Curtis Brown

Copyright Wars

Film-raiders got a rude-awakening when BT was ordered to block access to film and TV pirate website Newzbin2 at a time when there are plans to relax the UK’s intellectual property laws.

In what is heralded as a landmark test case for internet service providers (ISP), the High Court has ordered BT to block access with no rebuttal to Europe so file-sharers and peers can no longer infringe on the copyrights of major Hollywood film studios. (More…)

Retirement, redundancy and unfair dismissal – what to expect as an older employee

Older employees that come through Contact Law often regard their situation as in jeopardy during cut backs or organisational change.

A particular client of mine who was nearing retirement age felt their employer was trying to marginalise their role in anticipation of a transitional period for the company. (More…)

Strike action – when employment relationships fail

Trade union members, including teachers and other civil servants, around the UK boycotted their jobs on 30 June en masse against the coalition government because of the proposed changes to their pensions.

The Government, led by Prime Minister David Cameron, plan to raise the age of retirement and increase contributions to pensions during a period of increased living costs and bank bail-outs. (More…)

Virtual reality check

Hacking into mobile phones and bank accounts was considered the height of breaching personal information, but protecting privacy and reputations is getting more and more complicated with the advancement of technology. (More…)

The importance of compromise agreements

Compromise agreements are one of the most common enquiries we receive at Contact Law. It is an arrangement between an employer and an employee that settles all disputes with a financial package.

It is a legal requirement that an employment solicitor reviews it and signs it along with the employee. This is because once the compromise agreement is signed, neither party will be able to make a claim on the other, unless the compromise agreement has been breached. (More…)

The rules of unfair dismissal

Clients often think suing for unfair dismissal is an automatic right for any employee who has been dismissed. However, it is in fact only available to certain employees.  (More…)

Natural disasters – legal advice will naturally help

Claims for compensation can derive from many types of scenarios including natural disasters that occur hundreds of miles away. Compensation is not just for personal injury or other popular triggers; it stems from being wronged, just like one of Contact Law’s clients after the huge tsunami in Japan in March 2011.  Although the client’s complaint was about their treatment at work, the problem came as a direct result of the 9.0 MMS earthquake that caused the tsunami. (More…)