A guide to intellectual property rights
They say that imitation is the highest form of flattery. But when it comes to intellectual property, a competitor copying your ideas can put your business’s whole operation and finances at…
Paul Gordon LLB
Partner
Settlement agreements – what employers need to know
When you need a clean break from an employee, a settlement agreement can be a neat solution, explains Jenny Hawrot, one of our employment law associate solicitors. When should I…
Jenny Hawrot LLB (Hons)
Partner
Trusts: A useful tool to protect your family & business
People will come across trusts without even realising it. Mr. Bennett in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is desperately trying to find “suitable” husbands for his daughters because the family…
Simon Cook LLB (Hons), TEP
Partner
Willans supports Dementia Action Week 2021
We are pleased to help promote Dementia Action Week (formerly Dementia Awareness Week), which runs from 17-23 May this year. This national campaign week is supported by the Alzheimer’s Society,…
Simon Cook LLB (Hons), TEP
Partner
Protecting your brand on an international scale
Despite the significant resources which a company will allocate to international brand protection, it is surprising how often trade mark protection programmes are launched without a clear strategy. An international…
Kym Fletcher LLB (Hons) Euro
Consultant, solicitor
Tougher regulation for charity trustees
The Charity Commission’s new legal powers were introduced in the Charities (Protection and Social Investment) Act 2016. They include the power to issue an ‘official warning’ to charities and/or trustees,…
Charlotte Cowdell BA (Hons), LLB
Senior associate, solicitor
Divorce - what happens to the family business?
Where a family business is involved, divorcing couples and the court have to consider other factors. Associate Jonathan Eager in our family law team explains more. Family businesses are often…
Jonathan Eager FCILEx
Partner, chartered legal executive
New rules for mobile phone masts – one year on
The Electronic Communications Code came into force on 28 December 2017, giving telecommunications operators statutory rights to install and operate electronic communications apparatus on, under or overland. It came about…
Alasdair Garbutt LLB (Hons)
Partner
Disclosure rules shake-up with new pilot scheme
Disclosure is a stage in the litigation process in which the parties have to submit documents which are relevant to the issues in the dispute, even if they are detrimental…
Paul Gordon LLB
Partner
Brexit Q&A: How can my business manage post-Brexit risks?
The key to navigating Brexit for any business is planning. Right now, despite the uncertainty around what Brexit may or may not look like, all businesses (whether they trade directly…
Chris Wills LLB (Hons)
Partner
Brexit Q&A: How might Brexit affect employment law in the UK?
If there is a ‘Deal-Brexit’, it is envisaged that there will be a transitional period from 29 March to 31 December 2020. What happens during that transitional period will very much…
Jenny Hawrot LLB (Hons)
Partner
Brexit Q&A: How will Brexit affect data protection for businesses?
After Brexit, a UK company may find itself subject to both the GDPR and the parallel Applied GDPR regime. Consequently, a data breach might well fall within the competence of…
Kym Fletcher LLB (Hons) Euro
Consultant, solicitor
Brexit Q&A: How will the new immigration rules implemented after Brexit affect my business?
Businesses who are reliant on skills of EU citizens and who expect to be employing EU citizens arriving in the UK post-Brexit will need to consider the implications of the…
Helen Howes LLM
Senior associate, solicitor
Brexit Q&A: How will the EU settlement scheme affect my business?
The government has confirmed that the EU settlement scheme will apply in the event of a deal or no deal, however in the event of a no deal the deadline…
Helen Howes LLM
Senior associate, solicitor
Sanctions and the sickie: What to do if you think your ‘ill’ employee is not actually unwell
As statistics have it, the first Monday in February is ‘National Sickie Day’ – the most likely day for employees to pretend to be unwell for a day off work.…
Jenny Hawrot LLB (Hons)
Partner
Is it ever too cold to work?
