UK Company Law/Introduction

INTRODUCTION

Company law is the branch of UK law that focusses on businesses known as limited companies, although there are other forms of business. It is usually taught as an optional subject at the second or third year level of law degrees, and is often seen as a vital part of the pathway towards becoming a commercial lawyer. This book is designed to provide a general overview of company law and is organised into "bite-size" chapters to make it easier to learn. UK company law is based almost entirely on statutes, of which the most important is the Companies Act 2006, one of the longest and most comprehensive Acts of the UK Parliament, with more than 1300 sections and 16 Schedules. Notably, unlike much of the rest of UK law which applies only to part of the country, this Act applies to the whole of the United Kingdom. The sources of the Act include European Union Law and common law decisions, which have been fully incorporated into the Act. However, for the purposes of this book, reference will be made to relevant cases to illustrate ideas.

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