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
When children suffer injury, investigations follow and the finger of blame is frequently pointed at their parents. However, in one case, a young couple successfully challenged a judicial finding that they had conspired to cover up the circumstances in which their five-month-old daughter suffered a
Judges know how to deal with directors who dishonestly line their own pockets at the expense of companies that they are duty-bound to serve. In a Court of Appeal case on point, one such miscreant was stripped not only of his underhand profit but also
The relentless policy drive to build more new homes inevitably creates pressure to develop greenfield sites. In a case on point, the High Court opened the way for construction of 70 dwellings in the open countryside – even though there was no shortage of housing
The limited territorial reach of English Employment Tribunals (ETs) can pose difficulties to those who lead globe-trotting working lives. In a guideline case, however, the former captain of a superyacht which moved from port to port won the right to pursue his unfair dismissal claim
