WRITS A recent ruling in the Appeal Court has added a new twist to the law over rateable occupation, particularly in respect of warehouses. It is a recognised principle that premises possession does not necessarily constitute occupation for business rates. But warehouses can remain empty while occupiers are sought and are treated as occupied for […]
CANADIAN top 10 law firm Goodman Phillips & Vineberg has been instructed by the Washington-based World Bank Group to draft a first set of regulations set to attract private funding to the Moroccan residential housing market. The regulations will allow residential housing mortgage lenders to secure part of their loan portfolios, giving a new financing […]
THE LEGAL Aid Board’s first attempt to award the contract to lead the Gulf War Syndrome multi-party action against the Government was “fatally flawed”, according to a High Court judge. Mr Justice Ognall ordered the board to re-tender the contract after hearing that five pages of the tender document provided by the unsuccessful Gulf War […]
The Law Lords have granted leave for an appeal in Mannai Investment Company v Eagle Star Life Assurance Co. The case centres on a lease by Mannai of a second floor office and basement car park in London’s Jermyn Street for 10 years. However, in 1994, Mannai gave notice purporting to determine the lease on […]
SJ BERWIN is preparing to launch a legal action on behalf of investors in collapsed merchant bank Barings which could in part be defended by Barings administrators. Slaughter and May, the administrators’ main lawyers, may be asked to defend the action. However, Ashurst Morris Crisp, brought in by Slaughters because of potential conflicts arising from […]
CITY insurance specialist Kennedys is moving into Northern Ireland, setting up a strong insurance presence in response to client needs. But the historic move has met with some reservations from established Belfast insurance practices, which say they are already advising non-local clients. The office, opening this week, will be run by four partners and one […]
Cross-border merger and acquisitions deals in the European Union hit a record high last year, with a total of 1,901 deals worth £56 billion, according to new figures from Acquisitions Monthly magazine. The figures show a major increase on 1994, when 1,847 were completed at an overall value of £37.5 billion. The US remained top […]
Court Funds Office payments under court orders to litigants are suffering regular delays as a result of one-week-a-month strikes by Court Service staff. Backlogs of payments ranging from suitors’ cash to monies for the mentally incapable build up during each five-day walkout, then recede until the next month’s action. Julia Lomas, chief executive of the […]
Helen Sage reports Free computer software will be up for grabs at this year’s Information Systems for Lawyers conference on 27 and 28 February at the London Marriott. Novell Computer Systems will be giving away two sets of Novell Groupware Solution (licensed for 5 users) worth £3,000 each. The solution consists of email, data gathering, […]
John Malpas reports CHANCERY set 3 New Square has taken on charities expert Hubert Picarda QC following his decision to leave his own newly-merged set. Picarda’s move ends a flurry of activity in the Chancery Bar prompted by the merger of 10 Old Square with 8 Stone Buildings at the beginning of the year. The […]
The cross-media merger of United News & Media and MAI was made possible by a legal ‘warehousing’ or ‘deadlock’ structure of the shareholding by scores of lawyers at Allen & Overy, Ashurst Morris Crisp and Norton Rose. The deal, thought to be the first marriage of a national newspaper group to a TV company and […]
LAW firms should be allowed to arrange their own indemnity insurance cover in the open market rather than be forced to use the Solicitor’s Indemnity Fund (SIF), leading City insurance lawyers said last week. City firms and other lower-risk practices could save money on premiums by reducing the number of insurance layers involved, they said. […]