Corporate & Commercial

If you lend money to a friend, business contact, or relative, you could potentially be facing a criminal conviction, a hefty fine, and the prospect of being unable to recover any of your money if you are found to be carrying out a “Regulated Activity” in breach of the Financial Services and Marketing Act 2000 […]

Following a protracted legal battle between a Yorkshire-based car customising business and internationally renowned Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), it appears that financial power doesn’t necessarily equate to legal horsepower; with the Court of Appeal recently finding in favour of Twisted Automotive’s use of the initials ‘LR’ in the name of their showroom ‘LR Motors’. Some […]

Technology is moving forward fast with developments aiming to simplify and digitise everyday tasks and the use of electronic signatures is already prevalent in daily life, from signing for your food shop on a digital device, to clicking the ‘I accept’ button online. However, when it comes to signing important legal documents, there is little […]

A recent High Court case has again highlighted how important it can be for shareholders to have the right agreements in place to govern the relationship between themselves and the company, and set out processes to be followed in prescribed circumstances. Brothers Angus, Allan and Alistair McCallum-Toppin founded AMT Coffee Limited (AMT) in 1993 from […]

The Marriott Hotel chain announced on Friday 30 November 2018 that information contained in its Starwood brands guest reservation database was compromised. Unauthorised access occurred in connection with reservations at Starwood properties on or before 10 September 2018, potentially dating back to 2014. Marriott received an alert from a security tool on 8 September 2018 […]

If we think about companies as ships, then company directors are a ship’s captains.  They are tasked by shareholders of the company with plotting their precious vessel’s course to success while navigating choppy commercial waters, and perhaps dealing with an unruly crew. To do this, like any captain, a director needs to be imbued with […]

The 2018 Budget has been received positively by business groups. Carolyn Fairburn, CBI Director-General said it was “a rock solid Budget, bringing more treats than tricks for business whilst the Federation of Small Businesses hailed it as “the most small-business-friendly budget that this Chancellor has delivered.” So what could the Budget mean for your business? […]

Labour peer and long-standing human rights campaigner Lord Hain blasted through five Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) when he named retail tycoon Sir Philip Green as the latest leading businessman at the centre of allegations of workplace abuse, including sexual and racial harassment, on 26 October. Lord Hain’s actions are all the more dramatic as just two […]

Successful businesses are often built from the ground up, and companies often incorporate multiple subsidiaries or acquire other complimentary businesses to form part of their group, each carrying out their own duties alongside the core concept that started it all. Frequently, successful businesses expand into different areas and carry out completely different sets of activities.  […]

It’s fair to say that the bigger the brand, the more valuable it is; so it is no surprise that businesses will try their best to protect their brand even when, in hindsight, it may not have been the most commercially sound decision. A perfect example of this is the recently reported case involving rap […]