Clerical errors in the drafting of your will can have the very serious consequence of frustrating your true wishes. As a High Court case showed, however, judges thankfully have the power to correct them even after you are gone. The case concerned a retired joiner
Compensating victims of clinical negligence costs the NHS many millions of pounds every year – but it is no more than is needed to ensure that they are properly cared for. In two cases, heard on a single day, an NHS trust which admitted liability
Unexplained Wealth Orders (UWOs) are a potentially powerful tool that can be used by the National Crime Agency (NCA) to track down criminally tainted money and assets. Although only one such order has been issued to date, they may well become more common following a
Paying those who work for you without deducting tax at source is a high-risk strategy which leaves the door wide open to dispute. A man found that out to his cost after a woman who provided him with childcare and property management services failed to
Commercial contracts usually provide that they are to be governed by the law of a particular country or state – but what happens if no such choice is explicitly made? The High Court tackled that thorny issue in a case concerning the overseas sale of
When is life not worth living? The High Court grappled with that fundamental issue in authorising doctors to withhold life-sustaining treatment from a baby boy who can neither see nor hear and experiences only pain. The boy’s mother conceived him following a one-night relationship and
Must food that is beyond its ‘use by’ date always be considered unsafe as a matter of law? Or is that merely a presumption that can be displaced by expert evidence? That fundamental issue was raised in a High Court case of great importance to
Companies that invest enormous sums in establishing their global brands often face attempts by others to take a free ride on the coat-tails of their hard-earned reputations. However, a High Court ruling in the context of the energy drinks market showed just how firmly the
It might seem obvious that the law should come to the aid of domestic servants who are trafficked into Britain and set to work in conditions of modern slavery – but what if they are employed by overseas diplomats? The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) tackled
Self-employed people enjoy certain tax benefits and often place a high value on their independence. However, an instructive Employment Tribunal (ET) decision in the context of the building industry illustrated the serious disadvantages of not having employment status. The operator of a general building firm
