Insights: Legal Updates - June 2011

If you commission or allow construction work to take place on your commercial property, you do not normally expect to be sued for personal injury by people working for the building contractor. Health and safety legislation, however, makes this a real possibility and even presents the risk of personal liability for directors of companies who […]

Pre-packs have had a great impact on the insolvency landscape over recent years. They are now the procedure of choice for many insolvent businesses. At the same time, they have been heavily criticised as being damaging to creditors’ interests. This tension has left a number of questions unanswered, which the courts and regulators have tried […]

A government scheme that was launched last year has led to a rapid rise in the use of solar panels and other ways of generating renewable energy. Although expensive to install, it is possible to make good money in the long term from these projects. As we will show, however, the message is “get in […]

On 1 July 2011, the much anticipated Bribery Act 2010 (the Act) will come into force. The Act will impact on all commercial organisations, to a greater or lesser degree, and so, if you haven’t already turned your mind to what it means for your organisation, now is the time. A detailed explanation of the […]

An interesting case has just been reported. Ian W Spencer v S Franses Limited [2011] EWHC 1269 (QB) provides a fascinating story, court room drama and some new law which will be welcomed by art and antiques experts and valuers. You can read the reported judgment at http://bit.ly/lv9W6C It concerned some valuable embroideries found by […]

The insolvency and construction worlds have developed sophisticated systems of law. Alas, they often pull parties in opposite directions! The construction industry operates on contracts which, while frequently based on standard forms, are often individually negotiated. There is not complete freedom of contract, however – following the Housing Grants Act 1996, disputes under written construction […]

If you have a business and you have a website, then the chances are that you are using cookies. Cookies are little files created on a computer when a browser accesses a website. Essentially, cookies allow websites to recognise users when they return to a site and utilise content and services. Technically speaking, cookies can […]