Author: Catherine Bates

Probably the thing I say most often to my children! And the dog! And possibly some members of my football team!!!! But, if someone is doing something wrong, should they carry on doing it if they think they won’t get caught? I was at a networking event a while back, where I made an offer […]

Yes, I know, you want the winning lottery ticket for this weekend, your football team to win every tournament and trophy going, to be able to eat anything and everything and never put on a pound and an unlimited supply of alcohol. Or is that just me???? However, even if you have a genie to […]

It’s a great phrase that I’ve heard often and even used occasionally. Whilst there is some controversy as to its origin, it’s widely agreed to be somewhat sarcastic. You can’t force (or beat) someone into being happier, harder working or more motivated. Nevertheless, it is possible that Courts are going to start trying something not dissimilar, […]

It’s a well-known truism that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. For example, I’m often asked by clients to review things that they’ve done for themselves, such as attempts to settle or negotiate with opponents or other parties. This can sometimes include reviewing communications that clients have marked “without prejudice” when they don’t always understand […]

When I was younger (although, of course, I’m still young) a friend’s mother was fond of that saying, meaning that people should make up their own minds about things, and shouldn’t worry too much about other people’s input. Given that this was many (many!) years before social media, I often wonder how the ability to get […]

OK, it’s a rather ham-fisted variation of one of my favourite Shakespearian quotes, but that doesn’t make it any less important or relevant. TUPE is a question that often comes up when we’re advising clients who are buying or selling businesses – it relates to whether staff are being transferred from one entity to another, […]

Whenever a new law comes into force, or a case is decided creating a new precedent, it’s automatic to start thinking not just of how it might apply to our clients, but also, how you might get around it. My job is, after all, to protect my clients, so knowing what you can do, and […]

Although perhaps that should be shhhhhhhhhh***t! If you’ve ever done any negotiation, you should be familiar with how without prejudice negotiations work. It’s what your opening comment or sentence should be when you speak to or write to the other side if you want to be able to say something that you wouldn’t want repeated […]

I’m a big fan of settlements and negotiations. That is NOT because I’m afraid to go to Court (far from it!). What I am afraid of is that no matter what the outcome, it’s extremely difficult to get an order that the client is going to be happy with. No matter how well we do […]

It’s an old saying, and if we were just talking about property investment, then over the long term you’d probably agree. Whilst the property market does dip from time to time, over a sustained period, it should be a good investment. However, nothing in my world is ever that straightforward, and there may still be times […]