NEWS & KNOWLEDGE
Covid-19 Update: Introducing a Voluntary Code of Practice for Commercial Property
COVID-19 has forced the government to act rapidly, bringing in swingeing changes in a number of sectors. Many anticipated a new code of practice would be forthcoming for the commercial property sector, with the expectation that it would be mandatory. What arrived on...
Covid-19 Update: Employer FAQs
The government has issued advice to employer on how to manage COVID-19 and the support that is available. While this is subject to change at little notice, these FAQs are based on the latest information published and cover some of the areas which haven’t been as...
Covid-19 Update: Debt Recovery Is Still Possible Despite Moratorium
The COVID-19 crisis has led to financial concerns for many businesses so it wasn’t a surprise when the Insolvency and Corporate Governance Bill was read in Parliament on 20 May 2020. Known as the ICG Bill, it placed a moratorium on winding-up petitions to prevent a...
How Should You Deal With A Trade Mark Copycat?
Brand loyalty and awareness are very important for all types of business, however, the more consumers recognise a brand, the more likely that brand is to experience infringement by competitors. Trade mark copycats are, therefore, relatively commonplace. Designing a...
What Is Trade Mark Passing Off?
If you are using a trade mark for your business or organisation which has not been registered you still have some rights under common law. While it is always best to register your trade mark, unregistered rights receive protection under the tort of passing off. This...
Remedies For Trade Mark Infringement
If a third party has been using your registered trade mark without your authorisation, you can obtain remedies for the infringement of your mark. A trade mark’s owner is eligible to recover damages that relate to the acts of trade mark infringement in question. These...
Calculating Losses And Damages For Trade Mark Infringement
A trade mark’s owner may recover damages that relate to any acts of infringement. The amounts that can be received in such cases will depend on how the damages and losses are calculated. Taking professional advice is therefore important in order for the claimant to...
Lease Extensions and Rent Variation: the Impact on VAT and Stamp Duty
Have you made changes to the rent or lease on a commercial property rental contract? Check our guidance to HMRC rules about VAT and stamp duty liability. Lease extensions and rent variations are nothing new, but the recent pandemic has brought them under the...
NHS Dental Contracts: Can They Be Sold?
Are you a dental practice considering the sale of an NHS contract? We provide a guide on how to sell your NHS dental contract and the various options available. If you’re in dental practice and have an NHS contract, it is possible to sell and transfer the rights, but...
Insolvency law for businesses and individuals – How we can help
We have considerable experience in advising on all aspects of insolvency litigation, including acting for insolvency practitioners, companies, individuals and directors. Insolvency is when businesses or individuals are unable to repay their debts. It can be a...
Buying a Care Home: Factors to Consider
Are you thinking of buying a care home? The care home industry is highly regulated so check out our guide to read about the essential factors you should consider. In the next 25 years, the number of people aged over 85 is expected to increase twofold, placing even...
Covid 19: Coronavirus and its impact on corporate finance arrangements
The coronavirus pandemic has already impacting the hospitality, leisure and tourism industries – and it doesn’t look like it’ll be over any time soon. The unpredictable nature of the virus has essentially caused the travel...
Covid 19: Furlough Leave and TUPE
When a business changes owner, its members of staff will find that they are protected under the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) regulations, otherwise known as TUPE. It applies to all UK businesses, regardless of their size, number of employees or...
Covid 19: Working From Home During Coronavirus: How To Handle Data Security
With the coronavirus forcing us to take on new ways of living including social distancing, queueing outside for the weekly grocery shop and having to transform our dining room tables into a home office, we are finding more and more challenges arising in everyday...
Covid 19: Pharmacy Change of Ownership Applications Suspended
It was revealed on 8th April 2020 that in an effort to focus NHS England regional team efforts where they are needed most, Primary Care Support England would be temporarily suspending all new market entry, market exit and consolidation applications, backdated to 25th...
