Insights: Legal Updates - October 2016

As discussed in recent weeks, the new Electronic Communications Code raises concerns for landowners contemplating demolition and redevelopment projects. But there are other, more hidden problems. Housing minister Gavin Barwell has unveiled new measures last month to speed up housebuilding in his Neighbourhood Development Bill. In his first speech as minister, he outlined the government’s […]

In Pyrrho Investments Ltd v MWB Property Ltd & Ors [2016] EWHC 256 (Ch), the English High Court has recently approved the use of predictive coding in the disclosure stage of High Court proceedings. In a nutshell, predictive coding is the practice of electronic document review carried out by sophisticated computer software rather than by […]

The Telecoms Code is currently in the Public Bill Committee stage in Parliament.  This allows an opportunity for interested parties to submit written evidence to the Committee. The deadline for receiving submissions is 1 November 2016 (extended from the original deadline of 27 October 2016). The link to the relevant site is below, where you […]

The UK Inheritance Tax (IHT) saving is probably the last reason why anyone would deliberately choose to leave assets to charity in their Will.  However, it is the case that leaving assets to charity is very IHT efficient, for two key reasons.  Qualifying gifts are 100% IHT exempt – the charity will not have any […]

The industry must embrace the technology while investing in resources to protect intellectual property rights Last week, retailer Long Tall Sally, which specialises in clothing for taller women, unveiled a 3D-printed mannequin based on a real customer’s body. Happily for the customer concerned, she need not worry about being the basis for a clone army […]

Charles Proctor joins the commentary about the Brexit countdown in The Brief. Kiss tariffs goodbye As the most recent Nobel prize winner did not quite sing at Desert Trip in California last weekend: “It’s a hard, it’s a hard, it’s a hard Brexit gonna fall.” Indeed, writes Edward Fennell, there’s a good chance that the […]

A landmark £14bn class action claim against MasterCard was filed in London’s Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) on 8 September 2016.  The claim is the highest value claim to be brought before the CAT and the first major claim to be brought on behalf of multiple UK consumers under the new class action framework introduced by […]

Sean Cottrell, CEO of LawInSport, hosted a roundtable discussion with three leading sports lawyers Nick De Marco, Nick Tsatsas & Richard Berry. The roundtable included a discussion on the legal issues that arise from the contractual, regulatory and governance structures in football including: The recent Telegraph sting which led to the departure of the England […]

The recent Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham has served to reinforce expectations of a “hard Brexit” when the UK seeks to negotiate withdrawal arrangements with the other EU Member States. The discussions are likely to be difficult and protracted, with no guarantee of a satisfactory outcome. In view of that situation, Charles Proctor has been […]

The recent case of Re Alcott (1) [2016] EWHC 2413 (Fam) serves as a reminder of the need for careful consideration when relocating with children from one jurisdiction to another. Alcott v Ashworth Former BBC children’s presenter, Katy Ashworth, was accused by her former partner of abducting their toddler from Australia. Her former partner, a […]

Anyone who does not regard England as their permanent home (non-dom) but who has been resident in the UK for at least 15 out of the past 20 income tax years will wake up to a very different UK tax regime on 6 April 2017, according to a further consultation issued by the Government on […]

Hotel projects are often under pressure to complete as early as possible, but in the rush to open parties must take care to avoid three common causes of cost overruns.  Commencing projects with insufficient design information, perhaps by having compressed the design programme; allowing insufficient time for coordination between disciplines or having insufficient systems in […]