Recycling & Waste Management

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,…

The Employment Act 2002 gave employees the right to request flexible working. Employers can turn down specific flexible working requests for legitimate business reasons set out in the legislation. However,…

A conviction for corporate manslaughter will devastate a business and individual managers – so steps to avoid prosecution are essential. Corporate manslaughter legislation affects all businesses operating in the UK.…

Reorganising your business’ ownership, operational structure, and legal constitution can result in many business benefits such as improved profitability, greater productivity, or better use of assets. Reasons for restructuring include…

What does due diligence mean to you? To some people it is the legal equivalent of kicking the tyres or looking under the bonnet of a used car. To some,…

Employers need to take note of a change to unfair dismissal laws, coming into effect from April 6 2012, which extends the qualifying service period for employees wanting to bring…

Last year I posted a blog that highlighted the importance of ensuring terms and conditions are properly drafted to minimise the risk of contract disputes arising over the interpretation of…

The ownership and right to use intellectual property is an increasingly important consideration as businesses seek to gain a competitive edge. Where a product is protected by intellectual property, this…

Seeing one of your former employees set up a business in direct competition to yours can be a frustrating experience and one that is damaging to your interests. If your…

A heads of terms document is used towards the start of a commercial transaction, and is used to set out the principle terms of agreement between the parties before substantive…

Last month’s English riots served as a reminder of the huge disruption and upheaval such unforeseen incidents can cause to businesses. The disturbances left many business owners having to make…

With funding for acquisitions still being hard to come by, buyers are increasingly looking for ways to spread the cost. Historically it was the norm for the full amount of…

A number of changes are coming into force on October 1 2011 when the Agency Workers Regulations 2010 is implemented. The regulations are intended to offer better treatment to agency…