Professionals engaged in dispute resolution cannot afford to be faint-hearted as is evidenced by a recent case in which an adjudicator who stood between warring parties in an acrimonious construction contract dispute has fought off accusations of delay, bias, breach of natural justice and
In a decision of wide significance, the Court of Appeal has ruled invalid a trade mark that the makers of ‘Scrabble’ hoped would protect the household name board game from online rivals. The Court found that, regardless of the ‘distinctiveness’ of the tiles used
In a case which vividly reveals the extent of detective work sometimes carried out by bankruptcy trustees in recovering debts on behalf of creditors, a court has found that 12 sketches that were believed to be the work of celebrated artist, Francis Bacon, were
The enormity of the task facing liquidators in seeking to unravel the complex affairs of a nationwide business that once turned over £120 million-a-year has been revealed in the context of a hotly disputed £50 million damages claim against two of its former directors.
In a case which gives guidance on the correct planning approach to infrastructure projects of national significance, concerns over the welfare of otters were not enough to convince the High Court to block construction of a controversial road linking the M6 motorway with the
In a warning to employers that a refusal to allow an employee to be accompanied by a friend or adviser during disciplinary hearings can be viewed as unreasonable, a dental practice manager has triumphed in her constructive unfair dismissal claim and been awarded more
In a stern reminder that the greatest care is always required in filling out insurance proposal forms, a social housing association’s insurance cover in respect of a £4.6 million construction project was not worth the paper it was written on after it misidentified the
In a good illustration of the numerous hurdles that must be jumped before the courts will approve a cross-border corporate merger within the European Economic Area (EEA), a judge has consented to a UK-registered investment bank becoming one with its German sister company.
In a telling reminder that the tax authorities are alert to unexplained bank deposits, a civil engineer has been directed to pay a £24,924 income tax demand – as well as a swingeing £11,216 penalty – after an inquiry into his tax affairs that
The Patents County Court was only formed in 2010, but has already become a victim of its success. Because of the great increase in workload of the court, it has been ‘rebranded’ as the ‘Intellectual Property Enterprise Court’, and has become a specialist court
