Farm buildings are exempt from business rates, but only if they are used solely for agricultural purposes. In one striking case, a farmer passed that exacting test and established that no rates were payable on
Directors of insolvent companies have a legal duty to cooperate with liquidators who have all the authority of officers of the court. In one case, two directors who failed to comply with High Court disclosure
The courts are generally keen to support contract adjudicators whose task it is to resolve disputes speedily and at much lower cost than litigation. In one case which proved the point, a company was criticised
The idea that so-called ‘zero hours’ contract workers have no employment rights is a misconception, as is illustrated by a case in which a security officer who worked under such a regime was awarded arrears
Patents are an essential means of protecting original ideas from plagiarism and have application to almost every field of human endeavour. In one case, the High Court’s ruling on a case concerning underwater mine clearance
Whether in the commercial sphere or when dealing with consumers, the ancient and haphazard rule that contract terms must not be penal in nature has not weathered well and is often a source of confusion.
Decisions about what action to take in response to workplace misconduct are a matter for employers, and employment judges are not entitled to substitute their own views on factual matters for those of the primary
Those who work for large multinational companies often enjoy security, benefits and a breadth of opportunity envied by others. However, as a High Court case illustrated, complex corporate structures which span the world can lead
If a company makes a profit on a sale of assets, can it set off the resulting capital gain against a loss made by a company within the same group? That is one burning issue
What is a house? That would appear to be a simple question, but it has taxed judges for decades. However, in a decision which will assist thousands of tenants to acquire the freehold of their
