Electronic execution of documents – Industry Working Group Final Report

The Industry Working Group on electronic execution (IWG) has published its Final Report which contains recommendations to promote and facilitate the electronic execution of documents. The IWG, a multi-disciplinary group of business, legal and technical experts, was established by the Government in the Spring of 2021 following the Law Commission’s 2019 report on the Electronic Execution of … Read more

Drafting contracts – key lessons from 2022

In our annual contract law update we consider a number of interesting contract law cases from 2022 which highlight key points for those involved in drafting or managing contracts. The cases we have chosen deal with formation, exclusion and limitation clauses, good faith, unexpected events and termination. In each case we give a brief summary … Read more

Consultation on extension of payment practices reporting regulations

The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy has published a consultation paper on its proposals to extend and strengthen the Reporting on Payment Practices and Performance Regulations 2017 and the Limited Liability Partnerships (Reporting on Payment Practices and Performance) Regulations 2017. The Regulations, which have applied since financial years beginning on or after 6 April 2017, require entities within … Read more

Business interruption insurance claims

The court has considered three claims in relation to insurance cover for business interruption losses in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. The claimants in the three cases (Stonegate, Greggs and Various Eateries) all operated in the hospitality industry and had various locations across the UK. In each case, the insurers did not dispute that … Read more

Updated practice note on electronic execution of documents

The Law Society and the City of London Law Society (CLLS) have published an updated version of their practice note on the electronic execution of documents. The changes made reflect developments since the practice note was first published in 2016, including the more widespread use of e-signing platforms and the publication in September 2019 of a … Read more

Payment practices – statutory review of the regulations published

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has published its statutory review of the Reporting on Payment Practices and Performance Regulations 2017. This follows its call for evidence on the Regulations issued in November 2021 (see our blog post here). Large UK companies and LLPs are required to report on their payment practices, policies and … Read more

Drafting contracts – key lessons from 2021

In our annual contract law update we consider a number of interesting contract law cases from 2021 which highlight key points for those involved in drafting or managing contracts. The cases we have chosen deal with formation, interpretation, frustration and force majeure, penalties, exclusion and limitation clauses, entire agreement clauses, execution and notice provisions. In … Read more

Law Commission paper on smart legal contracts

The Law Commission has published a paper which confirms that English law can accommodate smart legal contracts without the need for statutory reform. Smart legal contracts are legally binding contracts in which some or all obligations are performed automatically by a computer program that is usually run on a blockchain network. They are touted as … Read more