Tughans Solicitors

Tughans Employment Law and Difficult Workplace Scenarios; Unclear Medical Evidence

One of our employees is currently signed off work with a medical condition which does not reflect the condition which the employee has informed us in emails that he is suffering from, being severe depression. What are our options – can we rely on the sick-lines, or do we need to seek a medical report?... Read More

How do I handle it?

Patricia Rooney, Director at Tughans examines the following problem and offers practical advice… We operate a small local company.  I have heard a lot about auto enrolment and staging dates and requirement to provide a pension for our employees.  Some of the staff are already members of an occupational pension scheme but I am confused as... Read More

Upcoming ban on Corporate Directors

As part of the Government’s drive to encourage transparency, a ban on the use of corporate directors will come into force as part of The Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 (the “Act”), which applies to all parts of the UK. Under the terms of the Act, all company directors will have to be... Read More

Balancing the Board

In 2011, Lord Davies published “Women on Boards”, a report which favoured a voluntary, business-led approach rather than quotas for greater female board representation. The report recommended that the FTSE 100 aim for 25% women directors by 2015.  A review of this report, published on 29 October 2015, highlighted that this target has been exceeded... Read More

The future looks busy for M&A market

Ulster Business caught up with corporate transaction specialist John-George Willis to find out what’s in store for the mergers and acquisition market in the months ahead   Activity in the Northern Ireland mergers and acquisition (M&A) market will continue to pick up pace in the years ahead in light of attractive valuations, the emergence of... Read More

When is a Penalty Not A Penalty?

Considering the recent Supreme Court decision in Cavendish Square Holding BV v El Makdessi and ParkingEye Ltd v Beavis UKSC 67   Summary The Supreme Court handed down judgment in the El Makdessi and ParkingEye consolidated appeals on 4 November 2015.  In doing so, it provided a restatement of the rule against penalties, which... Read More

Majority Rule

I’m a minority shareholder in a private limited company and am being left in the dark when it comes to pretty fundamental decisions. What should I do? Most Northern Irish companies only have a small number of shareholders, usually 2 or 3. It’s often the case that these shareholders are also the people who manage... Read More

Invoice Financing Versus Bank Loans

Both bank loans and invoice financing are favourable sources of finance for businesses but what is invoice financing and how does it differ from a bank loan? Bank loans are credit facilities offered by banks, with a fixed amount, usually a fixed term and repayments required on a regular basis. Factoring and invoice discounting have... Read More

Holiday Pay – How Much Does It Cost?

In this article, Patricia Rooney, Director in Tughans’ Employment Department considers the implication of recent cases about holiday pay. There has been much case law about payments to employees whilst on holiday. The decision of the Court of Justice of the European Union in Williams v British Airways held that airline pilots were entitled to... Read More

Investment, right for you?

There are currently very different perspectives of the economic forecast for Northern Ireland. According to recent press, there is a high level of investment in local businesses but beware the spectre of public sector austerity and the restraining pressures of the Eurozone. Tughans work with both local businesses seeking investment and funders looking to invest... Read More