Articles
Our lawyers contribute regularly to industry and legal journals in addition to writing legal briefings, newsletters and case reports for clients and contacts. All of our articles are free to read and download here.
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REPORTS FROM THE COURTS
October 2023Our round up of the cases of most interest to construction from Andrew Croft and Ben Spannuth who report on a decision that shows the importance of limitation periods; and an appeal court ruling that confirms the duties owed to developers under s1(1) of the DPA. This was first published by Construction Law October 2023. CL-Oct-2023-RepCo
Embracing Innovative Technology in the Construction Industry
October 2023The construction industry has seen an emergence of the use of technology to explore more innovative ways to design, improve efficiency, and lower costs. The annual Construction Week Leaders in Construction Summit, that took place last month in Dubai, brought together industry experts to share their insights on the latest trends and technologies being embraced… Read More >
The Genoa Bridge Collapse: How and Why?
October 2023The collapse of the Genoa bridge in Italy in 2018, that killed 43 people and left many hundreds homeless, sparked a critique of the inspection regime of bridges and highways in Italy and specifically, how privatised maintenance and passive state regulation ultimately resulted in the tragedy. It also prompted the UK to evaluate its inspection… Read More >
The power to sanction – is the SRA overreaching in its desire to have greater fining authority, and where does that leave legal regulation?
October 2023Introduction Solicitors are no strangers to regulation. The vast majority of legal professionals would agree that a weakly regulated legal sector invites serious risk for advocates and clients alike. A clear and considered regulatory framework enables legal professionals to carry out their duties compliantly and with certainty. Effective regulation also protects legal professionals – offering… Read More >
Compliance with financial sanctions regimes: A special risk for insurers?
October 2023Introduction The intricate world of international sanctions has become a formidable challenge for insurers. The problem has become very real since the invasion of Ukraine by Russia in 2022 and the ensuing, vast sanctions regime which was swiftly imposed, causing restrictions across a number of sectors. Even before the hostilities in Ukraine, the sanctions picture… Read More >
Insurance brokers and the Financial Conduct Authority: is the new Consumer Duty the ‘thin end of the wedge’?
October 2023After years of consultation, consideration, and speculation, the Financial Conduct Authority’s (“FCA”) new Consumer Duty has finally arrived, coming into force in July earlier this year.[1] The reform has been in the works for some time and has been both hotly anticipated and dreaded in equal measure. In essence, the new duty is an attempt… Read More >
A “Fast-Track” Regime for Environmental Sanctions
October 2023DEFRA’s consultation on the strengthening of environmental sanctions in April and May 2023 found in favour of two significant changes: to remove the £250,000 cap on Variable Monetary Penalties (VMPs), meaning penalties can be unlimited, and to introduce unlimited VMPs as a civil sanction in the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016. These changes… Read More >
Strength in Numbers? Mass litigation against universities, lessons learned and the implications arising from Hamon & others v University College London [2023] EWHC 1812 (KB)
October 2023Introduction There can rarely have been a period of such turbulence in the higher education sector. Strikes by academic staff due to proposed pension changes have been ongoing intermittently since 2018, combined with strike action since 2019 relating to the Universities and Colleges Union’s ‘Four Fights’: pay inequality, job insecurity, rising workloads, and pay deflation.… Read More >
Great Power, Great Responsibility: Reusing and Replacing – Wind Turbines at End-of-Life
October 2023Hinkley Point C, which on completion will be Britain’s first newly-built nuclear power station for thirty years, will be designed to generate power for 60 years. Most gas-fired power stations are designed to do so for 30 or more years. By contrast, modern wind turbines typically have design lives of 20 or 25 years, and… Read More >
HSE Annual Report & Accounts 2022-2023
October 2023Earlier this year, we reviewed the Health and Safety Executive (“HSE”) 10-year strategy: “Protecting People and Places” (the “Strategy”). The Strategy was the regulator’s broadest strategy to date setting out 5 objectives to achieve between 2022 and 2032. The 10-year plan required significant investment to reduce work-related stress and improve mental health in the workplace.… Read More >