News

Athena Brands has won a contract dispute with Superdrug Stores over the supply of various cosmetic products. Athena claimed that it had entered into a binding agreement with Superdrug in an exchange of emails with one of its employees. In the course of the email exchange, Athena had asked the employee to confirm that he was placing orders and committing to the specified yearly minimum quantity. He had emailed back…

Following on from the latest Coronavirus update from the Prime Minister, we are issuing the following advice and guidance. We very much remain open for business and committed to providing you with the best possible service. We take the health and wellbeing of our team, our clients and our visitors seriously and consider it our number one priority.  Heeding the current Government advice on reducing social contact we are instigating…

A HIGHLY-RESPECTED consultant and former director at a leading firm of solicitors is retiring after 35 years serving her community. Diana Armstrong, who joined Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors at its Haltwhistle office in 1985, retires at the end of the month. Clients and colleagues are due to mark Diana’s milestone with an afternoon tea party and an early evening social in Haltwhistle on Monday. Diana, who lives near Chollerford with her…

Amid all the uncertainty caused by the coronavirus outbreak business owners may feel their fate isn’t in their own hands – but in fact there’s lots that they can do to help them take control. “These are uncertain times. No-one knows exactly how this is going to play out. But there are certain things you can do to protect your business,” said David Tew, a dispute resolution specialist with Cartmell…

The Government is to step up its naming and shaming of employers who fail to pay their workers the National Minimum or Living Wage. Meanwhile, it will increase support for employers to help them comply with low pay legislation. It says the changes, which follow a review of the process, will see naming rounds occur more often to enhance the effectiveness of the deterrent. Ministers have also increased the threshold…

HOW many of us tell our bosses exactly where we want our career to go – BEFORE we start looking for another job? One legal expert, tipped as a regional “rising star” in her field, shared her own experience ahead of International Women’s Day (March 8) to help other women with their personal development. Katherine Pretswell-Walker, associate solicitor with Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors, spoke about her own career journey with a…

A minority shareholder who claimed he was being unfairly targeted has won his fight against having to sell his shares for only a nominal price. The shareholder had invested in a holding company set up by himself and three others who had worked together as employees for another business. Their relationship later broke down. The group of three attempted to buy out the minority shareholder but the parties could not…

A property company has lost its appeal against a tribunal ruling that it had failed to correctly calculate the level of service charges payable by leaseholders. The case involved a mixed commercial and residential development owned by Avon Ground Rents Ltd. The leaseholders were contractually obliged to contribute through a service charge to the cost of any repair and maintenance works for which Avon was liable. Remedial works were needed…

The Employment Tribunal has ruled that a managing director was unfairly dismissed after his colleagues accepted a resignation letter he wrote ‘in the heat of the moment’. The case involved Robert Rae, who was managing director of Wellhead Electrical Supplies. Rae and other directors of the company had spent months discussing salary increases for their employees – with Rae more in favour of the idea than his colleagues. During one…

Amazon has been granted an injunction ordering a former employee to comply with the terms of his employment contract regarding the non-disclosure and non-use of confidential documents. The employee, Mr Tejan-Kella, had been an area manager for Amazon. He got into a dispute with the company and issued a claim in the Employment Tribunal. He was then dismissed on the basis that he had no right to work in the…