With temperatures across the UK having plummeted again and forecasters suggesting colder weather could be on its way, many workplaces have become far colder than usual this week. Inevitably, the…
Matthew Clayton MA LLM (Cantab), CIPP/E
Partner
Break options and vacant possession: a cautionary tale
A provision in a lease which enables the tenant, landlord or both to end the lease early is called a break option. If any conditions attached to a break option…
Emma Thompson LLB (Hons)
Senior associate, solicitor
Immigration rules post-Brexit
The government has just published details of proposed new immigration rules, which will be phased in from 2021. As anticipated, workers arriving from outside of the UK (including workers from…
Helen Howes LLM
Senior associate, solicitor
Government proposes workplace reform
The government has announced its intention to introduce a number of legislative changes designed to implement many of the recommendations made by the Taylor Review; the report into employment and…
Matthew Clayton MA LLM (Cantab), CIPP/E
Partner
Using your own name as a business brand
Karen Millen is a well-known fashion designer, who had founded the business Karen Millen Fashions Limited. She subsequently sold out, and in doing so, agreed to restrictions for use of…
Paul Gordon LLB
Partner
Winter illnesses: a headache for employers
As winter closes in, there is a set of new problems facing employers. No longer are businesses plagued by employees asking ‘is it too hot to work?’, but rather, they…
Jenny Hawrot LLB (Hons)
Partner
Smart contracts: how ‘smart’ are they really?
The term ‘smart contract’ was created in 1996 by computer scientist and lawyer Nick Szabo during his research into digital currency. In a nutshell, they are contracts in which terms…
Chris Wills LLB (Hons)
Partner
The EU settlement scheme: steps employers can take now
Despite there continuing to be a lot of uncertainty surrounding the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union, the Home Office has reportedly indicated (albeit verbally) that in the event of…
Helen Howes LLM
Senior associate, solicitor
Recruitment roulette? Don’t take the risk
It may come as a surprise to some, but a person who has not even applied for a job can theoretically bring a discrimination claim in respect of the employer’s…
Matthew Clayton MA LLM (Cantab), CIPP/E
Partner
Is it OK to check a job candidate’s social media profile?
It is understandable that businesses want to check whether or not candidates pose a threat to their organisation, or to try to identify exaggerated claims of experience, skills or qualifications.…
Matthew Clayton MA LLM (Cantab), CIPP/E
Partner
Report warns of impending ‘incapacity crisis’
A recent report published by Solicitors for the Elderly (SFE) and the Centre for Future Studies (CFS) has warned that the nation is facing an ‘incapacity crisis’, with millions leaving…
Simon Cook LLB (Hons), TEP
Partner
Employment law and family businesses
Nearly half of the private sector workforce works for a family business of some sort, making these businesses a vital cog in our economy. But family businesses sometimes suffer from…
Willans
Solicitors
Top tips for improving wellbeing in the workplace
Stress, anxiety and depression are the cause of over 49% of all work related illness. Statistics from the ONS show that, in 2022/2023, 1.8 million workers suffered from work related…
Jenny Hawrot LLB (Hons)
Partner
Joint ventures: Fail to plan, plan to fail
The term ‘joint venture’ does not have a specific meaning in English law. It is commonly used to describe a commercial arrangement between two or more entities, that falls within…
Chris Wills LLB (Hons)
Partner
When there really are no perfect answers, try mediation
When problems arise in a business or close relationship, reaching a compromise whilst preserving goodwill is no simple task. But resolutions are possible without court action. Far from being the…
Nick Cox LLB (Hons)
Consultant, solicitor
The crucial role of due diligence
Buying a business or company can be a legal minefield and no element of the process is more important than due diligence. This is effectively a legal audit of the…
Chris Wills LLB (Hons)
Partner
“It’s too hot to work” - or is it?
If this is the cry you are hearing from your staff during the current heatwave, you may be interested to know that although health and safety laws say that working…
Matthew Clayton MA LLM (Cantab), CIPP/E
Partner
Shareholder disputes in family businesses
Shareholders of a business can fall out for a number of reasons, ranging from general disagreements over the governance of the business through to breaches of fiduciary duty. If the…
Nick Southwell BA (Hons)
Partner
Dealing with domain name disputes
Domain names are used to identify one or more IP addresses. For example, willans.co.uk is the domain name that is used for our website and related webpages. If you are…
Paul Gordon LLB
Partner
Japanese knotweed found to cause ‘loss of amenity’ for homeowners in landmark ruling
The Court of Appeal recently ruled on a claim brought by two South Wales’ homeowners against Network Rail because the company had allowed Japanese knotweed to invade their properties. The…
Nick Cox LLB (Hons)
Consultant, solicitor
Owning property in joint names – what you should know
When buying property with someone to whom you’re not married or in a civil partnership with, it’s sensible to consider how the proceeds of the property sale should be divided…
Jonathan Eager FCILEx
Partner, chartered legal executive
