Business Law and Corporate Law

Rory Wilson, Partner, and Marie Schwab, Senior Paralegal, in our Corporate & Commercial team, explore how transactional risk insurance is increasingly being used in private M&A transactions to help buyers and sellers manage risk, facilitate negotiations and support successful deal completion.

The UK Government has proposed significant reforms to the corporate reporting obligations under the Modern Slavery Act 2015 (“MSA”). Introduced by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood as part of the Immigration and Asylum Bill on 30 June 2026...

The McCarthy v Marshall case highlights critical risks for directors who treat company funds informally through directors' loan accounts. This judgment demonstrates how inadequate documentation and approval processes can lead to findings of fraudulent breach of fiduciary duty, with implications extending beyond insolvency to corporate transactions and limitation periods.

And, if something did not look right, would you know what to do next? Two statutory inquiries announced by the Charity Commission within days of each other provide a timely reason for trustees to consider those questions.

The UK government has introduced the Immigration and Asylum Bill, proposing the most significant reforms to the Modern Slavery Act 2015 since its enactment. These changes would transform the transparency-in-supply-chains regime from voluntary disclosure to mandatory reporting with stronger corporate accountability and material sanctions for non-compliance.

The UK government has introduced a revised code of practice governing trade union workplace access rights, effective October 2025, featuring significant changes to application procedures, negotiation timelines, and enforcement mechanisms. The new framework establishes a presumption in favor of granting access and imposes substantial financial penalties for non-compliance, with fines reaching up to £500,000 for repeated violations. Employers must now navigate stricter obligations to facilitate both phys

The FCA has issued new guidance targeting listed companies that use vague, exaggerated, or marketing-style language in regulatory announcements. Companies face potential enforcement action if their disclosures fail to meet required standards, with the regulator emphasizing that announcements must contain regulated information rather than promotional material.

Slaughter and May's Corporate Update bulletin covers recent regulatory changes affecting UK companies, including London Stock Exchange updates to AIM Rules, FCA modifications to IPO research rules, and Companies House's revised timetable for implementing Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act provisions. The bulletin also examines a significant High Court ruling on creating company registers of members from scratch.

The Financial Conduct Authority has issued Primary Market Bulletin 65, addressing critical concerns about potentially misleading statements in regulatory announcements that resemble marketing material and correlate with share price movements. The bulletin also examines evolving market practices in sponsor due diligence for new admissions and reviews how issuers handle delayed disclosure of inside information under UK Market Abuse Regulation.

Macfarlanes has secured proprietary injunctions over £12.6 million in assets following what a judge described as a "remarkable" settlement process involving Pride Planning and trustees of a funeral plan trust. The case centers on allegations that trustees breached their fiduciary duties by rapidly settling a claim and transferring all trust assets to Pride Planning, leaving nothing for customers who had not transferred to Dignity. The court found a good arguable case that the settlement constituted a b

Blended families face unique estate planning challenges when balancing the needs of a surviving partner with preserving assets for children from previous relationships. Without proper planning, the intestacy rules in England and Wales often fail to reflect modern family structures, potentially leaving partners vulnerable and children without their expected inheritance.

When family members contribute financially to property purchases or hold assets on behalf of relatives, informal arrangements can lead to costly disputes. Two recent UK cases demonstrate how unclear intentions regarding property ownership and financial contributions can result in complex litigation, particularly during relationship breakdowns or inheritance disputes.