Latest News

  • The Olympic Games - Are You Prepared?

  • :   With only a couple of months to go before the London 2012 Olympic Games commence on 27 July 2012, employers are reminded of the importance of having a clear policy in place to handle last-minute requests for time off work or to work flexibly in order to...

  • Breach of Planning Permission Negates Commencement of Development

  • :   When a developer sought to make use of a 37-year-old planning permission because it had ‘commenced building work’ within five years of the permission being granted, the Court of Appeal was unimpressed . In 1974, the...

  • EU Proposals for Data Protection Reform

  • :   The European Commission has published its framework for modernising data protection legislation across the EU. The General Data Protection Regulation will replace the EC Data Protection Directive, which is implemented in the UK by the ...

  • Parent Company Liable in Landmark Asbestos Case

  • :   A worker who developed asbestosis after being exposed to high levels of asbestos between 1959 and 1961 was unable to pursue a personal injury claim against his former employer, which was dissolved some years ago, owing to an ‘asbestos exclusion...

  • Compromise Agreements and the Equality Act

  • :   A compromise agreement is a legally binding agreement by which an employee undertakes to refrain from instigating Employment Tribunal (ET) proceedings against his or her employer or, if proceedings have already commenced, to discontinue them, in return for...

  • Services - Should the Landlord Charge VAT?

  • :   In general, rents on property are exempt supplies for VAT purposes. However, a landlord often supplies other services to tenants, such as cleaning and maintenance. These services are usually subject to VAT. When supplies of a VATable and...

  • Failure to Register Renders Property Inaccessible

  • :   When the owner of a property failed to register a right of access, trouble was in store. The claimant owned a property (number 37) which was separated from the property next door (number 35) by an alleyway. This was owned by the owner of...

  • Competition - New Market Investigation

  • :   The aggregates, cement and ready-mixed concrete industries are the latest to come under the spotlight of the Competition Commission. The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has identified a number of concerns, not least of which is that five companies control 90...

  • Barrister Wins Sexual Orientation Discrimination Claim

  • :   In Bivonas LLP and others v Bennett , the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has upheld the decision of the Employment Tribunal (ET) that a gay barrister had been discriminated against on grounds of his sexual orientation. Lee Bennett...

  • Functionality Not Protected in Computer Programs

  • :   Computer programs have been at the centre of many legal disputes. Although the program itself is subject to the laws of copyright, creating a program that does what another program does is not a breach of copyright. The reason for this...