General News

3PB’s specialist Property and Estates Barristers Charles Irvine and Rebecca Farrell issue an updated guide on the rights of commercial landlords and their tenants during the Coronavirus pandemic. The guide reviews the existing position for commercial landlords and their tenants as well as an update on the latest Government’s announcement on 23rd April 2020. To read the full guide please click here. To discuss this further with Charles or Rebecca, please contact Chambers Director Mark Heath to schedule...

3PB’s specialist Property and Regulatory Law Barrister Joshua Dubin warns local authorities about their right-to-buy lease terms when major works are being planned. Piechnik v Oxford City Council [2020] EWHC 960 (QB) – Mrs Justice Tipples DBE In a judgment with significant implications for right-to-buy (‘RTB’) long leaseholders, the High Court has held that a local authority lessor does not have an extended right of entry implied into such leases in order to carry out works...

3PB’s Rachael Goodall, instructed by Trethowans LLP, appeared for the wife in a case involving the treatment of pensions on divorce. The case was before HHJ Hess, Deputy Lead Judge of the Financial Remedy Court. The authority quotes widely from the Pensions Advisory Group report published in 2019 and has very useful guidance as to how pensions should be treated on divorce. Rachael was successful in arguing that the total £2.1m pension fund should be shared...

Following the recent decision of Re Debenhams Retail Ltd (In Administration) [2020] EWHC 921 (Ch) which applied Re Carluccio’s Limited [2020] EWHC 886 (Ch), 3PB’s specialist Employment and Commercial Barristers Daniel Brown and Rebecca Farrell join forces to review the Carluccio’s decision. Daniel Brown and Rebecca Farrell provide an analysis of this decision which serves to provide guidance to joint administrators who wished to retain employees under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme but only if...

In Zenith Logistics Services (UK) Ltd and others v Coury [2020] EWHC 774 (QB), 3PB’s Victoria Jones appeared before the Queens Bench Division in a successful appeal against a Master’s refusal  to approve a Tomlin Order on the basis that the Schedule attached to the Order was contrary to the principles of open justice because its terms were confidential to the parties. Victoria Jones was instructed by Lucy Nash of Royds Withy King. To read the full article please click here.

3PB's Indirect Tax barrister Max Schofield is conducting a complimentary Webinar in conjunction with London Tax Society on recent VAT cases and Tribunal developments arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic. The webinar at 6.00pm on 28 April 2020 is aimed at those with up to 10-years PQE. Click here to sign up.

3PB’s Personal Injury and Clinical Negligence Team is pleased to be hosting a virtual quiz, in aid of the Child Brain Injury Trust, at 7pm on Friday 1st May 2020. We would be delighted if you could join us. All the usual rounds, together with ‘team breakout rooms’ and the wooden spoon! The Child Brain Injury Trust is the leading voluntary sector organisation providing support for those people affected by childhood acquired brain injury across...

3PB’s specialist Commercial and Property Law Barrister Thomas Talbot-Ponsonby has issued an update on tax for both residential Landlords and Tenants. The article finds that the Coronavirus outbreak has come at difficult time for landlords due to the previous changes that will come into full effect on 6 April 2020. The current changes have been phased over the last three tax years, 25% at a time however on top of the new laws introduced by...

3PB’s specialist Education and Regulatory Law Barrister Jennifer Agyekum has successfully appealed a decision made by Ofsted to cancel the registration of a child-minder. Judgement followed a five day hearing and the decision of SB v Ofsted concluded that it would be disproportionate to cancel the registration of the child-minder and imposed realistic conditions that were both proportionate and appropriate. To read the full decision please click here. This case follows soon after fellow 3PB...

3PB’s Head of Property and Estates Group Matthew Cannings and Alex Leonhardt, pupil barrister, have produced an update for residential landlords and tenants during the Coronavirus pandemic.  The article considers the implications of the Coronavirus Act 2020 and Practice Direction 51Z of the Civil Procedure Rules and what the new provisions mean for residential landlords and tenants, including the imposition of a 90-day stay on most possession proceedings and the new three-month notice requirement. Click...

3PB family barrister Steven Howard has added two new videos to his useful series of guides to creating ebundles for use in the family courts. The next two videos cover: Creating an ebundle from individual documents; and creating a clickable index. View the new videos here: How to create ebundles for the Family Court

3PB barrister Cheryl Jones writes about wrongful trading and provides an update on what's changing in the light of the current COVID-19 pandemic. Read the full article here - 'Suspension of wrongful trading provisions' by Cheryl Jones. What is wrongful trading and what are its consequences? Wrongful trading takes place when one or more Directors knows or ought to have known that the Company had no reasonable prospect of avoiding going into administration or insolvent...