Changes to Insolvency Practice for 2017
The new year is bringing with it a new set of rules for Insolvency Practitioners. Jonathan Finn, a Solicitor within our Company and Commercial department, provides a timely reminder of the upcoming changes. What is the background? The new Insolvency Rules, which come into force on 6 April of this year, replace the Insolvency Rules…
Execution of Documents: Electronic Signatures
It is common practice for solicitors to send documents to their clients by e-mail in order for their clients to be able to print off, sign and return the document in order for it to be executed and formally authorised by their client. With day to day business activities and market practices becoming increasingly adaptive…
NHS Contract Reform: Is the die cast?
The Department of Health has recently published what it calls its “prototype approach” i.e. a more advanced stage of testing of a new possible NHS Dental Contract. As an overview the prototype is supposed to be a blend of capitation, quality and activity payments. Path to Date According to the Department of Health the principles…
Automatic pension enrolment: key facts
This business development briefing just provides an overview of the law in this area. You should talk to us for a complete understanding of how it may affect your particular circumstances. This business development briefing explains the obligations that the automatic pension enrolment requirements place on a business. What is auto-enrolment? From a date after…
Forming a Company? Choice of Company Name
If you are thinking of forming a limited company or incorporating your business some new Regulations may help when it comes to choosing your company name. Under existing Regulations the use of certain “sensitive” words requires the approval of the Secretary of State and other bodies. Such approval is required if a word in a…
Entrepreneurs’ relief: business development briefing
This business development briefing just provides an overview of the law in this area. You should talk to a lawyer for a complete understanding of how it may affect your particular circumstances. This business development briefing highlights the key features of entrepreneurs’ relief. What is entrepreneurs’ relief? Entrepreneurs’ relief is a relief from capital gains…
Naming Rights to Sports Stadiums: the key legal issues
Match Day ticket sales increasingly constitute a smaller part of a sports club’s income. Attracting commercial income is now a key priority. As such clubs are looking to sell naming rights to the very ground they use as a key income generation tool. Set out below is a note explaining what is likely to be…
Non-competition clauses – do they work?
Traditionally the Courts have been reluctant to enforce these types of clauses giving more preferential treatment to non-solicitation and non-dealing clauses. However the case of Merlin Financial Consultants Ltd V Cooper seems to show the Courts changing their stance particularly in circumstances where the covenants are contained in a business sale agreement and/or there is…
Company’s confusion over the term ‘director’ proves costly
This can lead to confusion because genuine directors have specific duties in law which do not necessarily apply to employees acting in a managerial role. It is possible for managers to be seen as de facto directors – that is, they effectively become directors with all the associated duties because they exercise certain levels of…
Firm makes employee spend 12 months on garden leave
The issue arose when the employee said he was resigning after working for the company as an investment adviser for 14 years. During that time, he had built up a list of valuable contacts. The company feared that he would take those contacts to one of its competitors and invoked a clause in his contract…