Adrian Fryer
Handling appeals can feel like revisiting ground you would rather leave behind. However, from a legal perspective, offering an appeal is not optional in most cases – it is a fundamental part of a fair dismissal process.
Continue ReadingAdrian Fryer
Last month, the Government released its latest ‘name and shame’ list of employers who failed to pay national minimum wage to their workers. On the list were high profile names including Costa, Bupa, and Hovis. This potentially reputationally damaging naming and shaming process sits alongside fines of up to 200% of the value of the underpayment. Paying national minimum wage incorrectly can be costly in more ways than one.
Continue ReadingAdrian Fryer
April marks the month each year where changes to statutory rates come into force. Most rate changes take effect from 6th April (to align with the start of the new tax year).
The statutory rates for family leave, sick pay, redundancy and the cap on unfair dismissal compensatory awards are, from 6th April 2026, as follows:
Continue ReadingWork has started to create a new five-court padel venue in Southport which is scheduled to open in June.
Site clearance and groundworks are under way at the six-figure Birkdale Padel Club development in Victoria Park, which is the first project by Sefton Padel.
Continue ReadingThe Renters’ Rights Act introduces the most significant tenancy reform in decades, with major changes coming into force from 1 May 2026.
For landlords, understanding these reforms now is essential to staying compliant, protecting assets, and avoiding costly pitfalls.
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Charlotte Mills (pictured), joined Bermans in March 2024 and is a partner in our Corporate team. We spoke to her to learn more about her and her work.
Continue ReadingExperience suggests that the issue of fraud in invoice finance remains a persistent problem. Inherent in the operation of the sale of receivables is the temptation for unscrupulous or desperate directors to create ‘fresh air’ invoices, which do not represent the product of any genuine trading (or sometimes which exaggerate the extent of otherwise genuine trading), whether from the start of the facility or during times of poor trading.
Continue ReadingAt the end of this Summer, the Supreme Court delivered its anticipated judgment in the joint appeals in Hopcraft v Close Brothers Limited [2025] UKSC 33. The decision focused on motor finance, but the Court’s findings have far broader implications for all sectors in which brokerage services are available, including the invoice finance industry. The decision has come as welcome news across the UK finance world, though the story of compensation in relation to broker commission seems likely to rumble on for some time to come.
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The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (the Act) introduces a new era of corporate accountability in the UK. In two of our previous articles from March 2025 and November 2023, we explored the broader reforms introduced by the Act — including the push for greater transparency and the overhaul of Companies House powers. Now, with the mandatory identity verification (IDV) regime coming into force this month – a move designed to enhance transparency, reduce fraud, and prevent misuse of UK corporate structures, it’s time to focus on what businesses must do to comply.
Jon Davage
What’s Changing?
Big changes to Inheritance Tax (IHT) are on the horizon—and they could significantly affect owner-managed businesses.
While farmers have dominated headlines with protests over IHT reforms, business owners may be equally impacted, yet the changes have flown under the radar.
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