Legal News

The French Government passed measures last year which have increased the taxes payable by non-resident owners of properties in France and further rises are planned. Since 1 January 2012, the rate of tax for rental income arising on French property is 35.5...
38% of businesses in the Bristol area are still unaware of the Energy Act 2011 — which has introduced a raft of energy saving measures including the government’s Green Deal policies. That’s the finding of a new poll by Gregg Latchams...
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) can take a very strong line when it discovers that price information is passing between competitors with the result that the competition between them is diminished. This can include situations in which information about...
The Agency Workers Regulations 2010 (AWR), which implement the EU Agency Workers Directive, came into force on 1 October 2011. Under Regulation 5 of the AWR, agency workers have the right to the same basic terms and conditions of employment as if they had...
There are many ways to establish yourself as the go-to person in your field. It’s all about increasing your visibility and enhancing your reputation — without a hint of hard sell. Instead you should be generously sharing insights, helping others...
The Colston Hall is the South West’s principal music centre and Gregg Latchams is proud to announce our sponsorship of this great Bristol institution. The first concert we are sponsoring is on October 3rd 2013. The Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra of...
A businesswoman whose business fell victim to the recession has persuaded the family court that it would be appropriate for the settlement she had agreed to pay her ex-husband to be varied. The total settlement was £450,000, made up of: ...
The Internet is throwing up a number of examples of cases in which information is ‘recycled’ in breach of copyright and a legal action results. In one such case, the court ruled that if the actions of an organisation ‘inevitably’ lead...
A couple who defaulted on their £500,000 mortgage have failed to convince the High Court that the loan is unenforceable by reason of the lender’s failure to comply with the safeguards contained within the Consumer Credit Act 1974 . The Court...
Insolvent tenants can be a major headache for landlords. For example, when a corporate tenant goes into administration, the landlord needs to obtain the consent of the administrator, or of the court, to forfeit the lease. This is because administration is...
Many people fail to make a will, thus causing problems for surviving family members. However, difficulties can also arise when a person makes several wills, particularly if these contain drafting errors. A recent case concerned a woman who died having...
With one in six British marriages now involving a spouse not domiciled in the UK, problems involving the tax consequences of domicile are becoming increasingly common. Most of the press coverage involving domicile and tax has involved Income Tax. However,...
When a shipyard worker was injured in an accident, he received a £7 million settlement from his employer. The ultimate cause of the accident was a defect in the design of equipment (a platform) that he was using, which had recently been installed at...
A businesswoman who was belittled as being ‘no more than a receptionist’ by her multi-millionaire husband has had her £2.7 million divorce settlement upheld after the Court of Appeal ruled that her ‘exceptional’ contribution...
The Court of Appeal has overturned the decision of the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) and ruled that a lap dancer at a London club owned by Peter Stringfellow was not an employee ( Stringfellows Restaurants Ltd. v Quashie ) and was not therefore entitled...
When a businessman voiced his opinion on planning matters by joining a planning action group which opposed the construction of two biomass power plants, he did not expect his past business record to become the subject of debate. However, a bundle of papers...
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has issued a statement re-emphasising that awareness of Internet ‘cookies’ has increased to such an extent that it is now ‘appropriate...to rely on a responsible implementation of implied...
When an elderly and ill woman was put under continual pressure by her brother-in-law to change her will in favour of his children, whom she rarely saw, her resolve finally cracked and in a bid to have a quiet life, she instructed her lawyers to draw up a new...
In the context of a dispute between parties to a building demolition contract, the High Court has ruled that an adjudicator was not entitled to change his mind after reaching a final decision and that, subject to further litigation or arbitration, the...
There are many potential benefits of buying a franchise, such as having access to well-established business and accounting systems, centralised marketing and a proven business model. Being part of a well-known national brand also has an appeal for many...

