The new pre-pack regulations are designed to regulate connected person pre-pack sales with the aim of balancing the rights of creditors affected by business failure with the need to promote viable business rescue options to businesses, especially in the current economic climate.

The cost of intellectual property protection is notoriously high, particularly if you are seeking worldwide protection. It is a common misconception, however, that protection only arises when a registration of a particular intellectual property right is successfully achieved.

Human capital, intellectual property and a secure customer base often drive the value of an acquisition. To secure that value, the buyer of a business may want to retain key employees and prevent the seller from competing with the business for a specified period. The acquisition agreement therefore often includes certain restraints. Buyers and sellers may later disagree on the interpretation and enforceability of these terms. Various immediate dispute resolution steps must be taken to protect the value of the acquired business. Our commercial litigation team regularly acts for clients involved in this type of dispute.

In the landmark case of Harpur Trust v Brazel, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled on 20 July 2022 that permanent employees (and workers) who only work for part of the year (such as teachers on term-time only contracts) are entitled to 5.6 weeks’ paid holiday regardless of how many hours they have worked. In essence, these individuals will now be treated in the same way as full-time workers for the purposes of calculating holiday pay.

Off-payroll working rules (commonly known as the IR35 rules) were introduced to address a form of perceived tax avoidance

Privilege can entitle a party involved in court proceedings to withhold a document from their opponent or to deny access to regulators and enforcement agencies.

Wright Hassall successfully acted for one of four Defendants (Ms Susan Cawley) in an application for injunctive relief (brought by Tenon FM Limited) that was described as “completely disproportionate” by a Judge in the High Court.

David Slade, partner in the Commercial Real Estate team discusses commercial property investment sales and purchases.

This article provides a comprehensive guide on how to remove a director from a company, outlining the procedures and considerations involved.

As with any property purchase, the overriding principle is caveat emptor, or buyer beware.