All companies operate subject to the ‘directing mind and will’ of one or more humans, but they are nevertheless independent legal personalities. The Court of Appeal made that point in finding that an engineering company was rightly convicted of involvement in a corrupt conspiracy to
High demand for new homes and a scarcity of land to meet it are factors that weigh powerfully in favour of planning permission being granted to residential developers. However, as a High Court case showed, they by no means always trump the harm that housing
Everyone has the right to campaign against what they perceive as injustice, but only if that does not involve trampling on the rights of others. In a case on point, a mother paid with her liberty for relentlessly publicising her complaints about the family justice
Sham legal documents are created for all sorts of nefarious purposes, but judges are thankfully well practised at spotting them. In a case on point, a bogus lease created with the intention of evading business rates failed to convince the High Court. After receiving non-domestic
The balance of power between HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and individual taxpayers may appear to be all one way. However, as a Court of Appeal decision showed, expert legal advice can be highly effective in levelling the playing field. HMRC wished to open an
Distinguishing between legitimate clients and money launderers is a major challenge for many businesses, but they ultimately bear legal responsibility for doing so. In a High Court case on point, a company was almost put out of business after its bank formed the view that
In a decision which will cost the NHS many millions of pounds, the Court of Appeal has ruled that a hospital trust failed to properly monitor a group of junior doctors’ working patterns so as to ensure that they received adequate rest breaks. In a
Many Internet retailers endure the frustration of seeing potential customers diverted to unconnected websites with confusingly similar names. As a case concerning a Scottish haggis manufacturer showed, however, resolving such issues is all in a day’s work for an intellectual property lawyer. Since it was
Local authority planning officers are highly qualified professionals – but they are not lawyers or judges and their reports must not be read with an over-critical legal eye. The Court of Appeal made that point in opening the way for construction of a new home
The distinction between political opinions and philosophical beliefs is far from easy to make. However, in a guideline decision, an Employment Tribunal (ET) has ruled that a commitment to the cause of Scottish independence falls into the latter category and is thus protected by the
