Tendering process whereby the contractor tenders the project based on initial outline design and a basic programme. The employer selects a contractor to work with during the second stage. During the second stage, the contractor works with and advises the employer in relation to buildability, developing the specification and detailed designs and planning and making preparations for the construction phase of the works and the contractor will finalise its price.

Under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 s.23(2), a two-tier area is either: a district for which there is a district council and in relation to which a county council has the functions of a county council; or a county for which there is a county council and in which there are districts, all of which have district councils.

Law360, London: A businessman imprisoned for a £2.5m property fraud has been sentenced to another eight years in prison for defaulting on a £4.5m court order that was part of legal proceedings to recover money taken in a failed deal to develop a luxury apartment.

Law360, London: The son of a diamond tycoon accused of swindling US$1bn from banks lost his application for a court-ordered review of his legal bills from Howard Kennedy on 25 April 2025 as the High Court said he knew of the climbing costs linked to his international fraud case.

Tying and bundling have largely been addressed under EU competition law in the context of abuse of dominance. Tying is specifically mentioned in Article 102(d) TFEU as 'making the conclusion of contracts subject to the acceptance by the other parties of supplementary obligations which, by their nature or according to commercial usage, have no connection with the subject of such contracts'. A number of EU competition investigations have raised concerns about tying and bundling by companies with market power (ie, dominance). These include high-profile cases in more traditional products and services markets, and in newer technology markets (for example, in cases involving Microsoft’s tying of its media player and browser to its operating system). In recent years, allegations over the free distribution of products and services using digitisation and the internet have been formulated as anti-competitive tying and bundling, in particular in recent complaints against Google and Meta. This has raised questions about whether the traditional approach of competition authorities to tying and bundling is suitable to address potential foreclosure issues in newer markets. The Commission’s Guidelines

Tying or bundling concerns the acceptance by the other parties of supplementary obligations which, by their nature or according to commercial usage, have no connection with the subject of such contracts. The General Court’s 2007 decision in the Microsoft case upheld the Commission’s 2004 decision that Microsoft had unlawfully tied its Media Player (WMP) with the Windows Operating System (WOS) thereby foreclosing innovation and limiting consumer choice. The case involved technical tying through the technical integration of one product (WMP) into another (WOS).

Schedule 2 to the Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003 (ITEPA 2003) uses the phrase an ‘award of shares’ to identify shares that are either appropriated to employees or acquired on behalf of employees on a particular occasion. Therefore, where numerous employees are awarded shares at the same time pursuant to the same invitation, each employee is considered to have participated in the same award of shares. A company which establishes a share incentive plan (SIP) which provides for the acquisition of partnership shares is under no obligation to offer free shares and vice versa. A SIP may impose a qualifying period of employment which must be the same for all participants in the plan. The maximum qualifying period varies depending on the type of award and whether there is an accumulation period. For further details, see Practice Note: SIPs—who can be granted an award? This Practice Note looks at the four different types of award under a SIP, those being: • partnership shares • matching shares • free shares, and • dividend

UK battery strategy The UK battery strategy brings together government activity to ‘achieve a globally competitive battery supply chain by 2030, that supports economic prosperity and the net zero transition’. The strategy was developed with the UK battery strategy taskforce. Through the strategy the UK aims to • design and develop batteries the batteries of the future • strengthen the resilience of UK manufacturing supply chains • enable the development of a sustainable battery industry This strategy forms part of the government’s smarter regulation programme that began in May 2023. In the UK, batteries are regulated by the Waste Batteries and Accumulators Regulations 2009 (WBAR 2009) and Batteries and Accumulators (Placing on the Market) Regulations 2008 (BAPMR 2008). These regulations implemented the requirements of the Batteries Directive 2006/66/EC. For information on the Batteries Directive and batteries regulation in the EU, see Practice Note: Batteries Directive—snapshot. Types of batteries WBAR 2009 distinguish between three categories of battery: • portable • industrial • automotive Obligations differ depending on the battery type. Portable batteries A ‘portable

STOP PRESS: On 16 March 2026, Companies House issued a statement that on Friday 13 March, Companies House was made aware of a security issue which meant that a logged-in user of the WebFiling service could potentially access and change some elements of another company’s details without their consent after performing a specific set of actions. Companies House have stated that no existing filed documents, such as accounts or confirmation statements could have been altered. However, there is a risk that certain personal details could have been accessed and that unauthorised filings could have been made. Companies House has recommended that companies check their registered details and filing history. Lenders may want borrowers to confirm that this has been done and that everything is in order. Note that the WebFiling service is also used by limited liability partnerships who wish to file digitally and therefore Lenders may want borrowers who are limited liability partnerships to also check their registered details and filing history. This Practice Note gives a brief outline of the types of borrowers

This Practice Note provides an introduction to two types of cargo carrier, common carriers and private carriers, and explains the key aspects of their respective liabilities under their contractual relationships. The Practice Note concerns the carriage of goods only and not the carriage of passengers. Definition of carrier A ‘carrier’ can be simply defined as a person who carries cargo (or indeed carries passengers but passenger carriage is outside the scope of this Practice Note) for the benefit of other persons, whether gratuitously or for payment (or reward). The types of carrier are: • common carriers • private carriers • other types of carriers with special rights and duties For the avoidance of doubt, the following are not carriers: • stevedores • forwarding agents who merely arrange or procure carriage by others While they are not carriers for the purposes of this Practice Note, it is worth mentioning that logistics companies will often contract with their

This Practice Note considers the different types of claim a claimant may bring in relation to injuries caused by an animal including a claim under the Animals Act 1971 (AA 1971), in negligence, under occupiers’ liability, in trespass against the person and nuisance. The Practice Note also contains a useful checklist to assist when considering which causes of action may apply. Main causes of action The first step in any claim involving an injury caused by an animal is to decide what your causes of action are. The choice is between the following: • AA 1971 • negligence • occupiers’ liability • trespass against the person • nuisance Selecting a cause of action The main difference between

Commercial letters of credit (also known as traditional letters of credit or L/Cs) are used as a method of payment in the context of international and domestic trade. For information on commercial letters of credit in general, see Practice Note: Characteristics of commercial letters of credit. The simplest form of a commercial letter of credit is an undertaking by a bank (known as the issuing bank) to pay the beneficiary of the letter of credit (usually the seller of goods) a specific sum within a specified time limit against the presentation of specific documents (eg the shipping documents of the goods being sold to the buyer) in accordance with the terms of the letter of credit. Different variations of commercial letters of credit exist. Each type has advantages and disadvantages. For a seller who requests payment under a sales contract by way of letter of credit, irrevocable confirmed letters of credit which provide for payment at sight are the most advantageous. The Uniform Customs and Practice for Documentary Credits (the UCP) is incorporated