‘A provocative title, to be sure.
But on 7 May 2020, HM Government published through the Cabinet Office a document entitled “Guidance on responsible contractual behaviour in the performance and enforcement of contracts impacted by the Covid-19 emergency” (the “Note”).’
Littleton Chambers, 11th May 2020
Source: littletonchambers.com
‘In Duchy Farm Kennels Limited v Steels [2020] EWHC 1208 (QB) Alexander PritchardJones appeared in an important case about the effect of breaches of confidentiality clauses contained within settlement agreements.’
St Ives Chambers, 14th May 2020
Source: www.stiveschambers.co.uk
‘In this landmark decision, a five – judge constitution of the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division), headed by the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales, clarified that the test for dishonesty in criminal law is that set out by Lord Hughes in the Supreme Court authority of Ivey v Genting Casinos (UK) (trading as Cockfords Club) [2017] UKSC 67; [2018] AC 391. This test is to be preferred to the test of the Court of Appeal Criminal Division in R v Ghosh [1982] QB 1053.’
Park Square Barristers, 30th April 2020
Source: www.parksquarebarristers.co.uk
‘The general obligation of good faith in the performance of contractual obligations is widely recognised and accepted overseas both in civil law jurisdictions and also now in most common law jurisdictions.’
The 36 Group, 1st May 2020
Source: 36group.co.uk
‘This is an interesting case concerning whether the steps taken by the Appellant were sufficient for him to establish that he had remedied his material breach of contract.’
Park Square Barristers, 27th April 2020
Source: www.parksquarebarristers.co.uk
‘Two former presidents of the Supreme Court have suggested introducing a “breathing space” so that contractual breaches arising from the coronavirus crisis are conciliated to avoid the courts being overwhelmed with disputes.’
Litigation Futures, 27th April 2020
Source: www.litigationfutures.com
‘A lot of attention has focused recently on how to get out of contracts by relying on frustration or force majeure. In the near future, there will be a reckoning of who has behaved well and who has behaved badly, irrespective of their legal rights. In this article, we look at ways in which our less cynical clients can do their commercial counterparties a favour, to help them get through the short term, without running the risk of losing their legal rights in the long term. While our clients might well want to help out the people with whom they do business, they would not want to lose out if they had to prove in a subsequent insolvency.’
Radcliffe Chambers, 22nd April 2020
Source: radcliffechambers.com
‘The Covid19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown have created chaos for many businesses, rendering performance of existing contractual obligations difficult or impossible. This article looks at the potential legal remedies available to businesses facing such difficulties.’
Thomas More Chambers, 22nd April 2020
Source: www.thomasmore.co.uk
‘An electronic signature is data in electronic form which is attached to or logically associated with other data in electronic form, and which is used by a signatory to sign.’
The 36 Group, 15th April 2020
Source: 36group.co.uk
‘The Court of Appeal addressed in this case the interesting question of when it might be possible to exclude the right of a disclosed principal from enforcing and/or relying on the terms of a contract which does not expressly exclude such a principal from its remedies. The court considered the rare circumstances in which that might be a possibility, noting that they are rare indeed, as there is a strong presumption against finding that a disclosed but unnamed principal has given up their contractual remedies. Written by Adam Heppinstall, barrister, Henderson Chambers.’
Henderson Chambers, 17th April 2020
Source: www.hendersonchambers.co.uk
‘Force majeure is a continental law (Civil Code) concept addressing, in very general terms, some event or circumstance that causes the inability to perform obligations under a contract.’
3PB, 3rd April 2020
Source: www.3pb.co.uk
‘The Appellant (‘Mrs Butler’) entered into a CFA with the Respondent solicitors, (‘Bankside’) in respect of a claim for damages against one company, Metris, for termination of a commercial agency.’
