Owners of mixed-use properties will know that the Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) charged on commercial properties is not the same as that charged on residential properties. There is also a considerable grey area when it comes to the definitions used in different parts of
The trouble with making oral contracts is that the absence of a paper trail makes it extremely difficult to decipher exactly what has been agreed after the event. That was certainly so in one case in which a judge had to decide whether a payment
Sponsorship deals are commonplace in the sporting world and are underpinned by trade mark licensing agreements. In one important High Court case, a judge has analysed one such agreement by which a sports car manufacturer allowed the use of its name by a financially troubled
Increasingly sophisticated fraudsters are regrettably active in the property market and, in one striking case, the High Court was called upon to rule on the financial consequences of a £470,000 con which took in not only a would-be housebuyer but also licensed conveyancers and a
The Public Contracts Regulations 2015 introduced a regime that is designed to ensure transparency and fairness in commercial relations between the public and private sectors. However, in one guideline case, the High Court ruled that the Regulations did not apply to a local authority tendering
Petty insurance fraud is sadly common and a serious blight on society. However, one case involving a semi-professional footballer who exaggerated his injuries following a minor road shunt may well signal a crackdown by the authorities. The man claimed that he was so badly injured
The law protects everyone’s right to freedom of expression and to protest peacefully. However, that does not amount to carte blanche and, in one case, the High Court ruled that demonstrations outside a pet shop had crossed the line into a form of torment or
How are the number of hours worked by ‘on call’ employees to be calculated in the context of the National Minimum Wage? A tribunal tackled that thorny issue in the case of a school security guard who was required to live on the premises and
More and more companies do most of their business on the Internet and the need to maintain a clearly identifiable website brand and avoid the risk of customer confusion is paramount. One case involving well-known scooter manufacturers Segway Inc. illustrated the point. Segway’s battery-powered, self-stabilising
Officialdom is not always as fair as it should be but, if you are a victim of that, the law can help you. In one case which proved the point, an estate agency which was hit with a record £170,000 fine for breaching money laundering
