Rights of light in cities: injunctions and damages | CMS Cameron McKenna

Legal Briefing

As space commands a higher and higher price in our cities, new buildings are being put up ever closer together and reaching ever taller. London, with its record land prices, already has the UK’s largest concentration of commercial skyscrapers. After a slowdown in development during the economic recession, Savills Project Consultancy’s ‘Commercial Development Activity’ (March …

Court of Appeal supports FSA’s request for documents | Norton Rose Fulbright

Legal Briefing

The trend for co-operation between international financial regulators has become a feature of the regulatory environment over recent years. On 24 February 2010, in a boost for the Financial Services Authority (FSA) in its approach to dealing with requests for assistance from overseas regulators, the Court of Appeal allowed an appeal and found in favour …

Canadian international trade and investment priorities: Budget 2010 and the Throne Speech | Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP

Legal Briefing

On 4 March 2010, the federal government announced its budget for 2010 (Budget 2010). Several of the measures proposed by the government relate to international trade and investment. Included in the budget are commitments to: eliminate a large number of custom tariffs on manufactured goods; continue the negotiation of international trade and investment agreements; enhance …

Supreme Court warns: agree first, start work later | Edwards Wildman Palmer UK LLP

Legal Briefing

There is a situation more common than most people would think, particularly in the construction industry whereby parties commence work under a letter of intent, pending the negotiation and execution of a full written contract, setting out all the detailed terms and conditions governing contract performance. This often occurs where projects are time and cost …

EFRBS: attractive alternative for high earners? | Jones Day

Legal Briefing

6 April 2006 saw the introduction of the Employer Financed Retirement Benefit Scheme (EFRBS), replacing the now defunct Funded Unapproved Retirement Benefit Scheme. An EFRBS is an unregistered (ie not registered with HM Revenue & Customs) pension scheme commonly used to provide retirement benefits to high-net-worth individuals (defined as those earning over £150,000 per annum …

Who’s watching you? Rise of corporate monitoring | DLA Piper

Legal Briefing

The new zealous and robust approach adopted by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) to combat corporate fraud and corruption offences has been increasingly described as the Americanisation of the organisation. The US Department of Justice (DoJ) and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) (equivalent to the SFO and Financial Services Authority (FSA) here) have made anti-corruption …

Changes to the PBS | Magrath Sheldrick LLP

Legal Briefing

On 18 March 2010 the UK Border Agency (UKBA) announced changes to Tier 1 (General), Tier 2 (General) and Tier 2 (Intra-Company Transfer) of the points-based system (PBS). These changes came into effect on 6 April 2010. These changes will give employers food for thought, particularly when transferring employees from overseas branches to the UK. …

Withholding tax on cross-border transactions: a judicial conundrum | Amarchand Mangaldas

Legal Briefing

Internationally, most countries require that those who pay interest, dividends and royalties to foreign recipients must withhold the income tax at the time of payment and must deposit the same amount with the treasury. Similarly, under s195 of the Income Tax Act 1961 (the 1961 Act) the Indian domestic tax laws cast a vicarious obligation …