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Protecting Your Business Name and Brand

Business Law, Intellectual Property

14 Mar 2024

When setting up a business many owners will spend a long time creating a great business name or logo, others will not…

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Changes to holiday pay in 2024

Business Law, Employment

05 Mar 2024

This article sets out changes in the law relating to holiday pay, and your payroll team or payroll provider should already be…

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Companies House: 4th March 2024 Upcoming Changes

Business Law

29 Feb 2024

The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 received royal assent on 26 October 2023. The act has three main objectives:…

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How Japanese knotweed sparked a major shift in Property Litigation.

Commercial Landlord & Tenant, Dispute Resolution, Property Litigation, Real Estate

30 Jan 2024

Property disputes are a common yet complex aspect of the legal landscape. With the prevalence of property-related disagreements, the importance of effective…

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Me too – the Government addresses sexual harassment in the workplace.

Employment, Uncategorized

28 Nov 2023

The problem of sexual harassment in the workplace has been placed front and centre by recent scandals ranging from Hollywood to British…

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Section 5 Right of First Refusal Provisions in the Landlord and Tenant Act 1987: Prosecution for Failing to Comply

Uncategorized

16 Nov 2023

The Landlord and Tenant Act 1987 (the Act) plays a crucial role in safeguarding the rights and interests of tenants in residential…

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The Impact of ESG Considerations on Corporate Governance and Lending Practices

Banking & Finance

27 Oct 2023

In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) considerations have emerged as pivotal factors influencing corporate governance and lending…

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Top 5 things to know about wills

Private Clients, Wills, Trusts and Probate

20 Oct 2023

Making a will is one of the most important decisions you can make to safeguard the future. A will ensures your legacy…

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Harold Benjamin’s Legal Director on why his new role is like ‘Coming Home’

Private Clients

12 Sep 2023

2023 marks a very special year in Harold Benjamin’s long history. In September, it will be 70 years since the firm was…

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Embedding Sustainable and Eco-friendly Design in Residential Property Development.

Construction, Development and Planning, Residential Property

05 Sep 2023

The push towards net zero carbon emissions and carbon neutral buildings is growing. Developers are focusing on constructing or retrofitting properties to…

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2023 Developments in Employment Law

Employment

30 Aug 2023

Employment legislation in 2023 has had an emphasis on family and work life balance, although the enacted laws will not apply immediately….

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How Renewable Energy is affecting the Commercial Marketplace: The Problems facing Landlords and SMEs and the Solutions to tackle them

Business Law, Commercial Real Estate

14 Aug 2023

The appeal for businesses to look for renewable sources of energy and “go green” has significantly grown in recent years. Businesses nationwide…

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Harold Benjamin tours the historic Houses of Parliament with Lord Popat

Business Law

08 Aug 2023

Harold Benjamin’s Young Solicitors Group, together with our managing partner, Vijay Parikh were invited to tour Parliament by Lord Popat earlier this…

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Illegal cannabis farming by tenants – A growing problem for landlords

Real Estate, Residential Property

19 Jul 2023

The illegal cultivation of cannabis in let properties is a growing problem which can result in legal and financial problems for a…

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83 is the magic number

Real Estate, Residential Property

13 Jul 2023

The extension of leases of residential flats  is a complicated area of law.  At the time of compiling this article (June 2023) it is…

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Banking – Has anything really changed?

Banking & Finance

25 May 2023

The recent collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank and First Republic in the US, as well as Credit Suisse in Europe,…

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Family business: How to avoid disputes down the line

Business Disputes, Business Law

14 Apr 2023

There are many advantages to having a family-run business.  Often there is a better cultural fit and common shared values, with a strong…

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Intestacy: the common misconceptions

Estate Planning, Private Clients, Uncategorized

06 Apr 2023

When a person dies without leaving a Will, they are said to have died intestate. As they have not provided directions as…

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Companies House Changes: The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill

Business Law, Corporate & Commercial

23 Mar 2023

The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill will soon become law and with it comes various changes at Companies House to further…

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Settlement Agreements: A clean break

Corporate & Commercial, Employment

16 Mar 2023

An employer may offer an employee a settlement agreement when they want to terminate the employment on mutually agreed terms.  …

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Why do I need a solicitor to re-mortgage my home?

Real Estate, Residential Property

28 Feb 2023

If you are planning to re-mortgage your home with a different lender, then you usually will need a solicitor or licensed conveyancer….

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Lending against cladded buildings 

Residential Property

21 Feb 2023

With news that the six largest lenders in the country will be offering mortgages on medium and high rise buildings with identified…

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Trends in the workplace

Employment

16 Feb 2023

Significant world and national events – the pandemic, the fall-out from Brexit, the war in Ukraine, 3 prime ministers in 7 weeks,…

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Share of Freehold – How to give the taxman a windfall by doing nothing.

Lease Extensions, Real Estate, Residential Property

09 Feb 2023

For the purpose of this article, let us assume Basil owns the freehold of a house called Fawlty Towers comprising 3 flats…

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Conditional Exemption for Heritage Property: what is it and how does it work?

Estate Planning, Fine Art, Wills, Trusts and Probate

29 Sep 2022

The Conditional Exemption Tax Incentive Scheme provides an opportunity to defer payment of Inheritance Tax or Capital Gains Tax when an item…

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Anti-competitive practice and land agreements

Commercial Landlord & Tenant, Commercial Real Estate, Real Estate

21 Sep 2022

The cost-of-living crisis has made the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMAs) recent investigation into supermarkets’ land agreement practices even more important….

