Posted by Andrew Bartlett Oct 19th, 2011, in Licensing
The recent court case involving a Portsmouth landlady’s bid to be able to show live Premier League football via foreign satellite channels, has once again thrown the spotlight on the rules for broadcasting televised events in licensed premises.
When Karen Murphy decided that her satellite TV subscription for showing Premier League games was too expensive, she used a cheaper Greek decoder in her pub to show the games, a practice which is prohibited in the television deals agreed with UK broadcasters Sky Sports and ESPN.
Despite being fined, she appealed to the European Court of Justice which ruled that national laws prohibiting the import, sale or use of foreign decoder cards are contrary to the freedom to provide services under European Law.
However, before you pick up the phone to cancel your Sky Sports subscription, it’s worth noting what else the ECJ said in relation to the ruling. (more…)
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Posted by Communications Director Sep 28th, 2011, in HD news, Property
Harrison Drury has advised former England rugby captain Bill Beaumont on his company’s lease of new commercial premises in Chorley and the sale of its historic former home.
Bill Beaumont Textiles Ltd has moved out of Park Mills in Deighton Road to a modern warehousing and distribution unit on Chorley North Business Park.
The company has secured Units 3 and 4 at Chorley North giving it over 3,200 Sq M (34,700 sq ft) of space.
The family business goes back five generations to 1888 when Joseph Blackledge set up a small weaving shed in Chorley to supply niche products to local cotton markets. (more…)
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Posted by Communications Director Sep 26th, 2011, in Business Protection, HD news
Harrison Drury has launched a dedicated service aimed at removing business owners’ fears of being charged on the clock when speaking to their lawyer.
HD Anytime allows clients to gain access to a full range of commercial law services for a fixed monthly price.
John Chesworth, managing partner of Harrison Drury, believes the tough economic conditions call for a move away from the traditional charging structures in the legal sector.
He said: “We have spent 12 months speaking to clients and professional partners about provision of legal services and, at a time when the need for clear advice at an early stage has never been greater, value for money is the biggest issue for businesses. (more…)
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Posted by David Filmer Sep 12th, 2011, in Mergers and Acquisitions
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 drafting takes place.
While, save in certain circumstances, heads of terms are non-binding, they may prove useful in bringing matters to a swift conclusion. Some of the main benefits of using heads of terms are considered below.
Giving a useful summary for all parties
Following negotiations between the principles involved in a deal, heads of terms may prove useful in summarising the key points of the deal to other members of the company. These can also be passed to your third party advisors, such as your solicitors and accountants, to assist in instructing them. (more…)
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Posted by Roger Spence Sep 6th, 2011, in Employment Law
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 claims to their insurers for damage to stock and premises, with some losing their businesses entirely.
This brought employee rights into the spotlight, in particular the issue of employee pay and redundancy when a business is unable to trade normally, either because of damage caused by the rioting, or early closure on police advice. (more…)
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Posted by Andrew Bartlett Sep 1st, 2011, in Licensing
There’s been a lot of concern recently with regard to ‘late licences’ and a number of premises have had their Premises Licences reviewed as a result of complaints, usually noise emanating from the premises and, in particular, outside the premises.
A major ethos behind the Licensing Act 2003 was partnership – the Premises Licence holder, police, environmental health, the licensing authority and the public working together for the common good.
This is excellent in theory, but difficult to put into practice because of conflicting interests – the licence holder wants his customers to be happy and come back, but the local residents, and licensing authorities seeking to protect the residents, want peace and quiet.
The solution to this from a licence holder’s point of view is being willing to compromise and being reasonable, but more importantly being seen to be reasonable. (more…)
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Posted by Communications Director Aug 16th, 2011, in HD news
Harrison Drury has retained the services of well-known Lancashire accountant Bob Rawkins to spearhead the firm’s business development activity.
Bob, who has over 40 years’ experience in the professional services sector, will operate as a consultant to help strengthen the firm’s relationships with professional intermediaries and assist with the launch of new products and services.
Bob started his accountancy career with some of the biggest names in business, including international accountancy practice Touche Ross, now Deloitte, and car manufacturer British Leyland.
The chartered accountant was senior partner of accountancy firm, Bowmans, for 25 years which was sold to RSM Tenon in 2007, a firm he continued to work for until February 2011. (more…)
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Posted by Communications Director Aug 9th, 2011, in HD news, Property
A former meat-packing factory on a Lancashire industrial estate has been given a new lease of life after being converted into new business units.
The 10,000 sq ft property at Walton Summit Business Park, near Preston, was built in the early 1990s and was used as a boning hall by meat wholesaler Kepak until it moved from the premises in 2006.
The building, which enjoys excellent motorway links, has been purchased from Kepak by Mark Thistlethwaite and Richard Sharples who have split it into four fully-refurbished units offering workshop and storage facilities along with associated office space.
The property team at Harrison Drury provided legal advice on the purchase of the building and the leasing of the new units. (more…)
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Posted by David Filmer Aug 5th, 2011, in Mergers and Acquisitions
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 consideration to be paid on completion of the deal, but it is now more usual to see a percentage paid up front, with further amounts being paid at a later stage.
The benefits of such arrangements are clear from a buyer’s perspective – it spreads the cost, which assists with cash flow, and may allow you to make a purchase which you otherwise would have passed on. However, for a seller, what incentive is there to agree to let a buyer delay payment? While not ideal, in a depressed economy this may be the only way that you can agree a deal. (more…)
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Posted by Communications Director Aug 3rd, 2011, in Divorce and Family Law, HD news
Harrison Drury has appointed Shena Baron to head up its family law team.
The legal executive, who has almost 20 years’ experience in family law, joins Harrison Drury from Napthens solicitors and was previously at Roscoes.
In her new role Shena will act on all aspects of family law, including divorce and separation, children issues and financial disputes.
Shena said: “We continue to see big changes in family law, with the push towards greater use of mediation in divorce cases, moves to better protect children during separation, and improved rights for cohabiting couples. Expert legal advice is essential in ensuring better outcomes for those involved and I’m looking forward to helping the firm protect its clients.” (more…)
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