Planning enforcement notices must be obeyed, but what happens if compliance is simply not feasible? The High Court tackled that issue in a case concerning an extension to a £1.85 million house that was built without planning consent. There was no dispute that a couple
Self-employed or worker? There can hardly be a more burning issue in employment law and, in upholding a plumber’s claim that he fell into the latter category, the Supreme Court has imposed vital restraints on the so called ‘gig economy’. The man was one of
Local housing authorities work under intense pressure with limited resources and it is sadly not a rare event for them to breach the legal duties they owe to homeless people in need. However, as a High Court decision showed, it is not every such breach
The perennial impact of inflation means that fees payable under antique licence agreements may dwindle to the point where they appear insignificant. However, as a case concerning industrial and surface water discharges into the Manchester Ship Canal showed, it remains vitally important to pay them
Successful business ventures ultimately depend on good relations being maintained but, if there is a falling out, a professionally drafted partnership agreement at least means that you know where you stand. The clear and unambiguous wording of one such document enabled the High Court to
It is often said that insurance companies do not like paying out and, in one case that lent support to that truism, an insurer put private detectives on the tail of a chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) sufferer but utterly failed to prove that he had
International brands require huge investment to establish and traders, big and small, cannot expect to get away with taking unauthorised advantage of their goodwill. In one case exactly on point a beauty therapist incurred the wrath of US lingerie giant Victoria’s Secret, by christening her
Amidst acute housing shortages, public policy demands that use be made of derelict land. In one case that illustrated the point, a tribunal modified a restrictive covenant to enable residential development of a former sports club. The club had been closed for almost 20 years.
Online bloggers can build up phenomenal followings that can be monetised through advertising and endorsements. In a guideline decision, the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has considered the extent to which their names, or very often the pseudonyms under which they operate, can be protected by
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which replaces the EU Data Protection Directive, is a comprehensive data protection regime aimed at achieving a high level of security of network and information systems across the EU and giving individuals greater control over their own personal data.
