I want to hire an entire team from a competitor, is the legal situation any different to when hiring individuals?

The short answer is yes. Executing a team move lawfully is a delicate operation that requires significant advance planning and the full cooperation of the team that you are looking to hire. Your primary aim as a manager is to protect your business from liability, but you will also want to ensure that the team doesn't do anything unlawful that could delay its start date with you.