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Does dishonesty mean that nobody pays? Not necessarily. A recent Court of Appeal decision, Ward v Donnellan [2026] EWCA Civ 729, provides an important reminder about how courts approach legal costs where both parties have behaved dishonestly. The starting point… In civil litigation, the general rule is: Costs usually follow the event. In simple terms, the party who loses will normally be expected to pay the successful party's reasonable legal costs. But judges have discretion

A recent Court of Appeal decision provides an important reminder for landlords, tenants, property owners and anyone involved in a legal dispute: Submitting a claim form is not the end of the process. In Bali v 1–2 Couriers Ltd [2025] EWCA Civ 1413, the Court of Appeal considered a deceptively simple question: When is a claim form actually “issued”? The answer is important. A claim form is issued when the court seals/stamps it — not when the court posts it or when the claimant

It’s a question many couples may never think about until it’s too late. A recent family law case has highlighted an important concept: “matrimonialisation.” In simple terms, an asset that started life as one spouse’s personal/non-matrimonial asset can, depending on how it is treated during the marriage, become treated as a marital asset when the couple divorces. But it’s not automatic. Consider this example… Imagine one spouse enters a marriage with a substantial pension buil

A recent Court of Appeal decision has given landlords, developers and leaseholders some important guidance on a surprisingly tricky question: What actually counts as a “building” under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1987? Why does it matter? Because where a landlord wants to sell a freehold containing multiple blocks of flats, qualifying tenants may have a right of first refusal. And getting the “building” question wrong could have serious consequences. The Court of Appeal’s mes

You invest time and money training an employee, only for them to leave and use those newly acquired skills elsewhere. It is understandable why employers want to recover those costs. However, the recent Court of Appeal decision in Geeks Ltd v Watts [2026] shows that training clawback clauses must be carefully drafted and proportionate. Mr. Watts (W) joined Geeks Ltd (G) as a trainee quality assurance engineer on a salary of £18,000, rising over time to £22,000. Alongside his e