Legal Features

Articles

Civil conduct | Is mediation worth the money?

The Court of Appeal has stressed that there are legitimate circumstances when mediation ?is not appropriate, but if a party is found to have unreasonably refused to mediate they ?may be penalised on costs, warn John Bramhall and Melissa Jones

Workshop: Beneficial owners and occupiers

When can an occupier claim a beneficial interest in a property ?and what should a potential buyer do to avoid hitting problems? ?John Coulter explains

Construction update

Anna Stillman reviews two protocol compliance cases, the severability of adjudicators' decisions and a case in which the court delivered a scathing reproach of a firm's conduct of a claim on a conditional fee arrangement

Road traffic update

From the failure to wear 'a seat belt to cyclists 'riding without helmets, Roger Cooper reviews 'the circumstances where 'a reduction will be 'made on account of contributory negligence

Employment update

Sue Ashtiany considers the provisions of the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill, the right to representation during the disciplinary process, employers' contractual obligations and TUPE

Look after your existing clients and reap the benefits

There is too much focus at the moment on winning new business – investing in a meaningful client relationship system is the key to fighting off the competition, says Julian Summerhayes

Bird on a wire: cost penalties for unresponsive trustees

Richard Wakeham and Adam Marshall consider potential cost penalties for unresponsive trustees

One of the family: Re Erskine Trust

Adopted sons win right to be considered next of kin in High Court's decision in Re Erskine Trust, reports Joseph Goldsmith