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Pro-choice? Pro-life? Pro-order and PSPOs
03 October 2019In this article we consider Public Spaces Protection Orders and a recent Court challenge to the making of such an order.
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New court rules: media claims on the move
01 October 2019From today, 1 October 2019, all High Court claims that include a claim for defamation, misuse of private information, data protection and/or harassment by publication must be issued in the Media and Communications List (“the List”) in the Queen’s Bench Division. A claim that involves the publication or threatened publication of information via the media, online, or the activities of the media may also be issued in the List.
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Protecting confidential information and IP with search and seizure orders – who inspects seized documents first?
26 September 2019One tool in the armoury of any business that suspects its confidential information has been stolen and/or its intellectual property infringed is the “search and seizure order” (“SSO”) – a court order authorising a claimant’s lawyers to enter an opponent’s premises to search for, copy, remove and detain documents relevant to the alleged wrongdoing. In a joint judgment handed down just before the summer recess, the High Court has clarified the circumstances in which a claimant who is granted an SSO will be allowed to inspect seized material before the defendant does.
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Law Commission confirms legality of electronic signatures
19 September 2019Following consultation, the Law Commission has published its report on the electronic execution of documents and confirmed that, “An electronic signature is capable in law of being used to execute a document (including a deed) provided that (i) the person signing intends to authenticate the document and (ii) any formalities relating to execution of that document are satisfied.”
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Employer ordered to disclose privileged material
19 September 2019In a recent decision, an employer was ordered to disclose comments received from its external solicitor in relation to the dismissal of an employee because it had deliberately disclosed other related privileged documents which were helpful to its case. It could not cherry pick which privileged documents to rely on.
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Misrepresentation: the truth, the half-truth and anything but the truth
19 September 2019When negotiating a deal, counterparties often exchange pre-contract statements and promises. Sometimes those statements and promises turn out to be wrong. Exaggerations, mistaken beliefs, misleading opinions as well as statements made recklessly might result in an aggrieved counterparty seeking redress.
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Mistakes in contracts – How to assess the parties’ intentions?
18 September 2019The legal remedy of rectification is an equitable remedy that, if granted by the court, may be used to amend a contract that says one thing, but which both parties had intended to say something else – i.e. a common mistake was made. The test to be adopted by the courts in assessing what the parties’ intentions were for the purposes of establishing a common mistake has been unclear and the source of much legal debate for several years. However, the Court of Appeal has now considered the issue and concluded that in certain situations that the correct test is a subjective one.
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Oliver Fairhurst comments for The Daily Mail and The Mirror: Meghan Markle's favourite make up artist wins legal battle against Aldi
Press
19 August 2019Oliver Fairhurst has commented in articles for The Daily Mail and The Mirror that discuss the news that Meghan Markle's favourite make-up artist Charlotte Tilbury has won a copyright battle after budget supermarket Aldi ripped off her cosmetic kit.
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Publicity remains the “soul of justice” as Supreme Court rules non-party should be allowed access to court documents
16 August 2019The Supreme Court has found that the courts have inherent jurisdiction under the constitutional principle of open justice to grant public access to documents placed before them or referred to during hearings – but “it is for the person seeking access to explain why he seeks it and how granting him access will advance the open justice principle”.
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Privilege disapplied: the “iniquity” exception
06 August 2019In an application brought by a hotel portfolio company (in liquidation) for a declaration that it was entitled to disclose a number of documents within its possession, the High Court has considered when the “iniquity” exception will apply to legal professional privilege. So what is the iniquity exception and what does a party need to establish in order to rely on it?
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Nottingham Forest FC loses High Court claims following club’s sale but plans appeal
06 August 2019The High Court has dismissed claims arising out of the sale of Nottingham Forest Football Club (“the club”) for breaches of indemnities in the share purchase agreement (“the SPA”) and for the alleged misrepresentation of the club’s liabilities.
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Protecting confidential information – what steps can a company take when information is disclosed to the wrong person?
05 August 2019The High Court has entered judgment in default in favour of the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in a claim brought to protect its confidential information and privileged material accidentally emailed by an employee to the wrong person. The Court had previously granted the ASA an interim injunction to prevent disclosure of the information by the recipient, pending a hearing of the claim. This case highlights steps employers can take to protect confidential information in these circumstances.
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Parent company’s limited liability. Not quite so limited?
11 July 2019It is a basic principle of company law that the liability of a shareholder of a limited company is limited to the amount unpaid on the shares it holds in that company. Right? That’s why it’s called a limited company? This is generally true. However, in some cases, a parent company can be considered to have assumed responsibility for the negligent acts of its subsidiary.
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Dispute Resolution Update - July 2019
10 July 2019Welcome to our July 2019 Dispute Resolution Update. We’ve included articles on a range of disputes, including summaries of recent cases and guides on key aspects of dispute resolution. With an increasingly globalised and fast changing environment, disputes are an inevitable part of business. Not only can we help resolve disputes once they arise but we also work with our clients to reduce the risk of litigation.
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Protection of guests: how far does a hotel’s duty extend?
09 July 2019For the first time, the High Court has stated that hotels owe a duty to their guests to take reasonable care to protect them from injury caused by the criminal acts of third parties. But how far does that duty go?
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Unreasonable non-compete clause could be rescued by severance
03 July 2019The Supreme Court (“SC”) has given a landmark judgment about the limits of post-termination restrictions (“PTRs”) in employment contracts. It ruled that although a six-month non-compete clause went too far by restricting an employee from holding a minority shareholding in a competing business, the employer could still enforce the key part of the clause.
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Contract interpretation: a helpful recap by the Court of Appeal
03 July 2019At the end of March 2019, the Court of Appeal handed down a decision which provided a helpful reminder of the modern approach to interpreting contracts.
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Michael Anderson comments for The Financial Times, The Law Society Gazette & Staffing Industry Analysts: ‘Victory for employers’ as Supreme Court rules in landmark competition case
Press
03 July 2019Michael Anderson has commented in an articles for The Financial Times, The Law Society Gazette and Staffing Industry Analysts. In all three articles he discusses the Supreme Court's decision to uphold a non-compete restriction today in the first employment competition case to have reached the court and its predecessor in over a century.
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Thirteen lawyers listed in Best Lawyers in the United Kingdom
Press Release
28 June 2019Lewis Silkin is pleased to announce that thirteen of our lawyers have been listed in the Eighth Edition of The Best Lawyers in the United Kingdom.
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Protests against LGBT teaching at Birmingham Primary School
20 June 2019The Public Sector Equality Duty provides that public authorities have a duty to eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation whilst advancing equality of opportunity and fostering good relations between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and people who don’t share it. Primary schools in advancing LGBT rights and fostering good relations have been met with protests and demonstrations which Birmingham City Council sought to restrain by injunction.