Tughans Solicitors

The Invisibility of Mental Health Issues in the Workplace – What employers need to know

A business owner recently informed me that an employee, absent due to stress at work, should be in the workplace as he “didn’t have a broken leg” and he suspected there was “nothing wrong with him”.  Unfortunately this view, by some employers, still prevails, ie if you cannot see an illness then that person really... Read More

GDPR & Consent – No Box Ticking Exercise

Following on from our previous article relating to the implementation of the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) in the UK, we are now focusing in on some of the fundamental changes due by May 2018. One of the core principles of GDPR is giving individuals genuine choice and control over how (and whether) their personal... Read More

A Lease By Another Name

At some point in your adult life, someone will likely quote (or commonly misquote) the Duck Test to you. For the benefit of clarity, the generally accepted expression is, “if it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it is probably a duck”. The origin of the expression... Read More

Send Them Packing

For August 2017, we have asked the employment team to provide practical answers to unusual, sensitive or complex work related queries. We call this feature “how do I handle it?” The articles are aimed at HR professionals and other managers who may need to deal from time to time with the less common place disputes... Read More

Have Your Cake And Eat It

Overage Clauses   Every seller wants to achieve the best possible price on a sale.  In the commercial property market sellers can be reluctant to agree a sale for fear of cashing out prematurely.  This is where overage clauses could provide some comfort and benefit to a seller. Overage provisions can enable a seller to... Read More

Lego – Suitable for all ages?

Over the course of their 85 year history, Danish toymakers Lego have seen their humble building block set the foundations for an entertainment empire encompassing video games and the movie industry. Some eight months ago, they hired 61 year old Bail Padda as their first non-Danish chief executive. Now Lego have announced that they will... Read More

Business Relationships: Coming To Blows

As the high-profile business relationship between Carl Frampton and Barry McGuigan reportedly breaks down, we look at some of the issues those going into business together should consider from the outset. Whatever the reason for going into business together, joint business owners should be aware that they will not always agree with the decisions, strategy... Read More

Don’t just shake it off – handling sexual harassment claims in the workplace

This Friday the world’s media spotlight was firmly fixed on US District Judge William Martinez as he presided over an extremely public legal battle between popstar Taylor Swift and the Denver radio presenter Robert Mueller. The dispute between the parties centred on an alleged groping incident at a pre-concert event in Denver in 2013 which... Read More

Lost in the post

A recent determination by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is another lesson about how sensitive information should be treated. The ICO has fined The Greater Manchester Police (GMP) £150,000 for losing DVDs containing footage of interviews with victims of violent or sexual crimes in the post. The GMP had sent three unencrypted DVDs, showing victims... Read More

Companies House changes mean new reporting requirements for businesses

What are the changes to ‘The Persons with Significant Control’ regime and how will they affect my business? The Persons with Significant Control (“PSC”) regime was first introduced on 6th April 2016 under the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act it requires certain companies to file information about their ownership and management which is contained... Read More