Hardwicke Chambers, 15th April 2020
Source: hardwicke.co.uk
‘The Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, announced the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (“CJRS”) on 20th March 2020 with the aim to protect jobs during the crisis. A recent estimate is that this could cost £30-£40 billion over three months[1] and the take-up by businesses is much higher than expected such that 50% of companies are putting most of their staff into the scheme. We are all becoming familiar with the term ‘furlough’ (i.e. to allow or force someone to be absent temporarily from work) and up to nine million workers are now expected to be furloughed. The Scheme was necessarily hastily written in response to an unforeseen crisis and, despite government guidance issued on 27th March 2020 which was updated on 4th April 2020 and then again on 9th April 2020[4], employment lawyers are finding themselves advising on the gaps in the regime. The online service through which employers can make a claim is expected to be up and running by the end of April 2020 however in the interim employers, with the help of their advisors, are having to interpret the guidance to inform significant business decisions.’
Parklane Plowden, 14th April 2020
Source: www.parklaneplowden.co.uk
‘The Second Respondent (‘Mr Chernukhin’) was a prominent Russian businessman and former State official. In 2001, Mr Chernukhin entered into a joint venture with the Second Appellant (‘Mr Deripaska’), also a prominent Russian businessman, to acquire a controlling interest in a Russian textile company (‘TGM’). It was agreed between Mr Deripaska and Mr Chernukhin that each would contribute equally to the purchase, and that Mr Chernukhin’s then personal partner, one Ms Danilina, would be involved in running the business.’
Hardwicke Chambers, 6th April 2020
Source: hardwicke.co.uk
‘A contract may come to an end by operation of the doctrine of frustration when an unforeseen event makes performance impossible or radically different to what the parties originally intended. The doctrine applies to employment contracts as it does to other types of contract. However, it is an issue rarely encountered by employment lawyers. Tribunals are generally reluctant to find that an employment contract has been frustrated, largely because the doctrine allows employers to sidestep statutory protections afforded to employees. However, unprecedented times call for unprecedented measures, and frustration may become a useful tool in certain employers’ fight against the disruption caused by the Covid 19 pandemic.’
Parklane Plowden, 1st April 2020
Source: www.parklaneplowden.co.uk
‘Frustration and force majeure are legal concepts very much to the fore during the Covid-19 pandemic. John de Waal QC and Tom Bell review how they apply to the current coronavirus situation.’
Hardwicke Chambers, 14th April 2020
Source: hardwicke.co.uk
‘In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, governments around the world have been forced to impose draconian restrictions on the public’s freedom of movement and assembly, and the ability to work and trade. Although there is a growing international consensus that these measures are absolutely necessary to slow the rate of infection and save lives, it is undeniable that they, together with the pandemic itself, will have a profound impact on businesses and individual livelihoods.’
Forum Chambers, 7th April 2020
Source: www.forumchambers.com
‘As the United Kingdom is in the midst of an extended period of lockdown pursuant to the Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (England) Regulations 2020 (“the Coronavirus Regulations”), contracting parties are turning to the often overlooked force majeure clauses in their agreements.’
11 KBW, 9th April 2020
Source: www.11kbw.com
‘The recent judgment of Mrs Justice O’Farrell in Ohpen Operations UK Ltd v Invesco Fund Managers Ltd [2019] EWHC 2246 (TCC) provided a boost for anyone entering a contract who would prefer to utilise a pre-agreed dispute resolution process in the event of a future contractual disagreement. Specifically, the case provides valuable guidance on the court’s approach if asked to enforce a contractual dispute resolution clause providing for alternative dispute resolution (ADR).’
Falcon Chambers, April 2020
Source: www.falcon-chambers.com
‘What happens where a contracting party no longer wishes to perform their obligations because of COVID-19? This is likely to be a major source of disputes in the near future as contracts become uneconomic or difficult to perform because of the virus and the unprecedented disruption it is causing. What are the rights of the parties where an event has been cancelled because of COVID-19 but one of the parties has paid a deposit and the other has spent money preparing for it?’
4 New Square, 2nd April 2020
Source: www.4newsquare.com
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