A burning issue - vaping in the workplace
In the last few years, ‘vaping’, (or smoking e-cigarettes) has become a commonplace feature of our society. Whether you’re walking down the high street, sitting in traffic, or having a…
Jenny Hawrot LLB (Hons)
Partner
Holiday pay should include commission
The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has ruled that commission payments should be taken into consideration when calculating holiday pay. In the case of Lock v British Gas Trading Limited the…
Willans
Solicitors
Three top tips for charity trustees this spring
Charlotte Brunsdon in our charities & not-for-profit legal team outlines three tips for charity trustees to consider this spring. Updated finance guidance The Charity Commission has updated key finance guidance…
Charlotte Cowdell BA (Hons), LLB
Senior associate, solicitor
The routes through court for intellectual property rights
Intellectual Property (IP) is a creation of the mind, such as your brand name, product design, invention, or work of fiction. Rights such as copyright, patents, designs and trademarks, as…
Paul Gordon LLB
Partner
12 tips of Christmas
Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. It is the season of perpetual hope and goodwill to all men and women, when spirits are high, and calorie consumption…
Jenny Hawrot LLB (Hons)
Partner
An unwanted gift?
Everyone has heard of the perils of inheritance and probate disputes. A disgruntled family member, perhaps someone you have not had any contact with for several years, makes a claim…
Jennifer Cockett LLB (Hons)
Senior associate, solicitor
Beware of indemnities
In the recent case of Wood v Sureterm Direct Ltd & Capita Insurance Services Ltd, the Court of Appeal considered the importance of carefully drafted indemnities in a share purchase…
Willans
Solicitors
The national living wage is on the horizon
In the 2015 budget, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, outlined plans for the implementation of the national living wage from April 2016. At the time of writing, the…
Jenny Hawrot LLB (Hons)
Partner
Data subject access requests
Under the Data Protection Act 1998 individuals have the right to make a subject access request (SAR) to obtain personal information held about them by a data controller. When the…
Matthew Clayton MA LLM (Cantab), CIPP/E
Partner
Is your business ready for the Consumer Rights Act 2015?
The Consumer Rights Act 2015 came into force on 1 October 2015. There are some key changes such as enhanced consumer remedies which may mean businesses have to adjust their…
Willans
Solicitors
Should you be following in Google’s footsteps?
Google recently announced that it is to undertake a major re-organisation of its business with the creation of a new holding company, Alphabet Inc. This new company will manage its…
Willans
Solicitors
Scheme document published for Flood Re regulations
New draft regulations to establish Flood Re were laid before Parliament on 1 July 2015, along with a new edition of the scheme document. If approved, Flood Re will start…
Willans
Solicitors
Green Deal in trouble
The Green Deal was a scheme developed under the Energy Act 2011 to improve the energy efficiency of buildings in Great Britain. However, take up has not been as dramatic…
Willans
Solicitors
Recovering debt?
Effective debt collection procedures are an essential part of any business; not only does debt impact on cash flow but also one’s ability to trade. If you find yourself in…
Nick Southwell BA (Hons)
Partner
Lease drafting – a cautionary tale
The importance of ensuring that lease provisions are correctly drafted was recently highlighted by the Supreme Court decision in Arnold v Britton, discusses commercial property partner Nigel Whittaker. This case…
Nigel Whittaker BA (Hons)
Partner
New powers against illegal grazing
Those dealing with horses illegally abandoned on their land can now take swift action to remove them following the introduction in May of The Control of Horses Act 2015 (Act).…
Adam Hale BA (Hons), TEP, FALA
Partner
Agricultural occupancy conditions – your options
An agricultural occupancy condition is often imposed on new rural properties. They limit the use and occupation of the property to those employed in agriculture and were originally aimed at…
Adam Hale BA (Hons), TEP, FALA
Partner
Open air festivals
Landowners who organise festivals on their land, or have an agreement with a company to run one, may inadvertently find themselves liable to pay business rates. These events fall under…
Adam Hale BA (Hons), TEP, FALA
Partner
How well do you know your constitution?
