Month: June 2021

30.06.21

Adham Harker joins Brett Wilson LLP’s Media and Communications Law team

Adham Harker has joined Brett Wilson LLP’s Media and Communications Law team. Adham has advised and acted in a range of media, IP and commercial disputes from pre-action to trial, with extensive experience of Business & Property Court litigation. For Adham’s full biography, please click here.

21.06.21

Are you a director who is being chased for debts by liquidators?

When a company is under financial distress, a director must be extremely careful when moving money out of the company or, if the company becomes insolvent, a liquidator may attempt to claw back funds from them. Below, we consider some of the common questions that a director will have when being chased by a liquidator…

My bank account is frozen: what should I do?

It is incredibly frustrating to discover that your bank account has been frozen, preventing you from accessing your legitimately earned income and savings. Yet this is a scenario which innocent customers face day in and day out. Attempts to speak with the bank, with whom you have been a customer for years, come to nothing….

Absence from disciplinary hearings and appeals

The recent case of General Medical Council v Armstrong [2021] 5 WLUK 384 revisited the issue of whether tribunals (including Appellate Courts such as the High Court) ought to proceed in the absence of the registrant respondent. The respondent in Armstrong, in keeping with many registrants and professionals, deliberately chose to absent herself from the…

Lawyers: can editing witness statements be a criminal act?

The recent Crown Court finding that Peter Metcalf, solicitor for South Yorkshire Police in the aftermath of the Hillsborough tragedy, had ‘no case to answer’ for perverting the course of justice has proved controversial. The full judgment can be found here. This detailed ruling offers an insight into how reviewing, advising on and editing witness…

10.06.21

#MeToo allegations and trigger warnings: when sensitivity can backfire

When a person chooses to make #metoo allegations on social media, there is almost always going to be some risk that they are exposing themselves to potential defamation proceedings.  The easiest way to limit exposure is to avoid naming the accused person, or including information that may identify them.  Many people, however, feel compelled to…

Have you been wrongfully removed as a director or shareholder of a company?

Being removed without proper cause as a director, shareholder (or both) from Companies House’ records is more common than you might think. A change to the officers or shareholdings of a private limited company cannot occur without compliance with various statutory and constitutional procedures.  However, as Companies House is not policed as such, anyone that…

9.06.21

Number of defamation claims issued falls by over 50%

Annual data published on 3 June 2021 shows that defamation claims issued in 2020 in the Royal Courts of Justice (where the vast majority of defamation claims are issued) have fallen from 323 in 2019 to just 152 in 2020. The statistics show a continuing trend of claims being brought against non-media defendants (e.g. bloggers…