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In a ground-breaking decision, the High Court has awarded compensation to a pedestrian who was hit by an uninsured driver on private land. The man was walking across a field when he was hit by a 4x4 vehicle, which had been driven from a public road onto a...
Construction works on neighbouring properties can make your life a misery but, with the right legal advice, you may be able to do something about them. In a case on point, the High Court came to the aid of a woman whose rental property was deprived of light...
When attempting to negotiate any dispute it is important to assemble fully your arguments, so that you can state your case with the greatest vigour, and to comply with any directions issued by the tribunal. This is also true when a dispute is being...
The debate about zero hours contracts has very much focused on the perceived lack of protection they provide to workers. However, as a case concerning a student who worked part time in a restaurant shows, they do not necessarily work in the employer's favour...
Trees may be easy on the eye, but they can also be dangerous and landowners are under a legal duty to protect the public from falling timber. In a recent case, a bus driver who was seriously injured when his cab was hit by a falling lime tree won the right...
When an estate is to be administered, an application for probate must first be made if the deceased left a will. Once probate is granted, the process can begin. However, the mere granting of probate does not mean that all is said and done on the matter, as a...
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has issued new guidance on compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) for organisations that transfer data out of the UK. Because the GDPR protects only data within the EU, it restricts...
Hospital accident and emergency (A&E) departments work under intense pressure but, if negligent mistakes are made, it is only right that compensation is paid. In a case on point, a boy who was sent home from a hospital despite suffering from a rare brain...
The perceived generosity of English judges in big money divorce cases has made the UK the venue of choice for some – but anathema for others. However, as one case showed, judicial priorities have more to do with fairness than finance. The case...
In a unanimous judgment, the Supreme Court has ruled that a bakery in Northern Ireland's refusal to make a cake bearing a slogan in support of same-sex marriage was not discriminatory. The legal battle began four years ago after Ashers bakery, a family-run...
In a unanimous judgment, the Supreme Court has ruled that a bakery in Northern Ireland's refusal to make a cake bearing a slogan in support of same-sex marriage was not discriminatory. The legal battle began four years ago after Ashers bakery, a family-run...
Signing leases is a serious business and both landlords and tenants are expected to live with their terms, however onerous they may be. However, as a High Court case illustrated, judges have the power to rectify terms if an obvious mistake has been made. A...
Road accidents happen in seconds and those who are injured often have little or no memory of what happened. However, as a High Court case showed, that should not discourage victims from seeking legal advice with a view to fair compensation. The case...
Football Association (FA) rules require that, where disputes arise between players' agents and clubs, they must be resolved by arbitration rather than by public court proceedings. The extent of that requirement came under analysis in a High Court case that...
A paramedic who was badly injured when a man he was assisting fell onto him has secured compensation from his employer. Andrew Worrall, from York, was taking home a man who had been involved in a road accident in icy conditions. The man was being helped out...
If an employee is dismissed but that decision is subsequently overturned following an internal appeal, does the latter decision wipe out the effect of the former? The Court of Appeal tackled that issue in a guideline decision ( Patel v Folkestone Nursing...
If you are approaching pension age, unless you are one of the increasingly few with a salary-related pension scheme, you would be wise to take professional advice before you take any irrevocable action. The decisions taken at certain points in managing your...
The dangers of asbestos were first identified in the 1930s but people are even now dying as a result of workplace exposure to the carcinogenic substance as asbestos-related diseases often take decades to manifest clinical symptoms. However, as a recent case...
One of the dilemmas the courts face from time to time is how to achieve the right balance between individual privacy and the public's right to know about things. In a recent case , a patient who had made a complaint against a GP sought publication of the...
Tax changes that affect residential landlords have sparked a massive sell-off, with 133,000 rental properties likely to be sold in the next year according to a survey by the Residential Landlords Association. In the year ended 31 March 2017, 46,000 let...
Insurance is a legal requirement for any driver in the UK and that is why insurance policies cover drivers, not the cars they drive. Since insurance companies will always seek to minimise the amount they pay out on claims, there are often lively arguments...
The recent £500,000 fine for Facebook regarding the transfer of data to Cambridge Analytica was widely criticised as being inadequate (Facebook makes roughly £3.5 million per hour) but it should not be forgotten that the fine was the maximum...
Japanese knotweed is a very considerable pest – 'indisputably the UK's most aggressive, destructive and invasive plant', according to the Environment Agency –as it can cause damage to buildings, spreads easily and is difficult to eradicate. As...
Taking on the police in court can appear daunting, but specialist solicitors are more than capable of performing the task, as was shown by a recent case in which the family of a young man who suffocated in a police van following his traumatic arrest...
Anyone who has bought a new build property will be familiar with a 'snag list' of items that should be rectified. Normally these don't present too many issues, but when the snags are significant, and the new build is one in which there is a landlord who is...
