• Company law basics
  • What is a limited company?
  • Types of companies
  • Limited liability
  • Does a business have to be a limited company?
  • Advantages and disadvantages of running a business as a company?
  • When must a company be registered for VAT?
  • What does it cost to set up a company?
  • What information must a company send to Companies House?
  • Introduction to articles
  • Registered office
  • Changing the registered office
  • Finding a company's registered office
  • Can a company do everything?
  • What are a company's objects?
  • Company seals
  • Companies House
  • Information required on company notepaper
  • Information required on websites, emails and faxes
  • Annual return
  • Company accounts
  • Incorporating an existing business
  • Ready made companies
  • Can a company be moved from one part of the United Kingdom to another?
• Companies legislation
  • Companies Legislation
  • Companies Act 2006 Introduction
  • Accounts, audit and annual returns SIs
  • Articles of Association SIs
  • Company charges SIs
  • Companies House SIs
  • Community Interest Companies SIs
  • Directors SIs
  • Company forms SIs
  • General meeting - shareholders' rights SIs
  • Minority protection SIs
  • Company and business names SIs
  • Overseas companies SIs
  • Political donations SIs
  • Share capital SIs
  • Statutory registers and other records SIs
  • Trading disclosures SIs
  • Companies Legislation before the Companies Act 2006
• Types of companies
  • Types of companies
  • Companies limited by guarantee
  • Community Interest Companies (CIC)
  • Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO)
  • Property management companies
  • Dormant companies
  • Converting a company from one type to another
• Registering a company
• Company and business names
  • Company names
  • Changing a company's name
  • Protecting a company's name
  • Passing off
  • Trade marks
  • Trade mark registration
  • Trade mark categories of goods and services
  • What does it cost to register a trade mark?
• Articles of association
  • Introduction to articles
  • Model Articles
  • Table A
  • Updating articles
  • What is a general commercial company?
• Directors
  • What is the difference between shareholders and directors?
  • Directors
  • Number of Directors
  • Appointment of Directors
  • Resignation of directors
  • Removal of a director from office
  • Who can be a director?
  • Directors' service addresses
  • Are directors entitled to be paid?
  • Directors as employees
  • Directors' powers
  • Directors' duties
  • Legal position of a managing director
  • Loans to directors
  • Conflicts of Interest
  • Company secretary
  • Board meetings
  • Appointing a chairman
  • Quorum at board meetings
• Shares
  • What is a statement of capital?
  • Shares - an introduction
  • Authorised capital
  • How many shares should a company have?
  • Classes of shares
  • Alphabet shares
  • Share certificates
  • Dividends
  • What voting rights do shares have?
  • How do people get shares in a company?
  • Issuing shares
  • Pre-emptive rights
  • Transferring shares
  • What happens if a shareholder dies?
  • How much must a company charge for its shares?
  • Issuing shares for consideration other than cash
  • Can a child own shares?
  • Can a company buy its own shares?
• Shareholders
  • What is the difference between shareholders and directors?
  • What rights does a shareholder have?
  • General meetings
  • Must a company hold general meetings?
  • Calling general meetings
  • Who is entitled to attend general meetings?
  • What is the difference between board meetings and general meetings?
  • Proxies
  • Minutes of members' and directors' decisions
  • Types of resolutions
  • Appointing a chairman
  • Quorum at general meetings
• Shareholders' agreements
• Statutory registers
• Company borrowing and debentures
  • Company borrowing
  • Debentures
  • Fixed and floating charges
  • Registering charges
• Partnerships
  • Partnerships SIs
  • Partnership Act 1890
• LLPs
  • Limited Liability Partnerships (LLPs)
  • Limited Liability Partnerships (LLPs) SIs

Companies Legislation

Companies Legislation

Acts of Parliament
Companies Act 2006
This is now the governing Act for company law in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The Act was brought into effect in stages up to 1st. October 2009.

The Act is very long and it is difficult to find material in it. A llist of all the Parts, chapters, sections and schedules to the Act is given at the front of the Actbut it runs to 59 pages. We have prepared a list of Parts and Chapters only, where you will find the part of the Act you need.

Company Directors' Disqualification Act 1986
This Act allows a court to disqualify a person from being a company director or involved in the management of a company.

Partnership Act 1890
The Act governing the 'common law' partnership

Limited Liability Partnerships Act 2000
See also What is a Limited Liability Partnership?

Companies (Audit, Investigations and Community Enterprise) Act 2004
The Act regulating Community Interest Companies (CICs)
See also What is a Community Interest Company?

Insolvency Law, including corporate insolvency and administration, is available from the Insolvency Service website

Statutory instruments
Statutory instruments are Regulations, made by Parliament under the authority of an Act of Parliament. A large number have been made under the Companies Act 2006 and other legislation. We have divided them up into sections:

• Accounts, audit and annual returns SIs
• Articles of Association SIs
• Company charges SIs
• Community Interest Companies SIs
• Companies House SIs
• Company and business names SIs
• Directors SIs
• Company forms SIs
• General meeting - shareholders' rights SIs
• Limited Liability Partnerships (LLPs) SIs
• Minority protection SIs
• Overseas companies SIs
• Partnerships SIs
• Political donations SIs
• Share capital SIs
• Statutory registers and other records SIs
• Striking off SIs
• Trading disclosures SIs

Old legislation
We have retained our collection of legislation that preceded the Companies Act 2006, though most of this is now obsolete. The record is not complete.