In the interests of future flexibility, local authorities often understandably wish to keep housing land in reserve for longer-term development. However, as a High Court case showed, the pressing need for more new homes is such that delay cannot always be justified. The case concerned
Patents are designed to encourage innovation and are effectively state-sponsored bargains which confer time-limited monopoly rights on inventors. As an important Supreme Court ruling made clear, however, such rights are restricted to ideas and products that are genuinely innovative. The case concerned a pharmaceutical company’s
The territorial reach of UK Employment Tribunals (ETs) is not without limit and the overseas presence of many British businesses can give rise to difficult jurisdictional issues. A recent case concerned a French lawyer who worked in the Paris office of an international law firm
When sick or infirm people lack the capacity to make decisions for themselves, the law steps in to protect them – even against the well-meaning interference of loved ones. In a case on point, the High Court banned publication of a video taken of a
When the real owner of an asset is different from its formal owner, that fact should always be recorded in writing. However, as a High Court case showed, repeated judicial warnings to that effect all too frequently fall on deaf ears. The case concerned a
Not every breach of contract is so serious as to justify its complete cancellation. The Court of Appeal made that point in a case concerning student accommodation blocks which were not built precisely to specification. Prior to construction of the blocks, a company that specialised
Money spent on ensuring that health and safety rules are religiously met is money well spent. The point was resoundingly proved by a case in which a car parts manufacturer’s failings led to outbreaks of Legionnaire’s disease. The company’s plant had an extensive water system
It is sadly common for wealthy people to exhibit extreme reluctance to disclose their assets if their marriages end in divorce. However, as a case concerning a husband worth more than £300 million showed, family judges have all the powers they need to punish those
It is sadly not unheard of for judges to have the wool pulled over their eyes and it is only right that judgments obtained by fraud should be set aside. The Supreme Court made that point in a guideline case concerning a property owner who
Few would fail to appreciate the irony of the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) being embroiled in a dispute with a trade union representing its own employees. However, the falling out provided the occasion for an important test case on the extent to which