A trustee of a charity is responsible for the activities the charity undertakes and can be held legally accountable for their decisions. It is crucial that a trustee understand his…
Willans
Solicitors
Family feud over farm fortune
A farmer has won a legal battle against his brothers for sole ownership of a farm, even though his father’s will stated that it should be shared equally between them.…
Paul Gordon LLB
Partner
New rights for working grandparents
This year saw the introduction of new legislation giving working parents the right to share out the leave which is granted to them following the birth, or adoption, of a…
Jenny Hawrot LLB (Hons)
Partner
Roll on auto-enrolment – are you prepared?
Auto-enrolment requires employers to automatically enrol staff into a qualifying workplace pension scheme in the coming years. Each business will have a staging date for auto-enrolment depending on their size…
Matthew Clayton MA LLM (Cantab), CIPP/E
Partner
Is it the end of large-scale wind farm subsidies?
The government announced, shortly after being elected, that it would stop subsidy payments for on-shore wind farms. The energy minister declared that subsidies under the renewables obligation scheme would go…
Adam Hale BA (Hons), TEP, FALA
Partner
New Countryside Stewardship scheme announced
It replaces Environmental Stewardship, the English Woodland grant scheme and capital grants from the Catchment Sensitive Farming programme. With the Entry Level Stewardship (ELS) and the Higher Level Stewardship (HLS)…
Adam Hale BA (Hons), TEP, FALA
Partner
An update on agricultural tenancy reform
Dispute resolution With effect from 27 May this year the Deregulation Act 2015 now provides for disputes within the Agricultural Holdings Act 1986 to be heard by third party experts…
Adam Hale BA (Hons), TEP, FALA
Partner
Land and farming partnership agreements
Business property relief (BPR) is valuable for inheritance tax (IHT) purposes as it has the ability to reduce the value of assets to nil. Therefore, BPR should be considered when…
Adam Hale BA (Hons), TEP, FALA
Partner
From Padstow to Cheltenham - we welcome a UK celebrity chef to our offices
We held a private event during the Cheltenham Literature Festival which included a rare visit from UK chef, writer and broadcaster, Rick Stein. We welcomed 20 clients and contacts to…
Willans
Solicitors
Are you ready for the Consumer Rights Act 2015?
As we mentioned in previous website articles, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 came into force on 1 October 2015. There are some key changes such as enhanced consumer remedies which may make…
Willans
Solicitors
Free will writing service to residents aged 55 and over
During National Air Ambulance Week we are, in partnership with Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, appealing to Gloucestershire residents to take advantage of the charity’s free will writing service, for those…
Simon Cook LLB (Hons), TEP
Partner
Disclosure and e-disclosure in litigation - the key issues
Commercial proceedings are won and lost on the quality of a party’s evidence, most specifically documents and correspondence that must be disclosed to the other side. In litigation, a failure…
Nick Southwell BA (Hons)
Partner
Business professionals learn how to safeguard their intellectual property
Partner, Paul Gordon and Randall & Payne’s corporate tax manager, James Geary spoke to 30 business owners and marketers about the legal and tax considerations of intellectual property, at an…
Willans
Solicitors
Pop-up shops: temporary salvation or long-term headache for landlords?
Pop-up shops continue to be popular in many high streets with landlords being unable to secure long-term tenants for commercial retail premises due to adverse market conditions. They can operate…
Nigel Whittaker BA (Hons)
Partner
Clarification of share buyback rules
The share buyback regulations introduced in 2013 relaxed certain Companies Act 2006 requirements that would otherwise apply when a company undertakes a buyback of its shares. One of the main…
Willans
Solicitors
Can HMRC take an axe to your woodland business?
There are signs that HMRC is taking a closer look at tax reliefs for commercial woodland. The concept of commerciality is under scrutiny and it is likely to challenge relief…
Adam Hale BA (Hons), TEP, FALA
Partner
The Deregulation Act 2015 – changes for residential landlords
The Deregulation Act 2015 was passed earlier this year and covers various issues which will be of interest to landlords, tenants and those appointed to deal with residential properties. One…
Nigel Whittaker BA (Hons)
Partner
Creating company marketing material? Don’t be Innocent
When a company commissions a third party such as a designer to create material, the third party owns the copyright in it, unless there are contractual provisions to the contrary.…
Willans
Solicitors
