If yours is one of the many businesses closed down and/or trying to operate with one hand tied behind your back as a result of the lockdown, you will no doubt have checked all your business insurance policies for a “notifiable disease extension” (or the like) clause. If you are fortunate enough to have such cover and your claim for losses has been rejected by the insurers, you will be wondering whether the recent high-profile High Court decision in favour of a restaurant has come to your rescue.

We analyse that judgment with particular emphasis on the two things which you must prove for your claim to be valid, with some thoughts on the importance of the wording of your particular policy, and with a recommendation on complaining to the industry authority if you feel you have been treated unfairly.

The lockdown laws we are subject to are many, varied and easily broken, with substantial penalties for contraventions. 

Anyone accused of breaking any of them will probably be offered the option of paying an “admission of guilt” fine. If that happens to you, just be very careful before opting to go that route – tempting as it is to pay up and put the whole thing behind you, it could land you with a criminal record.

And a criminal record is very bad news - we look at why that is and when you are most at risk, and we discuss how difficult it is to get rid of a criminal record once you have one. 

Property subsidence is every homeowner’s nightmare. Perhaps you’ve noticed those cracks in the living room wall widening alarmingly, or perhaps the pool is moving and starting to leak. Suddenly you fear for the integrity of your house and property. 

The neighbour, who is happily excavating next door for a new house or garage or pool, can’t or won’t address your concerns. “It’s your problem” says the neighbour, “I’m building strictly according to plan”.

Where do you stand legally? What can you do to protect your land and house, or to recover your losses if the damage has already been done? We address those questions with reference to a new and “ground-breaking” Supreme Court of Appeal judgment. 

The lockdown and all its business stresses and strains are exposing companies to new and greater risks of unlawful conduct and loss.

With that comes an increased need to protect yourself and your business from those risks, so we’ll refer you to online resources discussing (a) why every company should encourage whistleblowing in the workplace and (b) how you should go about it. 

We’ll end off with links to the websites of two whistleblowing platforms making it easy to encourage effective and anonymous online reporting.