Commercial law

Our commercial law blog mostly covers topics relevant to small business operators and franchisors. It covers topical issues, such as how companies can set up in the UK, how to change your companies memorandum of association, and the law on ultra vires company actions.

Check out our blog regularly, as we’ll cover all types of commercial law questions, including protecting intellectual property rights, the best debt collection methods, directors’ duties, reporting obligations, and compliance with the Companies Act 2006. As new developments arise in the news and media, we will explore the implications for UK businesses here.

If you need legal advice tailored to your business, Contact Law can put you in touch with a local specialist company and commercial solicitor. We also have franchising law specialists, intellectual property solicitors and commercial property solicitors.

High court judge uses Facebook to serve claim

Last week a judge at the high court made the rare decision to use the social networking site Facebook to serve a claim. Lower courts have previously resorted to the use of social networking sites to serve suits but such methods have thus far not been resorted to by the higher courts. British courts may [...]

London: world commercial litigation capital

Despite the harsh economic climate the area of commercial law is thriving and specialist solicitors are in high demand. The nation’s capital is seeing an increasing number of commercial cases settled before the national judiciary. A clear majority of the commercial law disputes settled in London have an international connection. As such, the city is [...]

Caprica to invest in small-scale commercial disputes

The Government’s reform to litigation funding is having an impact on both private individuals and companies. As this blog has previously reported, the prospect of no-win, no-fee arrangements not being available for defamation cases is worrying many individuals. The decreased availability of conditional fee agreements also has implications for companies as many businesses are finding [...]

More employment law reforms to affect workers and businesses

The Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, yesterday announced that the Government intends to introduce measures that will significantly change employment law. The Coalition is looking to implement new employment laws in the autumn, which they hope will stimulate business growth. Clegg said that the new package of laws will help to bring about a much [...]

Vickers report sets 2019 deadline for major bank reforms

The highly anticipated report from Sir John Vickers into the banking system has been published and proposes radical changes for Britain’s major banks. The Independent Commission on Banking’s report recommends the banks ring fence their retail banking divisions and keep them as separate legal entities to their riskier investment banking arms. The Commission wants the [...]

Starting a new business? Tips on organising your business into a partnership

There are different ways of organising the structure of your new business. For instance, a few of the choices you have are a private limited company, a sole trader and a partnership. Unsurprisingly, many new business start ups choose to organise themselves into a partnership because there is far more flexibility and informality with this [...]

RBS and Lloyds shares for all, says Nick Clegg

The Deputy Prime Minister has announced his plan that would see every adult in Britain given shares potentially worth hundreds of pounds in the part-nationalised RBS and Lloyds banks. The plan to create a ‘people’s banking system’, which Nick Clegg revealed during a trade trip to Rio de Janeiro, is currently being considered by George [...]

Waterstones sold for £53m

Britain’s best known bookshop chain has been sold by HMV for £53m in order to help the company restructure its debt and refocus its business, as the sale of DVDs and CDs has declined in the face of digital sales. HMV has sold the bookshop chain to A&NN Capital Fund Management, a company in which [...]

Barclays apologise for PPI scandal and promise compensation

Barclays has become the first bank to apologise to its customers for mis-selling PPI, as the British Banking Association (BBA) announces it has dropped its legal battle against the FSA. Barclays is following in the footsteps of Lloyds who announced on Friday 6 May that it was dropping out of the BBA’s judicial review battle [...]

Claims against the bank for mis-sold PPI

We all have bank accounts and debts such as mortgages, overdrafts and loans. Alongside these debts we also have various fees or charges. These fines and charges can be a bother to pay and trying to clarify with a bank what all these charges are for can sometimes be an even bigger hassle.  (More…)