Latest News

May 13, 2013

Owner Not the Same as Member, Rules Court

Who can challenge a company’s decision that has been improperly made? This question was the subject of a court hearing recently, when the owners of the ‘ultimate economic interest’ in shares in a company sought to overturn a decision the … Continue reading


Forged Planning Certificates Mean Prison

A man who sold a house after forging certificates for planning permission for works he had carried out but for which planning permission had not been obtained was recently sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment. The man had applied on three … Continue reading

May 10, 2013

Court Backs Lord of Manor Over Land But Not Title

A recent High Court case provided a lesson in medieval land law for those involved, and featured a reputed Lord of the Manor in dispute with his villagers. In 2000, Peter Burton, a retired banker, and his partner Susan Bamford … Continue reading


Fair Comment Still Comes at a Cost

When a businessman voiced his opinion on planning matters by joining a planning action group which opposed the construction of two biomass power plants, he did not expect his past business record to become the subject of debate. However, a … Continue reading


ECHR Rules on Religious Discrimination Claims

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has handed down its rulings in four domestic cases in which Christian employees claimed to have suffered discrimination at work on account of their religious beliefs (Eweida and Others v United Kingdom). The … Continue reading

May 8, 2013

Architects Fined for Asbestos Failure

The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 [1] came into force on 6 April 2012. These made some adjustments to the existing Regulations, in order to take account of the European Commission’s view that the UK had not fully implemented the … Continue reading


Government Amends ‘Whistleblowing’ Legislation

Under Section 47B of the Employment Rights Act 1996, a worker has the right not to be subjected to unwanted treatment amounting to a detriment by their employer because the worker has made a protected disclosure under the Public Interest … Continue reading


Woman Scarred in Boat Accident Wins £55,000

A woman who injured her face when she crashed into a stanchion on a boat during a river trip has been awarded £55,000 in damages. In April 2008, Sinead McGlinchey, 23, was attending a surprise barbeque party, with four other … Continue reading


Property Sale on Forged Document Was Void

A businessman who had an £850,000 London property sold from under him by a forger whilst he languished in prison in the Middle East has been handed the property back by a judge. The High Court ruled that the purported … Continue reading

May 3, 2013

Unreasonable redundancy selection procedures

An EAT decision provides a reminder to all employers that any departure from the conventional approach to selection criteria during a redundancy exercise must be treated with caution. The EAT found that an employer had acted unreasonably when it used … Continue reading