The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has failed in a High Court bid to have its £500m Canary Wharf lease cancelled due to Brexit. The court ruling will be welcomed by landlords who feared that other tenants would try to use…read more
HMRC wins £40m case against tax avoidance scheme. Published June 2019
HMRC is set to collect over £40 million in unpaid tax from users of a complex tax avoidance arrangement. The First Tier Tribunal has ruled that the promoters, Hyrax Resources, failed to inform HMRC about the scheme. It has ordered…read more
New regulator to oversee UK auditors after corporate failures. Published May 2019
The government is set to introduce a new UK audit regulator with greater powers in response to a string of high-profile audit scandals. The Audit, Reporting and Governance Authority will replace the Financial Reporting Council (FRC), which is to be…read more
Alternative dispute resolution more popular than litigation says report. Published July 2019
Negotiation is the most popular way of resolving commercial disputes on both sides of the Atlantic, but arbitration and mediation are also often being used in preference to litigation says a new report. The UK headquartered Centre for Effective Dispute…read more
Fixed costs can apply to higher value cases, Appeal Court rules. Published June 2019
Fixed costs for ‘fast track’ court cases involving claims up to £25,000 apply even when the settlement exceeds £25,000 the Court of Appeal has ruled. The bar for ‘exceptional circumstances’ where higher costs can be awarded has been set at…read more
SRA attacked for freelance solicitors insurance proposal. Published June 2019
Freelance solicitors may be able to provide legal advice without professional indemnity insurance (PII), under new rules proposed by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). The plan has been strongly attacked by the Legal Services Consumer Panel (LSCP) which say it…read more
Solicitor fined for failing to store client files safely. Published May 2019
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) had to step in to secure thousands of client files after a solicitor shut his practice. The practitioner told the regulator that he could not afford the safe collection, storage or disposal of files archived…read more
