In a striking example of even the most ‘watertight’ contract drafting failing to oust the jurisdiction of Employment Tribunals, a scaffolder has successfully argued that, far from being a mere subcontractor, he was a 'worker’ within the meaning of the…
In a case which raised novel issues on the interrelationship between insolvency and transfer of undertakings rules, a haulage company (company A) is facing a rash of Employment Tribunal (ET) proceedings after taking over the workforce of another company (company…
In an extreme case of office politics, a bitter falling out between a husband and wife team and the former manager of their legal practice culminated in an enormously costly four-day High Court hearing in which allegations of covert harassment…
In a decision which is likely to be compulsory reading for corporate and employment lawyers, the Court of Appeal has tackled the twin thorny issues of boardroom pay and the responsibilities of remuneration committees populated by non-executive directors. Newcastle International…
When a company proposed new contracts for two of its senior directors, the non-executive directors (NEDs) on the board were sent drafts of the new contracts for review. The company’s solicitors were then instructed to finalise the contracts. The NEDs…
When a GP referred a female patient to the local hospital for an urgent investigation, it should have led to her prompt diagnosis and treatment for ovarian cancer. However, the referral letter was lost and, furthermore, the GP had failed…
When a woman’s ex-husband was made bankrupt, the mortgage lender on their home sought repossession of the property. The property had been purchased in her ex-husband’s sole name in 1978. When the couple divorced in 2004, she continued to live…
A firm of accountants which failed to point out tax saving opportunities to a client when he sold his company was found to be negligent by the High Court recently. The accountants had failed to bring to the attention of…
Following changes made by the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013, as of 29 July 2013 compromise agreements have been renamed ‘settlement agreements’ and new provisions (Section 111A) have been inserted into the Employment Rights Act 1996 (ERA) making settlement…
The UK Intellectual Property Office has refused an application by Chanel to register the word ‘Jersey’ as a trade mark on the ground that, as a geographical term, it would not be appropriate to deny its availability to other businesses…