Business Law

An agreement that an agent was to receive £1.2 million if a property was sold for £6.5 million did not entitle him to a reduced fee if the property sold for a lower figure. Laura Murphy, Paralegal in our Dispute Resolution team reports on this recent case. That was the decision of the Supreme Court in a case involving Barton v Gwyn-Jones. At the first court hearing, the judge found…

PLANS to give workers more rights to request flexible working could impact on the way businesses operate, a leading employment lawyer has warned. Joanne Stronach, Head of Employment Law and HR at Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors, said employers needed to be prepared for the new legislation which will give workers the right to request flexible working from the first day of their employment. Currently, new employees have to wait 26 weeks…

The Employment Appeal Tribunal has overturned a decision that a woman was discriminated against because of her marital status. Jennifer Cafferky Solicitor in our employment team, reports on this recent case. The case involved Mr Graham Ellis and Ms K Bacon, who had both worked for Advanced Fire Solutions Ltd (AFS). Bacon joined AFS Ltd as a bookkeeper in 2005. She later married Mr J Bacon, who was the company’s managing…

A factory worker has won his claim of sex discrimination after his dispute with a female co-worker was not handled in an equal manner by HR. Joanne Stronach Director and Head of Employment & HR reports on this recent case. Michal Swaciak worked as a team leader production line operative for Rowse Honey from September 2012. In May 2020, a member of his team, Agata Kulaga, was in line for a…

A judge has settled the tricky question of who pays for repairs when one leaseholder’s floor is another leaseholder’s roof. Natalie Tatton Solicitor in our dispute team reports on this recent case. The case involved two maisonettes contained in a house belonging to two freeholders, who leased them in 1980. The ground-floor maisonette had been extended to provide an additional room beyond the kitchen. The roof of the extension served as a balcony…

An employability advisor was unfairly dismissed on the grounds of disability discrimination after requesting a suitable work chair. Jennifer Cafferky Solicitor in our employment team, reports on this recent case. That was the verdict of the Employment Tribunal in a case involving Justin Griffiths and Dimensions Training Solutions (DTS). Mr Griffiths’ role was to advise the company on correct practices when making adjustments for employees with disabilities. Griffiths had several ailments…

An admin assistant has been awarded £15,000 compensation after being dismissed when she became pregnant. Jennifer Cafferky Solicitor in our employment team, reports on this recent case. The case involved Charlotte Leitch who worked for CIS Services Limited, which handles customer information in the rail industry. She joined the company on 21 May 2021 and on 23 June, she told her supervisor that she was unable to work due to…

The Employment Tribunal has ruled that a factory supervisor who handed over her keys and said she was “done” did not resign and was unfairly dismissed.  Joanne Stronach Director and Head of Employment & HR reports on this recent case. Natalie Cope worked as a factory supervisor for Razzle Dazzle Costumes (RDC). She had a good working relationship with the business owners Lorna Parker – now deceased – and her husband…

Corporate insolvencies soared last year as businesses struggled to cope with increasing financial turmoil, most of it outside of their control. Carly Davies, our Debt Control Manager provides an update. Figures from the Insolvency Service show there were a total of 1,964 corporate insolvencies in December. That was 31.9% higher than December 2021 and 75.5% higher than the same month in 2019, before the Covid pandemic. The figures reflect the pressures companies…

There is light at the end of the long economic tunnel for Cumbrian businesses, says Sam Lyon, who leads the Corporate and Commercial team at Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors. Sam says businesses can still remain confident about the future despite the impact of coronavirus, Brexit and wider supply disruptions continuing to take their toll. His comments come following an economic outlook webinar, sponsored by the UK200Group, of which Cartmell Shepherd is…