Judges often have opportunities to bring about fundamental changes in the law, but they always keep a weather eye to the impact of such changes on the real world. In a case on point, the Court of Appeal declined to alter the long-standing principles of
The best way to keep down the emotional and financial cost of divorce is to maintain a sense of compromise. In a big money case in which that signally failed to happen, a wife was hit hard in the pocket for making unrealistic financial demands.
What is a listed building? The Court of Appeal has ruled in a guideline case that two 18th century urns and their pedestals fit the bill. The decision left a landowner who removed the items from his garden without permission at risk of prosecution. The
Before naming your business or registering an Internet domain name it always pays to seek professional advice in order to avoid confusion and to ensure that you are not breaching anyone else’s rights. A restaurateur found that out to his cost after he christened his
Keeping farming businesses intact through the generations can be difficult and that is why professional estate planning advice is always necessary. The point was illustrated by a case in which the Court of Appeal sought to bestow peace on a mother and son who had
The whole point of contract arbitrations is that the parties agree in advance that they will be bound by the arbitrator’s decision. However, as a case concerning a dispute between two professional football clubs showed, the High Court retains power to intervene in cases of
Employers who put their staff at risk by failing to abide by health and safety rules are routinely hit hard in the pocket. Exactly that happened to a discount chain that was fined £1 million after admitting shoddy practices at three of its stores. The
Social workers wield real power over people’s lives and, when they fall down on the job, it is only right that compensation is paid to those who suffer. In a case on point, a local authority was ordered to pay £40,000 in damages to a
Contested divorces are a rarity and that is hardly surprising given that, following two years of separation, marriages can be ended by agreement. However, they do still occur and, in one such case, a judge was critical of a husband who wasted family money in
One of the important protections afforded to consumers under European law is that they are generally entitled to be sued in the country in which they are domiciled. The High Court made that point in ruling that a London casino must pursue its £250,000 debt
