Building sites can be dangerous places and that makes it all the more important that health and safety rules are religiously followed. In one case where that sadly did not happen, the director of a house building company received a four-year prison sentence following a
Providing misleading information can be just as effective in causing injury as physical acts of negligence. The Supreme Court made that point in guaranteeing substantial compensation to an assault victim who was wrongly informed by an accident and emergency (A&E) department receptionist that he would
In a guideline ruling, the Court of Appeal recently found that two care workers were not entitled to be paid the National Minimum Wage (NMW) for time when they were asleep during sleep-in shifts. Noting that conflicting authorities had given rise to a need for
When the outcomes of public contract tendering exercises are challenged, the award of contracts is automatically suspended in order to hold the ring. As a High Court case concerning a multi-billion-pound railway contract showed, deciding whether such suspensions should be lifted involves a delicate balancing
Giving away assets to your loved ones with warm hands, when you are still fit and healthy, is a readily available means of reducing Inheritance Tax (IHT) liabilities. However, as a guideline Court of Appeal decision illustrated, such gifts must be made without reservation in
Court orders must be obeyed or the whole system of justice breaks down. In a case on point, a brother and sister – with a combined age of almost 150 – were sentenced to imprisonment for contempt of court in the context of a big
Signing personal guarantees in respect of loans made to your thriving business may seem virtually risk free. However, as a High Court case showed, times can sadly change and that is why legal advice is always necessary. The case concerned a professional firm that had
Many businesses rely heavily on Home Office licences that enable them to sponsor the entry into the UK of skilled workers from outside the European Economic Area. As a High Court case showed, however, such licences are a privilege, not an entitlement, and can be
Countryside smells are recognised by planners to be a fact of rural life. In a case on point, the High Court upheld planning permission granted for an intensive poultry farm despite a campaigner’s concerns about unpleasant odours. A farmer wished to construct two poultry sheds,
Tenants and their loved ones enjoy legal protection against landlords and property professionals who abuse their position of power. In a striking case on point, lawyers representing a woman who was gravely mistreated by a letting agency’s staff won her the right to compensation. The
