If a public authority faces legal action in respect of a contract tendering exercise, can it avoid litigation by the simple expedient of abandoning the procurement process and starting again? The High Court addressed that issue in the context of a road contractor’s £28 million
When businesses or individuals fall victim to fraud, perpetrators often go to ground and do all in their power to keep hold of their ill-gotten gains. However, a case in which an accountant was accused of embezzling over £300,000 from a corporate client showed that
As any law student learns in their first week at university, the base elements of any contract are offer, acceptance and consideration. Underlying that simple statement there is, however, a hinterland of complexity – as was shown by a case concerning parking ticket ‘pay and
If employees come up with brilliant ideas, do they have intellectual property rights in them or are they the sole property of their employers? The High Court considered that burning issue in the context of a computer software dispute. A company applied for international, national
Environmental issues are inexorably making their way to the top of the political agenda and that is increasingly reflected in the planning system. In a case on point, the High Court overturned permission for a residential development on the basis that habitat protection rules had
In an era of apparently ever-increasing property prices, many young people rely on the so-called ‘bank of mum and dad’ to help buy their first homes. In a ground-breaking decision, the High Court took that into account in awarding the three dependent sons of a
The effectiveness of the contract adjudication system depends upon the willingness of judges to enforce awards – but what happens if such enforcement would unfairly undermine an ongoing insolvency process? The High Court considered that issue in a guideline case concerning a domestic building project.
Lasting powers of attorney (LPAs) are powerful documents which place others in control of your assets, health and welfare, and that is why it makes good sense to employ independent professionals to perform the role. The consequences of doing otherwise were revealed by the case
Large family fortunes are commonly held in complicated trust structures and that can give rise to difficulties in the event of divorce. However, a big money case in which a wife was awarded a seven-figure sum showed that family judges are more than capable of
Negotiations for the sale of high-value goods are often tense and fast-moving and it can be difficult to piece together after the event exactly what was said and done. The Court of Appeal, however, confronted just such a task in upholding an art dealer’s claim
