Legal views – Page 68
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Part 36 revisited
The Civil Procedure Rules are set up to encourage formal offers of settlement. But what if the deal is proposed by a counterclaiming defendant?
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The duty to warn
If a dentist treating one tooth notices that another is rotten, he has a professional duty to tell the patient. Unfortunately, the duty to warn isn’t always so straightforward
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Can a partner also be a worker?
The Appeal Tribunal has ruled that it makes no difference if someone is a partner in a firm and is posted abroad - UK law still entitles them to bring a claim of discrimination
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As the judge said to the lap dancer
Whether a site worker is self-employed or an employee is a debate that’s been bugging our industry for years. Parallels can be found in a case from a very different industry
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How to avoid going bust
The recent demise of the John Doyle Group illustrates how hard it can be for contractors to obtain payment in a recession, but there are ways to improve cashflow
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SuDs law: Sustainable drainage systems
Legislation compelling developers to build sustainable, rather than piped, drainage systems comes into force in October. Here’s how it will work
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Getting an offered settlement right
Failing to incorporate all of the relevant parts of the Civil Procedure Rules into an offered settlement is just an invitation to future drawn-out disputes
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Same case, two places at once
When the same case came before the TCC and an adjudicator at the same time, one party’s barrister politely asked the TCC judge to go away. Here’s what he decided to do instead
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Don't waive legal privilege goodbye
Legal professional privilege can be inadvertently waived, meaning you will have to hand over potentially damaging information. Here’s how to stop that happening
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Procurement: Following the fashions
As the government prepares to implement its Construction Strategy, Peter Hibberd looks back on how the world of procurement has changed over the past 50 years
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Supply-only deals: Beware your own small print
Supply-only deals don’t normally go to adjudication but here’s one that did largely because neither side had a clue what the terms of the contract said
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Ghana: A modern legal outlook
Oil revenue, high growth and political stability are expected to generate extensive construction opportunities in Ghana. So how does the legal regime work?
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How to follow a pre-action protocol
A pre-action protocol could help resolve your dispute and avoid a costly court procedure - but it involves more than simply complying with a set of rules
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Letters of intent: Use with caution
If work has to start before a full contract is in place, a letter of intent seems like a convenient solution. But beware - they can lead to all sorts of complications
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When pay-when-certified goes wrong
Pay-when-certified is fine in theory, but it tends not to work if the date of completion is plucked from thin air
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Point West vs Mivan: Blast from the past
A dispute over who should cough up for the costs of making good defects to a penthouse hinged on a fundamental aspect of contract law: what did the contract originally intend?
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Agree how to disagree
From picking the right decision makers to getting the cash, dispute resolution is a minefield - it pays to have clear provisions in place before a project even begins
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New CIOB contract: Testing terms
Is the CIOB Complex Projects Contract a bit too, well, complex? It will be interesting to hear what clients and contractors think …
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Changes to bankruptcy proceedings: No credit where it's due
Some of the proposed reforms to petitioning for bankruptcy are to be welcomed but others will hit creditors at a time when they are already struggling for survival
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QSs and performance bonds
A QS can go to great lengths to get a contractor to put a performance bond in place. But if the contractor won’t pay for the bond, why blame the QS when the proverbial hits the fan?