Parties in financial remedy proceedings on divorce need to be alive to the implications that their behaviour may have on their final settlement by way of costs orders. Both parties in the recent case of E v L (No 2 Costs) [2021] EWFC 63 were penalised in costs; the husband for failing to negotiate reasonably and pursuing ‘conduct’ against the wife, and the wife for her litigation misconduct ...
The purpose of this article is to report on a recent proof before answer hearing that was conducted fully remotely, and to set out some tentative thoughts on the future of remote hearings based on that experience. This is not intended to suggest that what was done should be followed in all hearings ...
The ESG Disclosure Rules have been introduced in response to the increased investor appetite for socially and environmentally responsible investments and to ensure that Jersey maintains its high regulatory standards amid global concerns regarding ‘greenwashing’ (firms marketing investments which appear more environmentally and socially focussed than they are in reality) ...
Chemours Company FC, LLC v. Daikin Industries, Ltd., Appeal Nos. 2020-1289, -1290 (Fed. Cir. July 22, 2021) In this week’s Case of the Week, the Federal Circuit reversed a PTAB decision in consolidated IPRs that two patents were unpatentable as obvious. The Court held that the Board erred in reaching its conclusions both in terms of what the prior art taught and in application of objective indicia of nonobviousness ...
Key Points In Martin v. California Coastal Commission, the Court of Appeal issued a rare opinion discussing local policies that are designed to manage and mitigate coastal bluff erosion. The court upheld a permit condition that required a new home to be set back 79 feet from the edge of a coastal bluff. The court reaffirmed that the policy at issue requires new development to be reasonably safe from failure and erosion over the entirety of the development’s lifetime ...
We are very excited to be supporting the UN Global Compact Network UK’s ‘Transitioning to a Net Zero’ webinar series. The opening webinar, ‘Business Transition to a Net Zero and Resilient World’ took place on Thursday, 1 July 2021 during London Climate Action Week. The webinar saw government representatives, experts and business leaders discuss their vision of a net zero, climate resilient world, and the actions they are taking to get there ...
The question sometimes arises in a divorce as to whether one or both parties have mental capacity to litigate. If a party lacks that mental capacity, they will need someone to make decisions for them during the divorce process. This person is called a ‘litigation friend’ ...
The death of a loved one is a difficult time and situations in which a Will is contested can be an additional burden. Challenging or contesting a Will in Scotland is slightly different from the rest of the UK and this guide is designed to set out the main grounds of challenge to a Will on both sides of the border. Disputes can arise because of a poorly drafted Will, where there is a disappointed beneficiary or where a loved one appears to have been “disinherited” ...
The holder of intellectual property (IP) rights is entitled to a variety of remedies for infringement of those rights. These include, an order for delivery (or destruction) of the offending goods, interdict (injunction) to restrain any further infringement, and damages or an account of profits. This article focuses on the level of financial compensation available to holders of IP rights once they have established their rights have been infringed ...
Key Points In Save Lafayette Trees v. East Bay Regional Park District, two of the parties to the lawsuit entered into an agreement in an attempt to extend the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA;” Pub. Resources Code, § 21000 et seq.) deadline to file a lawsuit ...
A group of 50 striking employees confront their manager in his office. An altercation ensues, which culminates in the manager being violently assaulted. Only five of the striking employees are caught “red-handed”, having been identified as the perpetrators of the violent assault. The rest are only identified as having been there when the assault took place ...
Class Action 30633-05-18 Smuelitz v. Korean Air Co., Ltd Our firm successfully represented Korean Air in a motion to certify a class action suit alleging a failure to refund airport taxes on unused flight tickets. As part of its motion, the plaintiffs requested that Korean Air automatically reimburse airport taxes for unused flight tickets, and pay substantial monetary compensation, for failure to reimburse ...
The European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (“EIOPA”) is entrusted with 1 issuing guidelines and recommendations to Member States’ supervisory authorities on how insurance and reinsurance undertakings should apply the Solvency II Directive 2 in order to (i) establish consistent, efficient and effective supervisory practices and (ii) ensure the common, uniform and consistent application of Union law ...
With the purpose of promoting the development of clean energies, the Government is preparing new public tenders of State-owned land, to award lots in 20 different properties (see summary table at the end). This offering is significant because more than 40% of the installed capacity in renewable energy generation is on State-owned land. Currently, there are 200 executed contracts for about 80,000 hectares of land for this type of project ...
In Secretariat Consulting Pte Ltd v A Company [2021] EWCA Civ 6, England’s Court of Appeal held that, depending on the terms of the retainer, the relationship between a provider of litigation support services/expert and his or her client, may have one of the characteristics of a fiduciary relationship, namely a duty of loyalty or, to put it another way, a duty to avoid conflicts of interest ...
The HKIAC recently published its “Average Costs and Duration Report”, which reveals some interesting statistics about the average cost and duration of arbitrations administered by the HKIAC under the HKIAC Administered Arbitration Rules (Rules). The statistics are derived from cases in which a final award was issued between 1 November 2013 and 31 May 2021 (Relevant Period) ...
In Septo Trading Inc v Tintrade Ltd [2021] EWCA Civ 718, the issue before England’s Court of Appeal was whether a quality certificate issued by an independent inspector at the load port was intended to be conclusive evidence of the quality of a consignment of fuel oil supplied under an international sale contract ...
In Secretariat Consulting Pte Ltd v A Company [2021] EWCA Civ 6, England’s Court of Appeal held that, depending on the terms of the retainer, the relationship between a provider of litigation support services/expert and his or her client, may have one of the characteristics of a fiduciary relationship, namely a duty of loyalty or, to put it another way, a duty to avoid conflicts of interest ...
Whether remote hearings are desirable for civil proofs is controversial, but this account of a substantial proof in the Commercial Court suggests it was a positive experience The purpose of this article is to report on a recent proof before answer hearing that was conducted fully remotely, and to set out some tentative thoughts on the future of remote hearings based on that experience. This is not intended to suggest that what was done should be followed in all hearings ...
BOT M8 LLC v. Sony Corporation, Appeal No. 2020-2218 (Fed. Cir. July 13, 2021) In this week’s Case of the Week, the Federal Circuit addressed the stringency of pleading requirements alleging patent infringement. At issue in the case was Bot M8 LLC’s lawsuit against Sony Corporation of America, alleging infringement of six patents relating to gaming machines ...
If you are the owner of an ageing wind, hydro or solar installation that receives Feed in Tariffs (FiTs), you may be considering replacing part or all of the generating equipment to upgrade your installation. "Will repairing or replacing the generating equipment affect my accreditation?" This is something we are being asked increasingly often and, frustratingly, the FiT Legislation and Guidance is inconclusive on this point. But not for much longer ...
The built environment contributes 20% of the nation's greenhouse gas emissions, making it a key player in tackling the ambitious challenges we face on the journey to a low or net zero society. How we heat (and cool) our buildings is a crucial element in reducing carbon emissions. But there is no single answer that will deliver the required emissions reductions to achieve government targets ...
Co-hosted by the Texas Solar Power Association Developing EPC Contracts involves many different stakeholders from investors, developers, contractors, and equipment suppliers. Allocating risk to the party that is in the best position to manage and control the risk is important to keep costs contained. Factors such as technology, cost constraints, schedule, stakeholders, safety, and performance are just some of the major issues that affect risk allocation ...