Author Archives: Alice Heathfield

‘Strexit’- dealing with workplace, stress, depression and anxiety

Posted on January 17, 2019 by Alice Heathfield

Ever had to deal with a toxic work environment? Being undermined? A lack of support? Working to tight deadlines under pressure? One can only assume this would resonate quite strongly with Theresa May at present. In a wider context however, …

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Drone related incidents – The costs for airlines

Posted on January 11, 2019 by Alice Heathfield

The impact on passengers following the Gatwick incident, where drone sightings caused the runway to be closed for over 24 hours, has been well documented. It has been estimated that somewhere in the region of 140,000 travellers had their plans …

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Proceed with caution when offering professional advice as a favour

Posted on January 10, 2019 by Alice Heathfield

The decision, which saw the architect facing a £265,000 claim, is welcome but does not change the law. Whether substantial professional advice is given freely or charged without entering into a formal contract, a duty of care remains. In 2013 …

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The “Good Work Plan” heralds a new round of employment law reform for employers

Posted on December 19, 2018 by Alice Heathfield

A new round of employment law reform is upon us. In an attempt to improve the rights of zero hour, agency and Gig Economy workers (previously identified by Theresa May as “just about managing”), the Government is set to implement …

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Taking tax online?

Posted on November 28, 2018 by Alice Heathfield

The Office for Tax Simplification has released its first report on how HMRC’s process of collecting inheritance tax could be improved by simplifying forms and making more of the process digital. These are the sorts of changes that might not …

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Could a property ‘Logbook’ speed up the conveyancing process?

Posted on November 26, 2018 by Alice Heathfield

At the Annual mortgage Conference held earlier this month, government officials criticised the delays in current conveyancing processes. It was stated that it takes an average of 19 weeks to get from acceptance of an offer to completion. One of …

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The easiest way to avoid shareholder disputes

Posted on November 20, 2018 by Alice Heathfield

A shareholders’ agreement is a contract entered into between some or all of the shareholders in a company. A shareholders’ agreement regulates the relationship between the shareholders – they are most often used to give protection to the shareholders’ investments …

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High Court grants retrospective permission allowing use of disclosed documents to obtain US legal advice

Posted on November 20, 2018 by Alice Heathfield

Earlier this year, Collyer Bristow reported on a Commercial Court decision [1] in which The ECU Group Plc (“ECU”) was granted pre-action disclosure of various documents relating to suspected “front-running” by HSBC (“the Disclosed Documents”). In an interesting turn of …

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What are the implications of renting out your driveway?

Posted on November 16, 2018 by Alice Heathfield

Associate Mandeep Mattu, a Real Estate lawyer, advises what you need to keep in mind if you want to rent out you driveway. Click here to read the article, first featured in Financial Times on 16 Nov 2018.

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The new Electronic Communications Code – round 1 goes to the Operators

Posted on November 14, 2018 by Alice Heathfield

The decision of the Upper Tribunal in Cornerstone Telecommunications Infrastructure Limited v the University of London (2018) permitted the operator to access, inspect and survey the landowner’s premises as a substantive right under paragraph 3(a) or 3(d) of the Electronic …

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