Blog
Social Media Law News 21st March
Find out why social media could be the most effective marketing tool for your business. "It's unusual to find a business that is not on social media, although it's not unusual to see many businesses doing social media in inefficient, time wasting ways. The recent...
Property Law News 20th March
Welcome to this weeks' Property Law News. A boost to the foreign investor levy on residential homes has been slammed by the property industry. "Slugging foreign buyers with an even higher stamp duty levy and land tax would not improve housing affordability in NSW and...
Unique or Unusual Law News
This Week's Unique or Unusual Law News. "Assaults have risen in areas around the lockout precincts in the Sydney CBD and Kings Cross, according to figures providing the first clear evidence that the laws are displacing violence to neighbouring suburbs." Have Sydney...
Social Media Law News
This Week's Social Media Law News. Under new advertising laws, social media “influencers” will be forced to reveal their sponsored content. So now you will know whether the Instagram posts you scroll past in your feed have been paid for by the brand. From March 1,...
Article – Why Business Protection is Different in the Digital Age
Recently Katherine spoke to Access News Australia to discuss how the digital age has changed protecting your business. YOU may think your business in prospering but is it ready for the digital age? That’s the question lawyer Katherine Hawes is encouraging business...
Property Law News
This Week's Property Law News Real estate agents in NSW are under fire for underquoting customers despite new laws aimed at fixing the problem. Twenty-six real estate agents in NSW have been penalised $57,200 in total in the past 12 months for engaging in the banned...
How Your SMEs Can Safely Execute Competitions
Do you want to achieve rapid exposure and growth for your business at a relatively low cost? If so, look no further than competitions! A well-executed competition is a great way to create buzz and position your business to achieve success. But wait! Before you...
Social Media Do’s and Don’ts for your Business
Social media is the new big thing in marketing, with the potential to boost your business to the next level! You will be hard pressed to find a person or business that doesn’t use social media on a daily basis, so if you aren’t taking full advantage of the potential...
Article: Copyright Overview
What you need to know about Copyright on Building Plans and Designs Copyright Protection in the Building and Design Industry. A great deal of value is attached to building plans and designs. So how are architects' designs protected from being used or copied without...
Article: Overlooking IP Protection, Forgetting Tax & Other Common Legal Mistakes Start-Ups Make
Starting your own business is an exciting venture, but your entrepreneurial dreams can quickly turn into a nightmare if you fail to consider critical legal issues. Start-ups and small businesses make legal mistakes all the time – some of which can be disastrous. You...
How To Make Contracts That Are Legally Binding
In the building design industry, you will frequently find yourself needing to make agreements with other professionals, customers, clients and businesses. You need these agreements to be legally binding so you can enforce your rights if the other party decides to take...
Social Media Law & Your Business – online event
While social media has transformed the way that your business can communicate with current and potential clients, it has also made it a lot easier to say something that is perceived the wrong way. You would be surprised at how much harm can be done with a mere 140...
Article: How To Win With Competitions
Running a giveaway or competition can help promote your business, but there are rules, regulations and laws you need to follow. “It is important to abide by the rules of the particular social-media platform(s) you use to launch your competition.” You can read...
Regional Development Conference
Katherine Hawes is speaking this coming weekend at the Wagga Wagga Regional Development Conference at 10.45am on the 8th of October about The Importance of Contracts in your Business. The Wagga Wagga Regional Development Conference will be held on the 7th - 8th...
Article: Social Media Law – 3 Key Facts You Need To Know!
What is written on social media is not written in pencil, it’s written in ink. And it doesn’t matter who wrote it. Read more of Katherine's article for Solopreneur Success here.
Article: 5 ways to avoid legal issues as a small business owner
Lawyer Katherine Hawes talks the do's and dont's to avoid landing your business in hot water. As a small business owner, you are forced to wear many hats, leaving the legalities of your business as a more of a 'nice to have'. However, if you want to protect your...
Article: Running Competitions on Social Media
As a Virtual Assistant, you may be asked by a client to organise a competition on social media. However, there are several legal issues that you need to be aware of. These include the storage of the information you collect, abiding to social media competition policies...
Article: How Special Disability Trusts Can Help the Families of Children with Special Needs
One of the scariest questions a parent can ask themselves is: “what happens to my child when I am not around?”. Read more of Katherine's article for Source Kids here.
Article: Law sides with consumers
Guarantees for goods and services are automatic, and businesses must provide redress in the case of problems. Read more of Katherine's article for Inside Small Business here: Inside Small Business Issue 13 Winter 2016
Article: Three clauses to include in employment contracts
An employee contract should make clear to both the employer and the employee the terms and conditions of employment and the rights and responsibilities of both parties. Read more of Katherine's article for BDAV here: BDAV July 2016
Article: What your website terms and conditions need to say
Terms and Conditions legally protect you from liability for claims that your website visitors could make. They also define how your website operates including your privacy policy, booking policy or refund policy for goods and services which may be purchased online....
Article: The importance of contracts for your VA business.
Running any business always involves risks, but taking the time to ensure you have written contracts in place, will go a long way to mitigate risk and protect your business. Read more of Katherine's article for Today's VA Magazine here.
Article – Business Basics
Principle solicitor Katherine Hawes looks at the legal side of two important areas of business in Australian Plumbing magazine's June issue. Read the article on page 42 here.
Article: Legal Issues During Open Homes
An open home is an efficient way to showcase your listing. But as lawyer Katherine Hawes explains, if due care in the areas of insurance safety is not taken, the consequences for agents can be damaging. Read more of Katherine's article for Elite Agent here.
Article: Protect Your Digital Assets
The objective of a Will is to set out clearly how you would like your assets to be distributed in the event of your death. This often includes your home, investments, bank balances and family heirlooms. However, have you thought about your digital assets? Read more of...
Article: Using Games in the Classroom to Increase Engagement
The UK press recently reported that, thanks to smartphones "we have 'evolved' to an attention span shorter than goldfish" and that people's attention span has now decreased from 12 seconds in the year 2000 to just eight seconds in 2016. It is not surprising that...
Article: How To Protect Your IP When You Have An Online Business
Regardless of the size of your online business, it is important that you protect your intellectual property (I.P) as this can be the very thing that differentiates you from your competitors. Most business owners are not aware that registering a business, does not...
2016 Business Expo
Katherine is attending this year’s Business Expo at the Blue Mountains Community Hub, Springwood, presented by the Blue Mountains Regional Business Chamber on May 25 which will showcase the talent and variety of businesses in the region. Sometimes these businesses are...
Article: The legalities of social media for salons
Using social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter can be a fantastic way to promote your salon. However, you need to make sure that what you are publishing on your social media will not land you in trouble! Read more of Katherine's article for Hair...
Article: How to take care of your pet in your will
In this article for Koly's Dog Treats, Katherine talks about how to make sure your pets are taken care of if you're no longer able to do it. Read the article here.
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