Unless a business is lucky enough to own the premises they operate from, most business owners will find themselves negotiating the terms of a commercial property lease at various stages of their careers. A lease must be put in place when a commercial...

 In a recent decision the Court of Appeal has affirmed the first instance decision that a bed and breakfast business directly discriminated against a same-sex couple on the basis of sexual orientation contrary to the Equality Act (Sexual Orientation)...

The HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is becoming increasingly vigilant in investigating and preventing fraudulent value-added tax (VAT) refund applications. Despite this increased vigilance, the UK still loses nearly £1 billion per year due to VAT fraud....

Certain transactions between EU states are value-added tax (VAT) free, and exporting firms can apply to the HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) for a VAT refund on those items.  However, if VAT fraud is suspected anywhere in the supply chain, even innocent...

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is the principal regulator dealing with complex business crime , fraud , bribery and corruption . It takes on complex, high value cases, often with a significant international dimension, and requiring highly specialist...

Workplace pension reforms have introduced new responsibilities for employers when it comes to pension provision for their employees. The new system requires auto enrolment of certain staff into a pension scheme – if the business doesn’t already...

There has been an impressive degree of digital awareness within the legal sector in recent years. From firms embracing social media, to the High Court successfully setting up and running its own YouTube channel, for a profession that has traditionally been...

In 2012, the UK experienced the first rise in road deaths in nearly a decade, an unwelcome event that consequently put the Government under serious pressure to try and tackle the issue. The rise in deaths affected mainly pedestrians and it was clear that...

Ponzi schemes are a type of  investment fraud that achieved widespread notoriety during the financial crisis due to huge scandals involving the likes of Bernie Madoff and Allan Stanford. In simple terms, they are perpetrated by using subsequent...

In 2004 the British government changed the way that out of hours GP services were provided to the public.  The changes to GPs' contracts were controversial because they allowed GPs to opt out of treating patients outside normal surgery hours. Under...