What better time is there than mid - February, just as the over-priced flowers and fluffy bears appear on shop shelves, to show some love for a much under-appreciated part of any commercial landlord or tenant’s life - the lease!

A covenant is the legal term for a promise, usually not to do something on your land (a negative or restrictive covenant) but occasionally to do something (a positive covenant).

The Family Court is under immense pressure. The number of court applications, including issues relating to finances on divorce or separation of an unmarried couple and arrangements for children are rising each year. Cases are taking longer to conclude and very often experiencing delays in listing hearings and, as is happening more frequently, hearings are being moved or even cancelled at short notice due to judicial unavailability.

Adverse possession is all about claiming someone else’s land as your own on the basis of your possession of it for a period designated by law. Of course, not all kinds of occupation lead to eventual ownership.

Land is a great asset to have - I don’t think anyone would dispute that. But by the same token owning land (like having money) can be a worry as well. If you are lucky and your land has clearly identified boundaries and so long as there is no argument about them, all is well. That is the case for most land but some people are not quite so lucky. Boundary disputes can be a headache, especially if not well handled from the start.

Following the recent discussion on new social housing reforms, which was published on 30 January 2024, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities has declared an eight-week consultation period on a proposed standard for competence and conduct in social housing.

A drive around any country lane will demonstrate that rural landowners have a real entrepreneurial spirit. Everything from farm shops to glamping sites to alpaca trekking have been popping up and they can bring good commercial returns.

Today the Department for Levelling up, Housing and Communities announced a consultation on new social housing reforms. The proposed consultation has raised a number of concerns around the fact that a large majority of social housing already goes to UK nationals, the proposal would introduce even stricter rules, awarding social housing to those that can prove a close connection to the UK and local area as a priority.

The UK has been no stranger to the battle of the brands with numerous cases cropping up over lookalikes.

In the wake of the upsetting news of mass redundancies at Tata Steel, the dynamics of employment settlement agreements have gained heightened relevance.

There is a lot happening in Employment Law in 2024. In this insight we summarise the key changes to look out for. 

Series 13 Episode 1 Whilst certainly not claiming to be a superfan I do occasionally catch an episode of the extremely popular historical drama “Call the midwife” set in London in the 1960s. On the evening of Sunday 7th January, whilst distracted doing something else, my attention was caught when one of the characters in the show began to describe how her daughter (now an adult, disabled and pregnant with her own child) had been injured herself during birth leading to her disability.