Insights

Spring Law 20 years anniversary

20 Years of Spring Law

We are delighted to be celebrating Spring Law’s 20th anniversary this year. Throughout the past 20 years we have been true to our core values of excellence, integrity and commitment…
Workplace Setting | Spring Law

Envisioning the post-Covid workplace

As people cautiously return to the office in the coming months, they will find a workplace transformed by the coronavirus. The pandemic has and will place significant stress on businesses,…
Coronavirus mobile web page

Frustrating times: Covid-19

The common law doctrine of ‘frustration’ offers an alternative source of release from contractual performance, where (for example) a party cannot rely on a ‘Force Majeure’ clause to excuse its…
Wind farm

MPs call for UK companies to disclose climate risks

Following inquiry into green finance, Environmental Audit Committee concludes large companies and asset owners - such as pension funds - should be forced to report their exposure to climate change…
Elderly couple walking

Insys sees no change in estimated litigation costs

Insys Therapeutics Inc said on Tuesday that it believed a previously estimated $150 million would be sufficient to cover expenses from an ongoing litigation related to the company’s sales practises.…
Network data cables

Media groups accuse Google of GDPR power grab

Publishers say Google’s new ad rules claim ‘broad rights’ over the data they collect, while leaving them exposed to data protection litigation. Publisher trade groups representing thousands of newspapers and…
USA flag and commerce building

Barclays pushed into loss by US payout

Barclays has been pushed into a first quarter loss after paying $2bn (£1.4bn) to settle a lawsuit in the US over the sale of mortgage-backed securities. The bank also put…
Volkswagen (VW) car steering wheel

VW owners begin diesel lawsuit in High Court

Lawyers for more than 50,000 UK car owners began a lawsuit against Volkswagen Group in London's High Court in a battle for compensation over a diesel-emissions cheating scandal that has…
Train station commuters

Government hints at UK Magnitsky provisions

The government has hinted at passing a British version of the so-called Magnitsky Act, a US law that freezes assets and imposes travel bans on Russians suspected of corruption and…
Parked rental cars

Europcar profits drop by half following €71m charge

Europcar net profits fell by almost half in 2017 as it took a €71 million non-recurring charge. This related to merger and acquisition fees, “unexpected” UK litigation-related costs and headquarters…
Court gavel

5 things GCs should know about litigation finance

In just a few short years, litigation finance has become an important part of the commercial litigation landscape. The number of lawyers who said their firms had used litigation finance…
BlackBerry mobile device

BlackBerry suing Facebook for patent infringement

BlackBerry has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Facebook and its WhatsApp and Instagram apps, arguing that they copied technology and features from BlackBerry Messenger. Litigation over patent infringement is…
Maplin logo

Maplin collapses as rescue talks fail

One of the UK's biggest electronics retailers has collapsed into administration after talks with buyers failed to secure a sale. Maplin, which has more than 200 stores and 2,300 staff,…
Dripping tap needing plumbing

Key gig economy case reaches Supreme Court

A plumber's legal battle for working rights will be closely watched by "gig economy" workers when it reaches the Supreme Court on Tuesday. Gary Smith, who worked for Pimlico Plumbers…
Financial investment graph

Noel Edmonds Raises £300m with US Insurer Amtrust

Therium Capital Management, the litigation funder behind Noel Edmonds against Lloyds Banking Group, yesterday announced the completion of £300m in new funding, thought to be led by US insurer Amtrust…
Google building logo

Google Lawsuit Over Pixel Microphones

Google is facing a class action lawsuit over problems with the original Pixel phone. The class action complaint was filed this week, with plaintiffs alleging that Google was already aware…
Tesco supermarket sign

Tesco is facing a record £4bn equal pay claim

Tesco is facing its first – and the largest ever in UK history – equal pay claim, in which claimant employees are seeking a massive £4bn from the supermarket giant.…
Uber app on mobile phone

Waymo vs Uber court case

A trial pitting two of the biggest players in self-drive technology against each other has begun in San Francisco. Ride-sharing firm Uber is being sued by Waymo, the self-driving company…
Student in college library

DfE Updates GDPR Privacy Notice Documents

On 3 January 2018, the Department for Education (DfE) published updated privacy notice model documents for local authorities that aim to assist their compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation…
Office tower

EAT Upheld Purpose of Whistleblowing Protection

The EAT has upheld an employment tribunal’s decision that an employee who raised compliance issues purely out of self-interest did not make a qualifying disclosure for the purpose of whistleblowing…
Guernsey coastline

Largest Civil Case in Guernsey’s History

A judgment on what is thought to be the largest civil case in Guernsey's history handed down on 4 September by the island's Royal Court cleared Carlyle Capital Corporation, a…
Man signing document

Defective notice will scupper warranty claims

For warranty claims to be valid, a claimant must give notice in accordance with the notice provisions for breach of warranty in a sale and purchase agreement. This was underlined…
Lawyer at laptop with justice figure

Legal privilege widened by the High Court

A recent decision of the High Court has considered legal privilege – the rule in law that communications between a lawyer and solicitor are confidential. In the Matter of Edwardian…
Employee walking down corridor

Don’t soft-soap a dismissal!

An employee who was told that he was being dismissed resigned and brought a breach of contract claim. The employer had misled the employee as to the real reason for…
Courtroom gavel

Are arbitrations always confidential?

Arbitrations are often favoured by companies as an alternative to the Courts in order to resolve disputes. The main reason for this preference is that arbitrations subject to English law…
In-car sat nav

Uber loses appeal on worker status

The Employment Appeal Tribunal (“EAT”) has dismissed an appeal against a lower tribunal's decision that Uber drivers were workers for the purposes of the Employment Rights Act 1996, the National…
Man sitting alone in office

Bullying in the workplace – time for a change?

The law relating to harassment and bullying, as it currently stands, is an amalgam of statute law (Equality Act 2010) and common law. “Harassment” and “bullying” are terms which are…
Businessman walking up steps

Directors Can Be Personally Liable For Conduct

Directors can be personally liable for their conduct or if they breach certain rules and regulations imposed by English and EU law. These liabilities can range from the risk inherent…