Leisure, Tourism & Retail

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…

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,…

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…

Harrison Drury has helped a security firm challenge the compensation culture with a successful defence against a personal injury claim. In the case we represented an established and reputable company…

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…

TV in licensed premises is a tricky issue. The recent court case involving a Portsmouth landlady’s bid to be able to show live Premier League football via foreign satellite channels, has…

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…

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…

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…

Social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and blogs have become an excellent new tool for businesses to market their products and services. Many businesses now use social media to…

Working together with someone to bring something new to market is an exciting time for any business. However, in the rush it is easy to slip up and miss things…