Covid 19: FAQs for Directors, Shareholders and M&A
The COVID-19 pandemic has created challenges that businesses and individuals have never had to consider until now. With each unpredictable day unfolding, new announcements, regulations and rules are brought in – and it is affecting every single one of us, especially...
Covid 19: How To Hold Board And Shareholder Meetings During The Coronavirus Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused havoc amongst business owners and individuals – and unfortunately it doesn’t look like it’ll be fully over any time soon. As each day unfolds, we hear new announcements and changes to legislation, and it is a particularly confusing...
Covid 19: Furlough Advice For Employers
Until a few weeks ago, nobody had even heard of the word ‘furlough’ – but now, it’s something we’re seeing in the news and all over the internet every single day. The coronavirus pandemic doesn’t look like it’s going to slow down...
Covid – 19: What to do if your contractor or supplier becomes insolvent because of coronavirus
It’s an uncertain time for most at the moment thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, especially those running a business. For some businesses, particularly SMEs, times are even tougher. Struggling businesses are facing financial dire...
Covid – 19: How to sign documents during the coronavirus lockdown
With the vast majority of the population in lockdown, we are facing unprecedented and uncertain times. However, the world continues to turn and with that we’re having to figure out new and different ways of working. There are documents – contracts, deeds, legal...
Covid – 19: Will court hearings still go-ahead during coronavirus lockdown?
With the entire nation having to adapt to the major disruption that the global COVID-19 pandemic has brought along, it feels like life has been temporarily put on hold. Almost everybody is having to work from home if they can, and children are being home-schooled. The...
Covid-19 – Is it an excuse for non-performance of a commercial contract?
Covid-19 is starting to have a significant impact worldwide, affecting supply chains and daily commercial operations. While the short-term implications have seen many businesses close their doors entirely or switch to remote working where possible, the long-term...
Covid-19: Are you an employee? Do you know your rights?
There is no denying that we are living in uncertain times at the moment and the best thing you can do right now is educate yourself on your position and the different options that are available to you as an employee. Working from home The advice from the government is...
Covid-19: What employers should be aware of
If there is one thing that everyone is speaking about at the moment, it is the coronavirus - and rightly so; we are living through something that we have never experienced before in living memory. If you are an employer, you may be concerned about the future of your...
Coronavirus (Covid-19) – Update for employers and employees on Job Retention Scheme
After much speculation, the Government has now released more detailed guidance on the Job Retention Scheme which can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-for-wage-costs-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme This update provide is a guide and aims to...
Covid-19 and Commercial Property
With the effects of COVID-19 causing entire businesses to close and workforces to uproot and work from home away from the office, it has created an issue for companies leasing properties for which they are paying rent but deriving no income. In such circumstances,...
Covid-19 and Contract Law
The shutdown brought about by the COVID-19 virus has resulted in a shift in circumstances for which most have never prepared. A huge number of events have been cancelled, many at the last minute. Many work projects have been postponed or cancelled, leaving either the...
COVID-19 and Employment Law
One of the biggest issues around the Coronavirus outbreak has been the need to "self-isolate" and dramatically reduce opportunities for COVID-19 to spread. This move to self-isolation has resulted in an estimated 20% of the UK workforce working from home. This...
Where do you go for advice? Everyone’s the expert!
The UK Government has provided further details of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to help employers avoid redundancies during the Co-Vid pandemic. We have summarised the key features below. Scope of the Scheme The Scheme is open to all UK employers, who operated...
Breach of contract – Enforcing a breach and available remedies
A contract is a promise or an agreement between two or more parties that is legally binding. A contract does not have to be a written document. A contract can be a verbal contract, whereby two individuals agreed to a specific thing or it can be ‘implied’....
Defences for trade mark Infringement (UK)
We now live in what some may say is the ‘digital era’. The protection of trademarks has become increasingly necessary for businesses. You will often be advised that your trademark should be protected. However, are you advised on what may be considered an...
What if someone has “stolen” your business name (UK)?
