Education & Training

Problem I have recently started a new business with two former colleagues and we have been advised to draw up a shareholders’ agreement. Why do we need one and what…

On 29 July 2013, a number of changes to employment law came into effect. These include the introduction of fees in employment tribunals, a cap on compensation for unfair dismissal…

Major changes to legislation protecting workplace whistleblowers have significant implications for employers. Harrison Drury's Employment law team, discusses the main issues for businesses need to be aware of. Whistleblowing is…

With summer in full swing and the school holidays right around the corner, many employees will be planning to use some of their annual leave. As employers, this can result…

Many businesses can find themselves in a situation where cash flow becomes an issue, so it is vital that companies correctly manage their credit and capital. This includes having the…

Many smaller businesses find it beneficial to operate under a simple unincorporated structure, such as a partnership, or as a sole trader. However, whether due to growth or for tax…

The brave new world of litigation funding ushered in by the Jackson Reforms on 1 April 2013, has created great uncertainty over the funding of commercial disputes. As a result,…

The government’s controversial employee-shareholder status looks to be a step closer after the House of Lords voted through proposals on April 24 2013. The legislation was twice rejected by the…

They say prevention is better than the cure and it seems that rarely is this clichéd statement truer than in the area of employment law. It’s hard for me to…

On 13 February 2013, the government finally issued the detailed regulations to bring into force the reforms to the Civil Justice System brought about by the Jackson Report. While the…

It is increasingly common for directors who are also shareholders of companies to lend money to those companies. Usually this is to facilitate cash flow for the company where, perhaps,…

The much publicised Jackson Review into civil litigation costs is due to be implemented in April 2013, bringing with it significant changes to the current costs regime. While focused primarily…

On October 1 2012 the auto-enrolment process for pensions started and now all UK employers will have to automatically enrol any eligible workers into a pension scheme. The enrolment scheme…

This is one of the first questions to consider when looking at how to structure a business acquisition. Essentially, a share sale is where the purchaser acquires the company itself…

George Osbourne, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced on October 8 that the government intends on introducing a completely new type of employment contract called owner-employee contracts. This new contract…

Research suggests many acquisitions fail to add the value expected by the purchaser – sometimes because inadequate steps have been taken to identify a suitable acquisition target. Your first move…

Employers should beware of government plans to introduce ‘protected conversations’ to encourage settlement agreements (also known as compromise agreements). The initiative is part of the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill,…

An exclusivity agreement is a contract between two businesses to deal exclusively with each other in a specific area. Typically the agreement restricts only one of the parties, such as…