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Holiday Pay headaches

Business Law, Employment

16 Sep 2022

During this long, hot summer the Supreme Court was busy considering how holiday pay for employees who work irregular hours should be…

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The new Register of Overseas Entities – An overview

Auctions & Investment Property Advisory, International, Real Estate

06 Sep 2022

From the 1st August 2022 the Register of Overseas Entities was created at Companies House and requires that Overseas Entities (broadly being…

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Lost the will, find a way!

Estate Planning, Wills, Trusts and Probate

31 Aug 2022

It is very easy to misplace a document, not least something as important as a will. If you are dealing with the…

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Welcome to the new world of (no) ground rent (sort of).

Lease Extensions, Residential Property

16 Aug 2022

The Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Act 2022, which came into force on 30th June 2022, has the following practical effects for flat…

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Some take-away’s from the “Wagatha Christie” trial

Business Disputes, Dispute Resolution

09 Aug 2022

The tweet by Coleen Rooney which concluded with.. ‘It’s ………. Rebekah Vardy’s account,’ will go down in history as one of the…

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COVID-19 Rental Arrears

Commercial Landlord & Tenant

02 Aug 2022

In the case of A Company, Re, a commercial tenant failed to challenge a winding up petition brought by its landlord for…

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Acquisition of a private company limited by shares – a brief overview of the process

Business Law, Corporate & Commercial

26 Jul 2022

The two most common ways to purchase a business are either:- An asset purchase: this involves the purchase of all or some…

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Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) – Do I need it?

Powers of Attorney, Private Clients

19 Jul 2022

Have you ever thought about what would happen if you were unable to make your own financial and welfare decisions due to…

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Nutrient Neutrality – What is it and how is it relevant to property developers

Uncategorized

30 Jun 2022

Following a European Court case nutrient neutrality has turned into an issue which must be taken into account by property developers with…

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Restrictive Covenants – are they worth the paper they’re written on?

Employment, Intellectual Property

21 Jun 2022

It is understandable for an employer to want to protect its business in the event that one of its senior employees or…

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Room for improvement in drawn out property disputes

Business Disputes, Commercial Landlord & Tenant, Real Estate

17 Jun 2022

The system encourages and assists delays in the progress of landlord-tenant cases, writesSteven Ross…

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Is your art in the right place?

Fine Art, Wills, Trusts and Probate

05 May 2022

For some wealthy individuals a great deal of their income is spent on art or other luxury assets. Levels of spending can…

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The Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Act 2022 – What to expect

Real Estate, Residential Property

03 May 2022

As part of its program of Law Reform, the government recently passed the Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Act 2022 which comes into…

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Inheritance Tax and the Acceptance-in-Lieu Scheme: What is it and how does it work?

Estate Planning, Fine Art, Wills, Trusts and Probate

26 Apr 2022

As a general rule assets of a deceased over the value of the nil rate band (currently £325,000) are chargeable at 40%…

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Get your ducks in a row: Drafting rent review provisions in leases

Commercial Landlord & Tenant, Commercial Real Estate, Real Estate

20 Apr 2022

Rent review provisions in a lease set out the terms on which the annual rent payable will be reviewed. The way in…

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“Share of Freehold”: not necessarily a sweet deal

Private Clients, Real Estate, Residential Property

12 Apr 2022

Residential flats are often advertised for sale as “share of freehold”. This suggests that the flat buyer will acquire a share of…

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Companies face even tougher times ahead as remaining temporary insolvency measures come to an end

Commercial Landlord & Tenant, Commercial Real Estate, Insolvency

08 Apr 2022

At the start of the pandemic, the Government enacted the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 (CIGA) in order to introduce a…

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Criminal Defence Costs Incurred Solely for Purposes of Trade

Business Law

24 Mar 2022

Only expenses that are incurred wholly and exclusively for the purposes of trade can be deducted from a business’s tax liabilities. That…

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High Court Declares ‘Illiterate’ Business Tycoon’s £100 Million Will Invalid

Wills, Trusts and Probate

23 Mar 2022

Your assets are your own and, when making your will, you have complete freedom to leave them to whomever you choose. As…

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Creation of Unintended HMOs – Issues to Consider

David Eder 21 Mar 2022

At the best of times, Houses in Multiple Occupation (‘HMOs’) cause conveyancers and lenders sleepless nights; however, a recent decision by the…

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COVID-19 – Premier League Triumphs in $200 Million TV Rights Dispute

Business Disputes

21 Mar 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic caused grave disruption to the 2019/2020 Premier League season – but it did not fundamentally change the format of…

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Teenager’s Wishes and Feelings Prevail in Finely Balanced Adoption Case

Family Offices, Private Clients

18 Mar 2022

Children may not have the capacity to make important decisions for themselves, but that does not mean that family judges ignore their…

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Affordable Housing Shortage Proves Decisive in High Court Planning Case

Real Estate, Residential Property

17 Mar 2022

The chronic shortage of affordable homes is a powerful driver in favour of permitting building projects that might otherwise be considered objectionable….

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Contested Wills – Challenging a Will

Marina Vincent 16 Mar 2022

How to challenge a Will, or object to Attorneys/Deputies. Sometimes, there may be grounds to challenge a Will, or make a claim…

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