COVID-19 Force Majeure and Frustration
COVID-19 has sent shockwaves throughout the business world. For some businesses the impact has been severe and they will find it difficult…
COVID-19 Furlough Job Retention Scheme
In this blog we explain what furlough leave is and how the Job Retention Scheme introduced by the Government as a result of COVID-19 can…
COVID-19 Employment Law Issues
COVID-19 has put unprecedented pressure on businesses and their staff and has raised various employment law issues. An awareness of…
Terminating a Contract – Tread Carefully
Terminating a contract may be the way forward especially when the other party has blatantly failed to meet its obligations. But don’t fall…
Statement of Employment Particulars: New Requirements for Employers
A statement of employment particulars is a written form that an employer must give an employee when the employee first starts working for…
IR35 – New Rules
IR35 (also known as the ‘off-payroll working rules’) is legislation that tackles what HMRC regards as ‘disguised employment’. Last Autumn,…
Faire du Business au Royaume-Uni – Petit guide pratique
Le Royaume-Uni a une longue histoire de commerce avec la France et, malgré le Brexit, reste un endroit attractif pour faire des affaires.
Unsigned Contract? – it may be binding anyway
An unsigned contract is often thought of as being harmless. It is a common belief that if a written contract is not signed, it cannot…
Restraint of Trade in Commercial Contracts
Restraint of trade is a complex area of law. The general principle, under English law, is that individuals and organisations should be free…
Representations and Warranties What’s the Difference?
On the face of it, representations and warranties can appear very similar. However, understanding the difference between the two can have a…
Liquidated damages – are they payable even when the contractor does not complete the works?
Liquidated damages clauses are often found in construction or software contracts. Due to the nature of these types of contracts, court…
Breach Of Contract What Are We Entitled To?
We sometimes get a call from clients with “there’s been a breach of contract what are we entitled to?”
Contract Lawyers – If You Can’t Afford One Then At Least Do This
Contract lawyers aren’t cheap. So if you can’t afford one or if you just want to get some insight into the basics of how to check a…
Commercial Lease – A Quick Guide For Tenants
Our commercial lease lawyers are experts at drafting and negotiating different types of commercial lease. Whether you’re moving into a…
Artificial Intelligence – Some Legal Issues
Data processing lies at the heart of AI with AI projects often involving the processing of large amounts of personal data.
Not The Death Of Contra Proferentem
For years, the contra proferentem rule has been used by the courts for the purposes of contractual interpretation.
You want to sign a contract before your company is incorporated? Think again!
When setting up a business you may be eager to get things started and sign a contract as soon as you can. However, due to section 51 of the…
Settlement Agreement Lawyers – Help for Employees
Remember, settlement agreements are voluntary. You do not have to enter a settlement agreement and you should be given a reasonable amount…
Selective distribution agreements – a quick guide
Selective distribution is a system in which a supplier agrees to supply only to approved distributors who meet certain minimum criteria.…
Personal Data Transfers: Transfers Outside The EEA
Personal data transfers happen all the time in every organisation and international transfers happen more than you think. A UK company uses…
Business Contract Terms (Assignment of Receivables) Regulations 2018
On 24 November 2018, after two previous attempts, the Business Contract Terms (Assignment of Receivables) Regulations 2018 came into force.
Brexit – Protecting Your Business
Brexit. The word sends shivers down the spine! On 14 November 2018 the UK and the EU published a draft agreement on the withdrawal of the…
Software as a service (Saas)
Ten years ago “software as a service” (SaaS) was virtually unknown. Software was seen as being a product that you would download onto your…
Indemnities: What Are They?
Put simply, an indemnity is a promise to pay money on the happening of a specified event. The purpose of an indemnity in a contract is to…
Option Scheme (EMI) – Do I qualify for one?
An EMI Option Scheme is one one of the most popular ways to save tax when allocating shares among both employees and companies.
Force Majeure – Not Easy To Rely On
Force majeure clauses are often included in contracts to enable a party to avoid liability for failing to perform where that failure is due…
Data Protection – Our First Enquiry About A Privacy Breach
Privacy breach in the context of data protection is still very much a hot topic as we’re now starting to see the effects of individuals…
Dismissing An Employee – be honest!
When dismissing an employee it's almost always better to be honest about the reasons for the dismissal - especially if the employee is a…
City Jobs Brexit: Coping with Redundancy
City Jobs Brexit: Brexit remains a cause of significant uncertainty for the UK economy and, especially so, with respect to employment.
Contract for Services?
A contract for services is a contract used to appoint a genuinely self-employed individual, such as a consultant, to carry out services for…
Brexit Clauses – do you need them in your contracts?
What are Brexit clauses? In a nutshell: Brexit clauses enable the parties to a contract to renegotiate or even terminate if things go bad,…
Employee Share Schemes: ProShare Research on Attitudes to Employee Share Ownership
Employee share schemes are a means of incentivising staff to benefit from their employment with a business. ProShare has recently conducted…
Share Purchase Agreement Claim Fails Because It Didn’t Follow Contract Procedure – Teoco UK Ltd v Aircom Jersey 4 Ltd & Anor [2018] EWCA Civ 23 (18 January 2018)
In January the Court of Appeal dismissed an appeal by Teoco UK Ltd following a decision in the High Court leaving Teoco UK Ltd (Teoco)…
GDPR Guide EM Law
I have prepared this GDPR Guide ahead of the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR) becoming law in the UK on 25 May 2018.
CAP Codes and BCAP Codes introduce new rules prohibiting sexual portrayal of under-18s in advertising
The UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising and Direct & Promotional Marketing (CAP Code) is the rule book for non-broadcast advertisements,…
Legal Fees: Retainer Arrangements
Retainer arrangements are the best paying arrangements from both a client's and a lawyer's perspective.
Legal Fees: Hourly rate or fixed rate?
Question: should clients have their lawyers charge legal fees by the hour / fixed rate / capped rate / some other mechanism?
Employment Law Update: Rawlinson v Brightside Group Ltd – False Reason for Dismissal of Employee
A recent case - Rawlinson v Brightside Group Ltd [2017] UKEAT 0142_17_2111 (21 November 2017) - highlights the risks to an employer of not…