We often get calls from business owners who have recently learned that their business name is being used by another company or person. They want to know what can be done to stop the use of their business name, and what it will cost to get the work done. If you have a...
The Tenant Fees Act 2019, Landlords the key changes you need to know
Following the introduction of The Tenant Fees Act 2019 (TFA 2019) in June this year, this has vastly changed the fees that a landlord is permitted to charge its tenants. The TFA 2019 applies to assured shorthold tenancies, student accommodation tenancies and licences...
Did someone say ‘Disclosure’?
The importance of the Disclosure Letter from the seller’s point of view. We answer your frequently asked questions in this article.
NHS Dental Contract Reforms
Who, what and when?
How to sell Commercial Property at an Auction
Following on from our previous article on buying commercial property at an auction, we now explore selling commercial property at auction.
“Going once, going twice, sold!”
A step-by-step guide on buying commercial property at auction
What did Britain say to its trade partners?
GDPR and no-deal Brexit, what does it mean for your business?
“I can’t get to work. The snowman won’t build itself!”
Winter is here & so is the snow.
Airports, motorways and sidewalks are slippery, icy or closed.
So, do I have to go to work?
Netflix forced to look in the Mirror: Stressing the importance of good IP research
Netflix in hot water over suspected trade mark infringement in latest “Black Mirror” instalment.
How You Can Franchise Your Business
There are several ways to grow your business. If you have a strongly reputable brand and business system that can be replicated, franchising your business may be an option for expansion.
Check our top 3 considerations when thinking about franchising your business
Convertible Loan Note (CLN)
What are they?
Will they benefit me?
What are their drawbacks?
We answer your questions on CLN.
Buying a Nursery: Ofsted and Assignment of a commercial Lease
Like any commercial matter, the buying of a business and property can often be daunting task trying to understand and undertake. While your immediate attention will be on the numbers and in particular profitability of the business, there are two common problems that affect and severely delay first-time buyers of a children’s nursery. Ofsted and transfer of the premises.
Buying or Selling a Pharmacy and the importance of Asbestos Management, EPC and Fire Risk Assessment
If you are looking to sell your pharmacy, please note that any purchaser will insist on evidence of compliance of the above before the sale completes and vice versa, if you are looking to buy a pharmacy, please ensure that you obtain evidence of compliance before you complete the purchase.
The Million Dollar Question- How to Choose the Right Solicitor to Represent You!
Finding a solicitor to deal with your legal problem means finding the right solicitor that you can rely on to successfully resolve your problem. So how do you do this? We have listed the below tips to help you deal with this: Seek personal recommendations from friends...
A Summary of how to Remove a Director
Removing a director from a company is much more complicated than removing an employee and is usually a sticky subject and if not done correctly, could invalidate the entire process. Below is a summary on the process. A director’s appointment may be terminated:...
Why your Company should have a Shareholders’ Agreement?
When entering into a legal relationship, whether that is buying a house or having a kitchen installed, you want to know exactly what you are getting and that it is worth the money you are spending. When you are investing your time and money into building a business...
Have You Decided to Sell Your Pharmacy? Follow These 4 Steps
Whatever the reason behind your decision to sell your pharmacy, it’s important to give yourself enough time to prepare your pharmacy for sale, as prospective buyers will be looking for a number of factors when conducting their due diligence.
9 Things to Look Out For When Buying a Pharmacy
When buying a business, there are many important legal considerations to take into account and lots of pitfalls to look out for—even more so when buying a pharmacy. This is because the pharmacy industry is highly regulated, and pharmacy owners are legally bound to protect the wellbeing of patients and the public in the way they run their business.
Deal Advice: You’ve signed the Heads of Terms. What could go wrong?
It’s not uncommon for sellers to think that a sale is as good as complete once the heads of terms are signed. However, signing heads of terms (also known as letters of intent or memoranda of understanding) is only the first step in starting negotiations for a sale and purchase agreement (SPA).
