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…
Falcon Crane Hire Limited, a company that specialises in the hire and sale of tower cranes, has been sentenced for health and safety failings that led to the death of two men when a crane collapsed during work on a…
Divorce cases involving the very rich are over-represented in court reports for the simple reason that where the family is very wealthy, the costs of arguing over the division of the assets are deemed to be worth incurring, which may…
When a car hits a pedestrian, it is usual for the driver of the car to be held to be at fault, but this is not always the case. When a man sprinted across a dual carriageway and was struck…
A recent Court of Appeal case shows how important it is to carry out procedures properly in order for a person who clearly has impaired mental capacity to create a will that can withstand legal challenge. It involved a will…
Although the way in which benefits of employment are taxed is relevant to millions, it is an intensely complex field which only a specialist can be expected to understand. One Court of Appeal case which proved that point involved a…
Employers often go to great lengths to ensure that they retain complete control over workers’ entitlements to bonuses. However, one important case has underlined that such discretions must be exercised reasonably and fairly and that even the most tightly drawn…
Judges are required to be, and to appear to be, impartial. However, in one very rare case, an employment judge was found to have descended into the arena of dispute, making a series of unwarranted comments which put a lawyer…
Employers are reminded that a new statutory minimum rate of pay, the National Living Wage (NLW), applies to workers aged 25 and over from 1 April 2016. The NLW replaces the current National Minimum Wage (NMW) rate for these workers…
