No fault evictions to be banned in ‘New Deal’ for renters
July 15th 2022No-fault evictions are to be banned as part of government plans to “end the injustice of unfit homes and help protect renters from the rising cost of living”.
Recruitment specialist ordered to comply with restrictive covenant
July 7th 2022An IT recruitment specialist has been ordered to deliver up confidential business information belonging to her former employers in line with the post-termination restrictive covenants in her contract. Selina Gonzalez Solicitor in our dispute resolution team reports on this recent case. The case involved IT recruiter Ms Chadli. She had worked at the London office of Technology Sourcing Ltd since October 2020. Chadli led a team that sought out specialist IT…
Ban on employment exclusivity clauses to be widened to help low paid
June 21st 2022The government is to widen the ban on employment exclusivity clauses, which restrict staff from working for multiple employers. Joanne Stronach Director and Head of Employment and HR provides an update. In 2015, exclusivity clauses were banned for workers on zero hours contracts, where employers are not obliged to provide any minimum working hours and the worker is not obliged to accept any work offered. The change provided more workers with…
Managing Economic Uncertainty
June 20th 2022“As we continue to emerge from the pandemic, the local, national and global economies are facing a challenging future with rising inflation and interest rates. Global stock markets are in decline after having done well since the pandemic first began. Closer to home, households are facing significant price rises in pretty much everything from fuel to tomatoes. This has inevitably started to impact businesses, many of which have little, if…
British Gas dismissed and discriminated against mother of triplets
June 1st 2022The Employment Tribunal has ruled that British Gas discriminated against and unfairly dismissed a mother of triplets after a performance review was “stacked against” her following her return from maternity leave. Joanne Stronach Head of Employment and HR reports on this recent case. The case involved Gemma Long, who started work as an intellectual property solicitor for British Gas Trading in 2012. Long went on maternity leave on 29 May 2016…
Insurance company wins £80m contract dispute with IBM
May 23rd 2022IBM has been ordered to pay an insurance company £80m following a contract dispute. Stephanie Johnson Senior Associate Solicitor in our dispute resolution team reports on this recent case. It had agreed to provide Soteria Insurance Ltd with an IT system over a 10-year period. After a series of delays, Soteria refused to pay a “milestone” invoice presented by IBM. Relying on the non-payment, IBM terminated the contract, and the IT system…
Family Business Awards crowns regional champions in front of capacity crowd
May 17th 2022Family businesses from across the North West celebrated in spectacular style at The North West Family Business Awards on Friday night at the Rum Warehouse in Liverpool’s iconic Titanic Hotel. The city’s historic Stanley Docks was the setting for the sell out 2022 Awards, organised by The Family Business Community. The North West Family Business Awards celebrate family businesses of all sizes and sectors covering Cheshire, Cumbria, Lancashire, Greater Manchester…
Restrictive covenant placed on MD ‘reasonable and enforceable’
May 12th 2022A veterinary company has successfully used a restrictive covenant to prevent its former managing director contacting its clients with a view of taking them to his new business. Rebecca Armstrong Associate Solicitor in our dispute resolution team reports on this recent case. The case involved Eville and Jones (Group) Ltd and Aldiss. As managing director, Aldiss was responsible for the day-to-day running of the business and held a 5% share in the company.…
House of Commons employee victimised over hot desking policy
May 9th 2022A House of Commons employee who had a musculoskeletal condition was discriminated against as a result of her office’s hot desking policy. Jennifer Cafferky Solicitor in our employment team reports on this recent case. Ms A Baker had worked at the House of Commons since 1991. She needed to use specialist desk equipment such as an orthopaedic chair, specialist keyboard and mouse, number pad and reading/writing slope. However, due to the…
Franchisor granted injunction to prevent use of confidential data
May 5th 2022A letting boards management franchisor has been granted an injunction to prevent a former franchisee from using confidential data. Mark Aspin Head of Dispute Resolution reports on this recent case. However, it was unable to prevent the former franchisee from setting up a competing business in the area. The case involved Countrywide Signs Ltd, whose business was the erection, maintenance and management of sales and lettings boards used by estate agents. This involved…
