Many business owners start companies with friends, family members or long-time colleagues. While those relationships may provide a strong foundation, they offer little protection when disagreements arise, responsibilities become unequal or the business comes under financial pressure. We regularly advise business owners whose working relationships have broken down, often because important legal and financial safeguards were never put in place.
The EU Artificial Intelligence Act (EU AI Act) creates a risk-based framework for the development, supply and use of artificial intelligence. Although it is an EU law, it may apply to UK businesses that develop or supply AI systems to EU customers, place AI systems on the EU market, or provide AI-powered services whose outputs are used in the EU. This article explains the EU AI Act’s rules on prohibited AI practices, transparency obligations, high-risk AI systems and copyright-related requirements for certain AI models, before considering the UK’s current regulatory approach and the practical implications for data protection, automated decision-making, consumer protection and commercial contracts.
Supreme Court Clarifies the Scope of Contractual Compensation Clauses: Implications for Commercial Contracts
The UK Supreme Court’s decision in Great Asia Maritime Ltd v Orion Shipping and Trading LLC [2026] UKSC 23 provides important guidance on the relationship between contractual remedies and common law rights. Although the dispute arose from a ship sale agreement, the judgment has wider significance for businesses entering into commercial contracts across all sectors.
For many years, pensions have been one of the most effective tools for IHT planning, allowing individuals (particularly business owners and senior professionals) to pass on substantial wealth outside of their taxable estate. However, significant legislative changes coming into force from 6 April 2027 will fundamentally alter this position.
Chris Brain (pictured), joined Bermans in September 2020 and is a Solicitor in our Insolvency team. We spoke to him to learn more about him and his work.
Changes have been made to the UK’s data protection regime through the introduction of the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 (DUAA). Whilst the provisions considered in this article are already in force, others will be introduced over time. The DUAA does not replace the UK’s existing data protection legislation (including the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA 2018) and the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003 (PECR)) but will make some changes to that legislation in order to simplify the UK’s data protection regime.
Sean Hughes spent much of his life making audiences laugh. Yet the legal dispute that followed his death is a serious reminder that when it comes to wills, there is little room for humour. The decade‑long court battle over the comedian’s estate shows, in stark terms, how informal drafting can leave even clear intentions tied up in costly uncertainty.
Bermans has successfully acted for the Appellant in a significant Court of Appeal decision (Kiko UK Limited v Pianoforte Holdings SpA [2026] EWCA Civ 513) concerning the scope of a parent company guarantee under a lease of commercial property.
The Employment Rights Act 2025 came into force on 18th December 2025 and marks a fundamental shift in UK employment law, introducing wide‑ranging reforms that significantly increase employer obligations while strengthening worker protections.
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Chris Brain (pictured), joined Bermans in September 2020 and is a Solicitor in our 