Latest News

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38% of businesses in the Bristol area are still unaware of the Energy Act 2011 — which has introduced a raft of energy saving measures including the government’s Green Deal policies. That’s the finding of a new poll by Gregg Latchams...
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The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) can take a very strong line when it discovers that price information is passing between competitors with the result that the competition between them is diminished. This can include situations in which information about...
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The Agency Workers Regulations 2010 (AWR), which implement the EU Agency Workers Directive, came into force on 1 October 2011. Under Regulation 5 of the AWR, agency workers have the right to the same basic terms and conditions of employment as if they had...
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The Internet is throwing up a number of examples of cases in which information is ‘recycled’ in breach of copyright and a legal action results. In one such case, the court ruled that if the actions of an organisation ‘inevitably’ lead...
-
Insolvent tenants can be a major headache for landlords. For example, when a corporate tenant goes into administration, the landlord needs to obtain the consent of the administrator, or of the court, to forfeit the lease. This is because administration is...
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When a shipyard worker was injured in an accident, he received a £7 million settlement from his employer. The ultimate cause of the accident was a defect in the design of equipment (a platform) that he was using, which had recently been installed at...
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The Court of Appeal has overturned the decision of the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) and ruled that a lap dancer at a London club owned by Peter Stringfellow was not an employee ( Stringfellows Restaurants Ltd. v Quashie ) and was not therefore entitled...
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The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has issued a statement re-emphasising that awareness of Internet ‘cookies’ has increased to such an extent that it is now ‘appropriate...to rely on a responsible implementation of implied...
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In the context of a dispute between parties to a building demolition contract, the High Court has ruled that an adjudicator was not entitled to change his mind after reaching a final decision and that, subject to further litigation or arbitration, the...
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There are many potential benefits of buying a franchise, such as having access to well-established business and accounting systems, centralised marketing and a proven business model. Being part of a well-known national brand also has an appeal for many...
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If you employ a nanny, gardener or other household staff, from April 2013 you are required to join the ‘real time information’ (RTI) scheme set up by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). At the same time, the simplified deduction scheme for PAYE will...
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Chasing payment goes with the territory when you are running a business, but what can you do if a customer won’t pay? What steps can you take to make sure you get your money? 1. Draw up a good contract in the first place A good contract is...
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A new survey by software provider SolarWinds reveals that 87% of UK SMEs spend money on IT software they never use. The IT "time and budget" survey polled 500 IT decision makers in SMEs across the UK and Germany and discovered that IT software...
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HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have had a rethink as regards the law governing National Insurance Contributions (NICs) and announced that sleeping partners and inactive limited partners are liable to pay Class 2 NICs as self-employed earners and Class 4 NICs...
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Recently we’ve has seen a raft of changes to commercial and company law. Three pieces of legislation in particular could affect you and your business. Here are the details: Late payment of commercial debts There are new rules on the late payment of...
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The Court of Appeal has ruled that the established regime whereby applicants for jobs requiring contact with children or vulnerable adults have their entire criminal records disclosed to prospective employers is unlawful and an infringement of the...
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Who can challenge a company’s decision that has been improperly made? This question was the subject of a court hearing recently , when the owners of the ‘ultimate economic interest’ in shares in a company sought to overturn a decision the...
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Following the publication of the Hargreaves review on copyright law, the Government has published proposals to modernise copyright law in order to bring it up to date in the light of modern technology. It is considered that changes need to be made for the...
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The Government has accepted the recommendations of the independent Low Pay Commission (LPC) for this year’s adult and youth National Minimum Wage (NMW) rates. However, the LPC’s recommendation that the apprentice rate, which applies to...
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Following recent changes to the length of consultation required when making collective redundancies, the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Services (Acas) has published a guide for employers entitled ‘How to manage collective redundancies’...
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When two plots of land changed hands in 1989, the vendor would not have expected that more than 20 years later an argument would arise over its right to convey the land in question. When the vendor, an Isle of Man company, had sold a parcel of land in 1984,...
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New rules on late payment of commercial debts Summary New rules on the late payment of debts in business-to-business and business-to-public authority contracts (The Late Payment of Commercial Debts Regulations 2013) came into force on 16 March...
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New rules on registration of mortgages and charges Summary New rules on the registration of mortgages, charges and other security interests ( The Companies Act 2006 (Amendment of Part 25) Regulations 2012 ) come into force on 6 April 2013. The...
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New rules on share buy backs by private companies Summary New rules on the buy back by a private company of its shares ( The Companies Act 2006 (Amendment of Part 18) Regulations 2013 ) come into force on 30 April 2013. The changes reduce the buy...
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When chocolate giant Cadbury sought to use the Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982 (SOGA) to make the firm that designed, built and installed a fire detection and control system that failed to prevent a major fire fully liable for its losses, the Court...