Business Law

A company’s internal messages can be covered by legal advice privilege, even if no lawyer is involved, the High Court has found in a decision addressing a long-running uncertainty in English law. Mark Aspin Director and Head of Dispute Resolution reports on this recent case. The ruling came in Aabar Holdings S.À.R.L. v Glencore plc & Ors, where the court was asked to decide whether privilege applies only to communications between lawyers and…

An employment tribunal has ruled that a Network Rail employee was unfairly dismissed after years of workplace bullying and racial harassment which managers failed to deal with properly. Jennifer Cafferky, Associate Solicitor in our Employment Team, reports on this recent case. The tribunal heard that Parm Singh Bassi had worked for the company for 24 years before his dismissal. The case centred on a long-running breakdown in workplace relationships at a…

The Renters’ Rights Act came into force across England on 1 May 2026, marking the most significant overhaul of private renting in decades. While the changes have already been widely publicised, the government has made clear that this legislation is only the first stage of a broader reform programme, with further measures expected over the coming years. Hayley Howells, Apprentice Paralegal in our Dispute Resolution team provides an update. The…

An employment tribunal has ruled that a Nestlé employee was unfairly dismissed after being accused of vaping in workplace toilets, despite accepting that the company had reasonable grounds to believe the misconduct had taken place. Jennifer Cafferky, Associate Solicitor in our employment team, reports on this recent case. The case involved a long-serving technical operator who was dismissed for gross misconduct after a factory fire alarm was triggered in October 2023.…

A Nuffield Health employee has been awarded £148,000 after an employment tribunal found she suffered detriment and was constructively dismissed following concerns she raised about Ministry of Defence fitness testing procedures. Jennifer Cafferky, Associate Solicitor in our employment team, reports on this recent case. The tribunal heard that the claimant, a personal trainer, raised concerns in June 2022 about the way a pre-joining fitness test had been conducted. She believed that…

Councils across England are to receive £41 million in new funding to help enforce the Renters’ Rights Act, which came into effect on 1 May. Rob Winder Senior Associate Chartered Legal Executive and Head of Property Litigation in our Dispute Resolution team provides an update. The funding is intended to support local authorities in carrying out new legal duties, including overseeing a ban on “no-fault” evictions and tackling rogue landlords. Ministers said the…

The government has announced a package of reforms aimed at tackling late payments to small businesses, including new enforcement powers, mandatory interest on overdue invoices and limits on how long larger companies can take to pay their suppliers. Carly Davies, our Debt Recovery Manager provides an update. The changes would give the Small Business Commissioner new authority to investigate payment practices, resolve disputes and impose financial penalties on companies that repeatedly pay…

A property manager has been awarded nearly £392,000 after succeeding in a long-running claim for unpaid holiday entitlement built up over decades of service. Jennifer Cafferky, Associate Solicitor in our employment team, reports on this recent case. The Employment Tribunal found that Mr Mohamed Ageli, who had worked for Sabtina Limited since 1987, had accrued a substantial amount of untaken leave which had been carried forward year after year under a…

The Supreme Court has clarified an important point of company law, ruling that shareholders are not subject to any statutory time limit when bringing unfair prejudice claims, even where the complaint relates to events that took place many years earlier. Mark Aspin Director and Head of Dispute Resolution provides an update. Unfair prejudice claims, brought under section 994 of the Companies Act 2006, allow shareholders to ask the court to intervene where…

A company has been awarded almost £4m after the Court of Appeal ruled that it did not lose its right to terminate a contract, even though it continued supplying services for several months after the event that triggered the termination right. Joseph Halvorsen, Solicitor Apprentice, reports on this recent case. The case concerned an electricity supply agreement and the principle of waiver by election – whether a party entitled to…