Although clients often regard as a nuisance the extensive 'know your client' procedures that are required by financial institutions and professional firms, the importance of strict adherence is clear, as a recent case involving a property fraud illustrates. The case…
Divorce settlements are designed to provide certainty and finality so that people can get on with the rest of their lives. However, an important Court of Appeal decision has underlined that they can be modified after the event if circumstances…
It is not unusual for construction projects to overrun. The contracts for such projects often contain a series of dates specifying when valuations of work done should take place and the stage payments should be made. Normally, this is done…
How are the number of hours worked by ‘on call’ employees to be calculated in the context of the National Minimum Wage? A tribunal tackled that thorny issue in the case of a school security guard who was required to…
In a stern warning to those tempted to employ illegal immigrants and to pay them less than the National Minimum Wage, a fast food restaurateur was left facing ruin after being stripped of his alcohol and late-night catering licences. Following…
Employment Tribunal (ET) proceedings are often fraught and tempers can become frayed. However, the Court of Appeal has made clear in a guideline decision that the law will come down like a ton of bricks on any attempt at witness…
If you believe that you have been unfairly treated by your employer, you should seek legal advice straight away or risk forfeiting your right to compensation. That point was vividly made in a case involving a supermarket manager who was…
In many organisations, employees have to be trusted to handle money or the business would simply grind to a halt. However, one case in which a company director made unauthorised transfers totalling about £1.8 million illustrates the importance of having…
Arbitration and mediation are often promoted as being quicker, less costly methods to resolve disputes than litigation, but they should be used with care, as a recent case shows. It involved a couple who divorced. Both had children by earlier…
Naming a child is usually viewed as every new parent’s prerogative. However, in a unique decision, the Court of Appeal has intervened to prevent a troubled mother naming her twin son and daughter ‘Preacher’ and ‘Cyanide’. The mother insisted that…