News & Insights

We are all learning to adapt and cope with new technologies and challenges. It was great to present on issues relevant to collectors and museums with my colleague Becky Shaw. We covered the topics of insurance and

Retail agents teamed with data consultancies are racing to come up with new and innovative leasing models that would see rents linked to footfall and would include online sales. 

Long leases with

Legislation has recently been introduced to allow Wills to be validly witnessed by video link rather than in person.  A testator still needs to sign a Will in the presence of two or more witnesses present at the

An entrepreneurial business plan and a fascinating use of commercial space in central London. Entocycle, which currently operates from railway arches at London Bridge, "feeds local food waste – typically surplus

At the end of 2019, the Senior Living sector was following hot on the heels of the BTR and Student Accommodation sectors. At the opposite end of the age spectrum, by targeting the elderly, investors were looking to

The decision by the BVI government to create a publicly accessible register of company ownership predictably has been broadly welcomed. Like many offshore jurisdictions, the world's go-to destination for holding

So much has been written about how the pandemic is going to see the death of the office.  Office space is, after all, one of the biggest expenses of any business. Surely, the move to mass home working means that

Amazon has unveiled an indoor drone which is capable of surveilling homes. How long will it be until the same technology is adopted for virtual viewings of commercial properties? Not long, one would have thought,

Could landlords go further to support restaurant / pub / nightclub tenants? Some tenants might suggest that landlords agree (either on a lease renewal or in a deed of variation to a current lease) that rent will be

An increasing number of family offices are looking at direct investment. The attraction of lower fees coupled with the ability to have greater influence over investments is attractive.

Historically private

With investors looking to increase their asset allocation to crypto assets, the ability of regulators to keep up with minimising risk for participants is becoming increasingly important.

There is also a lack of

Family offices and HNWs don't have the same constraints as institutional investors; for one they can afford to take a very long term view.

Pre-Covid the competitiveness of capital was high and many HNWs and

Although neighbours cannot generally stop a property owner from carrying out works, their interests can be protected in a number of ways through the party wall procedure. If you are intending to carry out works which

Will we ever see office occupiers sign up to a 10+ year city centre lease again? 

Many may not and the demand for more flexible space looks set to increase. Indeed, some existing serviced office providers

On 1 September 2020, new planning use class E came into force. Use class E groups together shops, restaurants, offices, gyms, GP's and nurseries into one planning use class. As such, it is now possible to switch

The postponement of the Budget is yet another peculiarity of 2020 fostered by Covid 19. Not a few people had forecast that the long heralded removal of certain tax reliefs would finally come to pass this autumn as a

The Jersey Royal Court held recently that it had no power to set aside the establishment of a Jersey Foundation on the grounds of mistake. 

The regime governing Jersey Foundations is contained in the

The International Trade Secretary recently established 11 trade advisory groups (TAGs) to help advise on Brexit trade negotiations. The construction sector was not one of them, which is surprising given the Prime

Rupert Merson (adjunct professor at London Business School) has written an interesting piece on how family businesses have more in common than they realise.

In particular he discusses the interesting phenomenon

Retirees (at the age when retirement is first possible for most of us!) are the group most vulnerable to coronaviruses and are naturally concerned to stay safe.  Equally, what is staying safe worth if it results