When it comes to family companies, the death of a shareholder can give rise to very serious tax consequences and, as one High Court case vividly revealed, it is never too early to seek expert advice in respect of estate planning. After learning that a
Commercially sensitive information inevitably often passes between contracting parties and, in such cases, confidentially agreements are commonplace. One such agreement was considered by the High Court in the context of a defence supply contract. Company A had contracted with company B to supply communications technology
Conditions attached to planning permissions can be highly restrictive and can even prevent changes of use that would otherwise be automatically permitted. The Court of Appeal made that point in scotching a developer’s hopes of converting an office block into 127 studio flats. The block
There is still a tendency towards informality in domestic building contracts, although the potentially dire consequences of not having a written agreement should be common knowledge. In one case, a couple and their builder became mired in costly litigation that could have been avoided had
The international fight against corruption in the commercial sphere requires mutual cooperation between friendly states, but a balance often has to be struck between the public benefit in the detection of crime and the individual rights of suspects. The High Court addressed that issue in
Trade marks are an invaluable means of maintaining a bright shine on brands and protecting them against inappropriate associations. In one striking example, the owner of a luxury restaurant won an injunction against a dog food company that traded under a similar name. The restaurant
The Supreme Court has urged employers to modify provisions, criteria or practices (PCPs) that disadvantage protected minority groups – even if no reason can be discerned for their discriminatory impact. The Court made its comments in ruling upon indirect discrimination claims brought by a group
Unlawful deductions from wages may not seem a strong enough phrase to describe one case in which an employee was not paid anything at all for seven years’ work. Employment law is well equipped to put right such injustices, however, and the woman was awarded
If your life is blighted by noisy or abusive neighbours, a good lawyer can restore your peace and ensure that the wrongdoers are punished. In one case, a social tenant whose next-door neighbours were assailed by loud music, shouting, swearing and banging received an eight-week
The Equality Act 2010 (Gender Pay Gap Information) Regulations 2017 introduce mandatory gender pay gap reporting on an annual basis for private and voluntary sector employers with 250 or more employees. Employers will be required to compute and report on the difference in pay between
