The UK is in the midst of implementing a series of immigration measures made law by the Immigration Act 2014 (the Act). The latest of these is the immigration health surcharge (IHS) for persons coming to the UK for longer than six months, which came into effect on 6 April 2015, together with confirmation of …
For some years, a pre-packaged administration sale (pre-pack) was the preferred option for distressed High-Street chains when the directors were considering restructuring options. However, recently, there has been an upswing in the number of companies with large property portfolios opting to utilise Company Voluntary Arrangements (CVAs) rather than undergoing a more formal insolvency procedure, such …
Continue reading “Developments in Company Voluntary Arrangements”
The UK’s corporate legal profession has doubled in size in the past 15 years and one in four solicitors now works in-house. Lawyers, therefore, have more influence over corporate decision making and corporate lawyers represent a greater proportion of the profession than ever before. How can general counsel keep the legal function at the heart …
Continue reading “Positioning the legal function at the heart of the business”
The pace of the change in the commercial property market in Scotland has been rapid of late. Within five months of each other, a new land registration system and a new property tax have been introduced. Coupled with developments in case law and the pursuit of the green agenda, property lawyers have been kept on …
In our March article, we looked at the decision in Raymond Bieber & ors v Teathers Ltd [2014], where an e-mail in response to an offer simply saying ‘noted’ was interpreted as indicating acceptance of the offer. The legal principles relating to offer and acceptance have again been put under the spotlight in the Commercial …
The government has recently announced the winners of the first auction for its non-fossil fuel Contracts for Difference (CfDs). These CfDs will ultimately replace the main existing subsidy support for renewable energy, the Renewables Obligation (RO), and are a key part of the government’s Electricity Market Reform (EMR) package. The award follows many years of …
Continue reading “All change in green energy: results of the first Contracts for Difference auction”
The United Kingdom has become one of the best places to live and work on the planet. This leads to a major source of population growth in the UK, but also plays a significant role in the recovery of the economy. The economic, social and political aspects of immigration have caused controversy for many years …
Continue reading “Reducing net migration…the impossible dream”
Budgeting is a critical concern for in-house lawyers, in terms of litigation and day-to-day legal work. While the Jackson reforms have forced parties to litigation to consider the costs element of dispute resolution, the fact that legal spend routinely represents a significant balance sheet item has led corporate legal departments to focus sharply on validating …
‘Housing crisis’ is a frequent headline. That may be hyperbole, but the need for housing is an important issue for business: many work in the housing market; all have employees with housing needs.
The involvement of Third-Party funders (Funders) has – in recent times – become reasonably common in large commercial litigation in England and arbitration claims, both bilateral investment treaty and commercial, in the main arbitration centres of London and Paris. Typically, it remains the case that the involvement of Funders is limited to the extent that …
Continue reading “The (other) benefits of third-party funding for in-house counsel”