The horse meat scandal has raised crucial questions about the security of our food supply chains and has major implications for business.
Category: Legal
Contracts, Human Resources HR, Employment and legal advice for owners and managers of SME small and medium sized business owners.
Legal Aid cuts to affect societies most vulnerable
With the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act (LASPO) becoming law in May 2012, a series of cuts have been made my government to legal aid being available for those who cannot afford to pay for their own. This will result in £350m being cut per year from the £2.2bn budget.
Employer obligations and road sense
Driver eyesight is a vital part of health and safety at work but the responsibilities and consequences are often not fully recognised or understood by employers.
What the Human Rights decision on Religious Discrimination Cases means for UK business
The European Court of Human Rights handed down their judgment recently upholding the appeal in case Eweida v. United Kingdom in relation to her claim for religious discrimination and we look at the ruling and what the implications might be for UK business.
Snow joke for employers: A guide to your legal position in adverse weather
The latest episode of snowy weather will leave many employers facing problems around pay and absence caused by the adverse weather. Solicitor Hugh Hitchcock, Managing Partner of DJM Solicitors, says that now is the perfect time to review your ‘bad weather’ and business continuity policies to make sure your business can cope the next time a crisis occurs.
Don’t let Christmas creep up on you
Modern-day Christmas festivities aren’t always the joyous occasion intended: financial pressures are magnified and a somewhat artificial situation is created. Just like during summer holidays, family members who usually pass like ships in the night are thrown together for longer periods of time.
‘E-cigarettes’ Spark Workplace Smoking Row
The rise in popularity of ‘electronic cigarettes’ has fuelled workplace smoking rows according to HR and health & safety experts.
Brand protection: IP matters
You cannot escape intellectual property law in the news at the moment. Recently Cadbury’s won the right to use Pantone 2685C exclusively on chocolate bars and drinks ending an eight-year legal battle against rivals Nestle.
Pay attention to paperwork to avoid court costs
Making sure a business’ standard terms are incorporated within signed agreements, are up to date and clearly printed on all key trading documents – plus good record keeping – could help businesses avoid expensive court cases, according to Kent legal specialists Vertex Law.
Can you ring-fence your business in your divorce settlement?
The Law Commission recently unveiled plans for a radical overhaul of how divorce settlements could be worked out in the future in England and Wales.
Is a loan classed as an asset?
The number of applications for freezing orders appears to be on the rise, perhaps due to an increase in insolvencies or simply more fraudsters operating in UK business today. Whatever the reason, the result is that it’s a pretty busy time for litigators.
Employment Tribunals explained
DAS is a leading legal expenses insurer and supports thousands of businesses each year in their fight against unfair dismissal claims. Here they explore what actions smaller businesses need to take to ensure that dismissal, redundancy or any changes to an employees’ terms and conditions do not result in a huge legal bill
Who owns the rainbow?: Colour trade marks in context
As Cadbury trade marks the purple colouring associated with their brand and Christian Laboutin wins protection over the iconic red soles of their shoes, Ian Wood and Mary Bagnall of Charles Russell, look at the ability to protect your companies colour.
Top Ten Guide to Trade Marks
Mark Kingsley-Williams, Director of Trade Mark Direct gives us his top ten tips to sorting out your trademarks.
Tribunals: Claimants set to face fees
Robert Gibson, Managing Partner of Samuel Phillips Law Firm and a specialist in employment law, warns that the introduction of fees for claimants in employment tribunals will do nothing to ‘weed out’ the vexatious claims which waste the time of both employers and the courts.
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