Gypsy and traveller encampments are not universally popular, not least because of the impact that they can have on neighbouring homeowners. However, one High Court case strikingly showed that, with the right legal advice, resistance to such developments can succeed. A local authority granted planning
In a stern warning to every worker that breaching your employers’ confidence can have the gravest consequences, a recruitment consultant who leaked information to competitors ended up on the losing side of a full-blown High Court libel trial. The man, in his 20s, was sacked
Written contracts can be varied orally post signature unless they specifically state to the contrary. In one case which illustrated the point, a property landlord was found by the Court of Appeal to have wrongfully excluded a tenant who was in rent arrears, having earlier
The trouble with oral contracts is that disputes arising from them generally hinge on one person’s word against another’s. That was certainly so in one case in which an alleged conversation between a woman and a Saudi Arabian prince in a hotel lobby triggered years
Although the exit negotiations will be lengthy after the UK Government formally begins the withdrawal process from the EU and nothing will change in law for two years, businesses will need to plan ahead for the eventuality. Assuming a free trade agreement is negotiated between
Many large companies do not directly employ their staff, instead relying on outsourcing. However, an Appeal Court ruling has shown that that does not necessarily relieve them of legal liabilities that may arise from the now ubiquitous deficits in employee pension schemes. Companies A and
The first resort of anyone involved in a contract dispute will be to look carefully at the wording of the document itself. However, one High Court case involving a delayed construction project underlined that words said and promises made after signature can have the effect
In a case which stands as a stern warning to the farming industry, a group of Eastern European agricultural workers who were underpaid, charged illegitimate fees and subjected to unlawful deductions from their wages have won the right to substantial compensation. The six Lithuanians, all
When faced with litigation, maintaining your silence is not an option and you should take legal advice straight away. In one case, a failure to respond to legal documents left a man facing a £4.1 million judgment without having put forward any defence to the
Commercial arbitrations can sometimes hit an impasse but the High Court has the power to intervene and put them back on track. A judge did just that in one case in which agreement could not be reached as to who should be appointed to the
