Equality Act 2010: Primary legislation governing equality in employment contexts. Key considerations include avoiding discriminatory language, ensuring compliance with protected characteristics, and careful handling of age-related statements in the cover letter.

Data Protection Act 2018 and UK GDPR: Regulations concerning personal data protection, including how personal information is handled, requirements for data sharing consent, and privacy considerations in job applications.

Misrepresentation Act 1967: Legislation ensuring truthful representation in formal communications. Relevant for ensuring all statements about experience and qualifications in the cover letter are accurate and not misleading.

Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974: Law governing the disclosure of criminal convictions. Provides guidelines on what can and cannot be mentioned regarding past offenses in job applications.

Employment Rights Act 1996: Framework legislation for employment rights, particularly relevant for references to current employment and maintaining confidentiality obligations to current/former employers in cover letters.

Professional Standards and Industry Regulations: Non-statutory considerations including professional standards, industry-specific regulations, existing confidentiality agreements, and verification of professional qualifications claims.