A recent case concerning the misuse of database information illustrates the wisdom of preparing comprehensive evidence in support of one’s arguments. Databases can be valuable assets and are often assembled and maintained at great cost. In the case in…
Everyone makes mistakes: even the courts recognise this. Recently, a structural steel erection and roof cladding firm found itself in court when a tender it had submitted for work contained an error. The tender was in two parts, worth…
Bribery is coming under increasing attention following the passing of the Bribery Act 2010, under which bribery is a criminal act. Whilst implementation of the Act, which was passed under the previous administration, has been delayed so that the…
A developer who relied on the advice of a firm of quantity surveyors (QS) without fully formalising their terms of engagement in the form of a contract found recently that the court was unwilling to imply into the terms…
Repetitive strain injuries are often linked to fairly simple repetitive workplace tasks, such as packing on a production line or the regular use of hand tools, so it is easy for employers to fail to recognise the risk such…
A Council worker’s claim that gloves issued by his employer were inadequate to protect him from injury has been upheld by the Court of Appeal. Steven Threlfall was working for Hull City Council in May 2006 when he sustained…
A recent case shows the lengths to which insurers will sometimes go to avoid liability under the policies they issue. It concerned a processing plant, which supplied the claimant, a pet food manufacturer, with meat that was unfit for…
Recent research by the Consumer Credit Counselling Service (CCCS) has confirmed that there is a causal link between unemployment and debt problems. The research revealed that one in eight people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance owes more than £15,000. Faced with…
Figures from the Insolvency Service show that personal insolvencies rose again in the second quarter of 2010, with a 5 per cent increase compared with the same period the previous year. The same period saw a huge increase in those…
‘Without prejudice’ communications, made when negotiating legal disputes in order to aid agreement, are not normally admissible in court. The idea behind them is to allow the parties to explore possible areas of agreement and make suggestions and admissions…
