Judges spend long hours listening to dense evidence and argument, and they would be superhuman if they did not occasionally nod off. As an employment case showed, however, the consequences of sleepy-headedness can be grave if it affects the fairness of proceedings. The case concerned
Companies are notoriously difficult to value and particular difficulties can arise when they form the principal assets to be divided in divorce proceedings. In a big money case on point, the High Court bridged a huge gulf between the value placed by a wife and
One good reason for taking advice from independent professionals is that, if they let you down, there is a clear route to compensation. The point was proved by a case in which a homeowner won substantial damages after a surveyor failed to notice Japanese knotweed
Death and taxes may be inevitable, but HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) are not infallible and if you are on the receiving end of a wrong decision, you should consult a lawyer right away. A dance teacher who did just that was relieved of a
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
