Making reasonable adjustments to cater for employees’ disabilities can be tricky and few employers can have experienced more of a challenge than an NHS trust faced with a hospital worker’s severe phobia of blood and needles. The occupational therapist, who taught patients carpentry skills in
Those who take the wise step of signing lasting powers of attorney (LPAs) are entitled to give instructions concerning their future medical treatment. But, as a guideline High Court ruling made plain, that right does not extend to requiring attorneys to break the law by
In a landmark decision that should make every employer sit up and take notice, the Court of Appeal has ruled a supermarket chain indirectly liable for the misdeeds of an errant employee who leaked its payroll data onto the Internet. The IT worker bore a
The ability of litigants to settle their differences on confidential terms respects the privacy of all sides and is essential to effective dispute resolution – but what if such non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) collide with the rights of journalists to publish information in the public interest?
Any good lawyer will tell you that, when purchasing property, it is absolutely vital that you have the required funds in place before contracts are exchanged. In a case on point, a property investor paid heavily for failing to follow that fundamental rule. The freeholder
Worldwide freezing orders (WFOs) impinge heavily on the freedoms of those against whom they are made, and that is why judges will only grant them if there is a real risk of wrongdoers dissipating their assets. That stringent test was, however, met in the case
Non-profit-making organisations enjoy favourable tax treatment, but deciding which bodies qualify for that status can pose difficulties. In a guideline case, however, the Upper Tribunal (UT) ruled that a golf and leisure club had rightly been exempted from having to account for VAT on green
In a warning shot across employers’ bows, the Court of Appeal has ruled that the protection afforded to whistleblowers penetrates the corporate veil and that individual managers can be held personally liable for detrimental treatment. The case concerned the former CEO of an oil exploration
Registering plots of land as town or village greens preserves them for community use and renders them immune from development. However, as a High Court case showed, meeting the statutory criteria for registration is demanding and should not be attempted without expert legal advice. A
Unexplained wealth orders (UWOs) – the latest tool in the authorities’ armoury for use in tackling money laundering, corruption and terrorist financing – came under High Court scrutiny for the first time in an important test case. The case concerned the wife of an overseas citizen
