Insights: Legal Updates - September 2016

Sam Allardyce’s demise as England manager has given him the dubious honour of having the shortest career in the post – albeit with the best-ever winning percentage – and allegations of improper conduct have been made against eight current and former Premier League managers. Beyond English football, the essence of sport has been rocked to […]

More and more across the industry we find the most painful negotiations (whether you are a borrower, a lender or their lawyers!) centre around insurance.  There are a number of reasons why this is the case.  But with an awareness of these issues insurance can be dealt with in a collaborative way at the beginning […]

Barry Hembling presented a paper to the Society of Construction Law at a meeting in Tunbridge Wells on 12 April 2016. Barry Hembling’s paper questions why, following the 2009 amendments to the Construction Act, the courts continue to be inundated with payment related claims. He reviews the recent cases and identifies key trends, such as the courts’ […]

Recent board moves have reignited the discussion in relation to the composition of luxury fashion brand boards. In June of this year, Alexander Wang, Creative Director of the eponymous label he launched in 2005, added the roles of Chief Executive and Chairman to his list of responsibilities. Meanwhile, just a few weeks later, Burberry moved […]

Buying a property is often the biggest investment a person will make in their lifetime. It therefore stands to reason that people want to ensure that their investment is protected.  The recent case of Haque v Raja[1] provides a reminder that, if you don’t appear on the title of a registered property that you’ve contributed […]

Work dress codes appear, to this writer at least, to be somewhat more relaxed today than was the case 20 years ago, or even as recently as five years ago, when Swiss financial services giant UBS was widely ridiculed for having issued to staff a dress code 44 pages long. This more relaxed approach may […]

2013 saw the unveiling of the world’s first entirely 3D printed dress, designed and 3D modelled by Michael Schmidt and Francis Bitoni for burlesque model, Dita Von Teese. Since then, a number of brands, including Nike, Under Armour and Chanel have showcased 3D printed products.  While it may be a while before 3D printing enters […]

Although online sales have become increasingly important to fashion retailers, most still want a “bricks and mortar” presence on the high street too. In times of relative prosperity, retailers may open and operate multiple stores, but when confidence in the economy wavers, as some commentators have suggested may happen following the Brexit vote, retailers may […]

The fashion powerhouse Christian Louboutin (Louboutin) has been litigating to protect its iconic red-soled shoes since 2011.  It began in the United States and has meandered through various courts in Europe, finding its way to the European Court of Justice (ECJ).  Here we take a brief look at Louboutin’s fight to protect its trademark and […]

HMRC has recently released its formal guidance on the implementation and obligations of charities under the new Common Reporting Standard (CRS). The CRS was introduced from 1 January 2016 following in the footsteps of the recent wide ranging US legislation, the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA). The CRS is a voluntary, reciprocal code which individual […]

New arguments over contract terms in offshore construction mean contractors can get caught out if they don’t jump through all of the required hoops. When times get tough in construction, parties often pay closer attention to the terms of the contract. However, this frequently happens too late for one party who has already breached some […]

Can employees claim an uplift of up to 25 percent in the circumstances of a dismissal for “some other substantial reason”, such as an irretrievable breakdown in the relationship between employee and employer?  Not according to the Employment Appeal Tribunal’s decision in Phoenix House Ltd v Stockman and another.  Although the employee’s dismissal was found […]