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On 6 April 2014 a major part of the Government’s programme of employment dispute reform will come into force with the introduction of ACAS Early Conciliation. The new scheme will require an employee who believes that they have a claim against their employer to notify ACAS of the dispute before they can issue a claim
A woman has failed to get an improved divorce settlement even though her husband had misled the court about the extent of his wealth. The case involved a couple who separated after 17 years of marriage. The assets were divided with the wife getting around 65% in cash and properties, giving her a total of
A court has ordered that two boys should live with their father because their mother was too permissive and acted “more like a friend than a parent”. The couple divorced in 2002 and the boys went to live with their mother. The father was entitled to contact at weekends, but was regularly denied this by
After many years building up a business, directors often worry about how to bow out successfully while ensuring that the firm continues to thrive. The key to ensuring a smooth succession is to start planning as early as possible ahead of your target retirement date. The first step is to hold meetings with those who
A landlord company has won its appeal to be paid money owed by a commercial tenant which had gone into administration before completing the surrender of its lease. The case involved a retail group that leased several properties. It got into financial difficulty and began proceedings to surrender the leases. Money was held in escrow
The government is looking at ways to ensure that large businesses pay their suppliers on time. The Prompt Payment Code (PPC) was set up in 2008 to encourage companies to pay invoices within the agreed timescale. However, the PPC has been widely criticised for being ineffective. Recent research by YouGov revealed that 85% of small
An engineering firm has lost its appeal against having to pay damages to an airline company. The case involved a breach of contract by the engineers. They had an agreement with the airline that they would service aircrafts at a specified hourly rate. However, the airline was not obliged to use the service. Over time,
Running a business is never easy and the economic downturn of the last few years has only added to the difficulties. The pressures of making vital decisions in such trying times can often put a strain on the relationship of company directors and business owners. The danger is that businesses can begin to struggle when
The term director is often applied to people running a company even though they aren’t officially listed as directors. This can lead to confusion because genuine directors have specific duties in law which do not necessarily apply to employees acting in a managerial role. It is possible for managers to be seen as de facto
Setting up a simple trust relating to his mother‘s home has saved a man and his wife several thousand pounds in capital gains tax. The case involved a woman who sold her house in 1996 to her son and his wife on condition that she was allowed to continue living there for the rest of