What legal documents do I need to start a consulting business?

Apart from the standard registration documents, consulting businesses also need to prepare other key documents to protect their business.

• Privacy Policy: in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988, businesses with an annual turnover of $3 million or more are legally required to have a Privacy Policy that discloses how they intend to collect, store and distribute the personal information of their users.
• Terms & Conditions (T&Cs): these are the terms that users must agree to before they can further engage with your business. It can help you monitor activity on your website, limit your liability for key matters and ensure all parties are aware of their rights and responsibilities.
• Disclaimers: when engaging customers, many matters can be discussed but it's important to clarify things you won't be legally responsible for. Disclaimers are a useful way that businesses can inform customers and users of matters they won't be held liable for or key warnings about the management of data generally.
• Consultancy Agreement: this agreement should set out the key services you're providing, payment terms, limitation of liability and termination provisions.