Read our latest articles, news briefs and legal updates across all our different services.
A father has been awarded £28,000 because he received a lower rate of pay than his wife during their shared parental leave (SPL). David Snell and his wife were both employed by Network Rail. The company’s family friendly policy provided an enhanced level of pay for mothers during maternity leave but fathers were limited to
The High Court has ruled that a company acted unfairly when it removed a director without offering to buy his shares. The case involved a director who entered into a partnership agreement with other shareholders in 2000 to acquire and run care homes. The business was incorporated in 2004. In 2012, the shareholders removed him
A landlord was entitled to require bank references and to impose other conditions before allowing a tenant to assign three underleases on residential apartments. That was the decision of the High Court in a case involving two commercial property companies. At the first hearing, the tenant had sought a declaration that the landlord had acted
The number of applications for lasting powers of attorney (LPA) has doubled in the last two years, according to research carried out by the Times newspaper. It says half a million LPAs were set up last year by people seeking to protect their interests in case they develop illnesses like dementia at some point in
A father who lashed out at his children in a restaurant has been told he can only have indirect contact with them for at least the next two years. The case involved a couple who had three children together during their marriage. Following the breakdown of the relationship, the father wanted to remove the children
The government is providing a new fund to help small businesses grow and develop. The Enterprise Capital Fund is backed by the British Business Bank and has a total investment capacity of £40m. Active Private Equity, which specialises in helping consumer-focused businesses grow their brands and build the infrastructure needed to scale up successfully, will
An aviation company has won a breach of contract dispute with a bank over a multi-million pound deal to buy an aircraft. The court heard that the company had sought equity investment to finance the purchase and so entered into negotiations with senior bank staff. A commitment letter and a management agreement were drafted and
The government has announced measures to strengthen the Prompt Payment Code and reduce the financial pressure on businesses. The measures are outlined in a letter to signatories of the code from Small Business Minister Margot James, and Philip King, Chief Executive of the Chartered Institute of Credit Management. These are some of the key points:
The director of a laundry business has been disqualified for six years for allowing his company to employ illegal workers. Mr Montaz Ali Azad ran Eurolinen UK Ltd, which traded as an industrial laundry in Greater Manchester. He was disqualified following an investigation by the Insolvency Service. Investigators found that he failed to ensure that
A business tenant has failed to exercise a break clause correctly because it left some partitioning behind when it vacated its commercial premises. The premises were on a 10-year lease with the option of exercising a break clause after five years on condition that proper notice was served and vacant possession was given on or