Nothing puts a smile onto a shopkeeper’s face like the Festive Season. Packed malls, happy crowds after that perfect gift, seasonal decorations, and festive food. And – on the downside – an increased risk of shoppers “tripping and slipping”.

Keeping your eyes open for spills and other dangers is of course your first line of defence, but if you happen to be one of those unlucky shoppers who gets injured, can you sue the shop? And what if they have disclaimer “enter at your own risk” signs everywhere? As a shop or mall owner, how can you protect yourself from claims?

We address those questions by discussing a recent High Court award of damages to a mother who slipped on wet tiles, and broke her elbow trying to protect the baby in her arms from her fall.

When you die your grieving loved ones could face cash flow problems unless you proactively take steps now to ensure that they will have access to enough ready funds for them to live comfortably whilst your estate is being wound up.

Critically, all your bank accounts and other assets will be frozen and inaccessible to your family, and your chosen executor will have no power to deal with anything until officially authorised to do so by the Master of the High Court.

That’s always been a source of delay, but those delays are worsening. We share some ideas on how to shield your family from financial distress at the worst possible time…

Once again, a deadline has been set for all businesses, including those currently exempt, to prepare and lodge their PAIA (Promotion of Access to Information Act) Manuals.

This time the deadline is 31 December 2021, and many business owners will be tempted to ignore it as yet another instance of government “Crying Wolf”. That however is probably not a good idea, with indications that this time the deadline may not be extended at the last minute as has happened previously.

We share some thoughts on why that is, and on why, even if a further extension is eventually announced, you should think of complying now anyway.

Take a moment to think of how much damage a cybercriminal, an industrial spy, or perhaps even a malicious stalker or vengeful ex-employee, could do to you personally and to your business if they succeed in getting spyware onto your phone.

For most of us, that’s a frightening thought, demanding immediate action. But what should you do, and how?

We direct you to an article confirming that “spyware on your cellphone” is a real threat, explaining what it is, listing the warning signs of infection, and most importantly suggesting action to take immediately to protect yourself…