When a company received a claim for compensation from an employee who suffered an injury whilst using a circular saw, it became clear that the employer's liability insurance policy did not cover the risk of the injury: it specifically excluded…
When entering into a business partnership with someone you also consider to be a soulmate, putting in place formal agreements with them can seem inappropriate. However, personal relationships can turn sour and, in one case, the equity in a buy-to-let…
Workplace whistleblowers are protected by law and employers have to be extremely careful not to persecute them for their activities. In one case that proved the point, two police detectives who were removed from undercover duties after making complaints about…
Many employers may be surprised to note that it is inherent in the Equality Act 2010 that the duty to make reasonable adjustments may require them to treat a disabled employee more favourably than others. The point was made in…
It is a fundamental tenet of the English legal system that those on the losing side in litigation are entitled to know the reasons for their defeat. In a case which underlined that principle, a teacher who was refused permission…
This summer’s hot weather raised the issue of the law regarding temperatures in the workplace. What is a suitable environment will depend on the nature of the activity. For example, the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers recommends a temperature…
As any property professional will know, negotiations can be tense and it is common for various draft agreements to fly between parties without any final deal in fact having been reached. Exactly that happened in one case involving the proposed…
Letters of intent are widely used in the building trade, because it is normal for both developer and contractor to wish to make progress on a building project without having to wait until the formal contractual arrangements have been fully…
Family members who run businesses together should take careful note of a High Court case in which a husband and wife’s commingling of personal and company funds and failure to keep proper records landed them in legal hot water. The…
When purchasing a company’s assets, professional advice and careful drafting are needed to avoid subsequent dispute about what exactly has been bought. In one case, a High Court resolution was required after two companies both claimed to have acquired another’s…