The Grenfell Tower Inquiry has, today, published its final phase of the report to examine the circumstances leading up to and surrounding the fire at Grenfell Tower on the night of 14 June 2017.  The report highlights significant deficiencies in the current building safety regulations and is likely to have a major impact on the construction industry, manufacturers and property owners.

On Tuesday 24 September 2024, Commercial, Technology and Data Protection Partner Sharon Zachariah will discuss some contracting hazards she always addresses when drafting for you; and Dispute Resolution Partner Jeremy Lederman will provide some examples of how those hazards can come back to bite, giving examples from his career.

The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 (“the Act”) introduces several significant changes affecting enfranchisement, making it easier and more cost-effective for residential leaseholders to extend their leases or purchase the freehold of their properties. The key impacts on enfranchisement are set out in this article.  

In our first article looking at issues arising out of the case of Mitt Wearables (“Mitt”), we discussed the issues that arise from inconsistent agreements.  In this article we look at how to remove a director. 

Judgment was handed down by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (“the Board”) in Sian Participation Corp (in liquidation) v Halimeda International Ltd on 19 June 2024.

On 27 June 2024, the UK gave effect to its intention by ratifying Hague 2019. It will come into force for the UK on 01 July 2025.  The UK’s ratification was accompanied by a declaration that, initially at least, Hague 2019’s application will be limited to England and Wales only, i.e., it will not apply in Scotland and Northern Ireland. 

In July 2023, judgment was given in the case of Re Mitt Wearables, an unfair prejudice petition brought under section 994 of the Companies Act 2006. Laytons ETL acted for Koalaa Ltd (the innovative designer and manufacturer of soft sleeve prosthetics), one of the successful respondents to the petition.

Unfair prejudice petitions under s.994 Companies Act 2006 are a key way for minority shareholders to pursue claims when their interests have been adversely affected by the conduct of the majority.  However, until very recently, there was considerable doubt as to whether claims brought in this way by minority shareholders could be time-barred under the provisions of the Limitation Act 1980, and, if so, how.  The received wisdom was that they probably couldn’t be.

For almost 10 years there has been debate whether parties to litigation could be compelled to engage in mediation or other non-court dispute resolution process. 

We’re thrilled to welcome our newest Partner Jeremy Lederman to the team!

‌Jeremy joins our Disputes team with a huge wealth of litigation experience, and an international reputation for helping clients in critical situations.

Judgment was handed down on 19 July 2023 in Re Mitt Wearables Ltd, in which Laytons acted for the 5th respondent Koalaa Ltd, the disruptive designer of soft sleeve prostheses. Koalaa is now set to revolutionise the market for prostheses and make comfortable, adaptable and affordable prostheses for all kinds of limb differences accessible to all. 

The government has now published the first draft of the Renters (Reform) Bill 2023. The Bill outlines several proposals which are hoped to establish a fairer private rented sector for both landlords and tenants across the UK.

Following only modest engagement with its consultation of the UK legal sector, the UK Government announced that it will sign the United Nations’ Convention on International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation (the Singapore Convention).

Over the weekend, the Bank of England, the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the Chancellor entered crisis talks to save Silicon Valley Bank UK Limited (“SVBUK”) from an insolvency process planned for Sunday evening, 12 March 2023.

Here is a selection of some matters (capped at 30) to be considered at various phases in the lifecycle of a contract and any consequent dispute.

In the current economic climate, the old cliché “cash is king” could not be more relevant. Receivables are only as good as receipts.

A new challenge to English consumer protection law is in the making for international online auction platforms selling decentralized and anonymized assets such as NFTs and other crypto assets to English consumers.

The UK’s Supreme Court has dismissed a claim calling for the law to be changed to force company directors to start taking creditors into account at the first risk of insolvency. The ruling reaffirms the current position in law in stating that creditors' interests duty arises when the directors know or ought to know the company is insolvent or bordering on insolvency, or insolvency is probable.

We’re delighted to be expanding our Disputes team here at Laytons ETL. In the last couple of weeks, we’ve had a number of promotions and new starters.

We are delighted to announce that with effect from 1 August 2022, Ben Thorogood has been appointed Partner.

Rebekah Vardy is facing paying a significant contribution to Colleen Rooney’s substantial costs. This will require more than a few drama spin-offs, documentaries, and reality TV appearances.

If long litigation experience tells you one thing, it’s that “winning” and “losing” are relative concepts.