private use (health and safety laws and consumer laws).
- Guarantees, warranties, and surety (contract law) Insurance of goods (marine or commercial insurance law) and insurance of employees in the business or users of the products (employment or public liability insurance law).
- Finance, payments and payment methods e.g. invoicing, banking regulations, foreign currency and exchange laws, payment systems e.g. promissory notes, cheques, credit payments, negotiable instruments, bills of exchange (banking and finance law).
- International sales law e.g. Incoterms 2010 of the International chamber of commerce, United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods etc. (international law)
- Employment and hiring practices (employment law)
- Manufacturing, plants and factories (industrial law).
- Marketing and advertising (marketing law).
- Insolvency law (company law or bankruptcy law).
Commercial law legislation
Many countries have adopted special legislation that deals comprehensively with commercial law but as it can be seen from the above this is a legally interdisciplinary body of law that simply deals with various aspects of commercial activities. The volume of European Union legislation relating to commercial law is staggering. It incorporates all legislation that relates to commercial activities such as:
- Common organisation of the agricultural markets.
- Prohibition of unfair competition: Anti-trust and Anti-cartel.
- Franchising and Licencing.
- Agency (Agents, Brokers, Commission Agents, Distributors and Dealers).
- Common organisation of labour law and social security.
- Freedom of movement for employed persons.
- Right of establishment of businesses and companies.
- Freedom to provide services.
- Free movement of capital.
- Framework for financial transactions.
- Banking licencing and practice.
- Taxation.
- Money laundering.
- Consumer protection.
- Health and safety.
- Manufacturing standards.
- Liquidation and bankruptcy.
- Etc.
Our Services:
Very often our clients request legal assistance in matters arising in commercial transactions from financial matters to consumer protection. Within the European Union environment and the common market, trade, taxation, insurance claims, manufacturing standards are all matters that are of great concern and problems may arise from the beginning or at the end after delivery of goods. We are here to help you in all stages of your commercial enterprises.
Our services include Commercial law matters, claims and disputes in all commercial transactions involving legal disciplines and diverse areas of laws such as:
- Banking and Finance, as explained here.
- Taxation, as explained here.
- Companies, as explained here.
- Employment., as explained here.
- Immigration, as explained here.
- Contract, as explained here.
- Franchising and licensing, as explained here.
- Agency (Agents, Brokers, Commission Agents, Distributors and Dealers), as explained here.
- Sale of goods and warrantees, as explained here.
- Consumer protection, as explained here.
- Insurance claims, as explained here.
- Professional obligations, as explained here.
- European Union Competition (antitrust) Law, as explained here.