Legal briefings from the world's leading law firms

The case of Transport for Greater Manchester v Thales Transport & Security Ltd involved a contract for a new tramway operating system in Manchester. Mills & Reeves outlines the case's background and explains why a contract clause has given Manchester a tactical advantage in the dispute.

In the UK, copyright and patents are different types of IP and it is not possible to patent copyright in itself and claiming copyright is different to patenting an invention. Mills & Reeve summarise the four main types of IP protection available in the UK: copyright, trademarks, designs and patents.

Although the idea of Building Information Modelling has been around for a while, it appears to have taken off only relatively recently in the UK, with central Government setting a target to get to Level 2 BIM on all of its major projects by 2016. Mills & Reeve provides a general overview.

Mills & Reeve reviews some of the key developments of 2012 and looks forward to what could be in store for the rest of this year. Areas under discussion include employment tribunals, compulsory retirement, workplace flexibility, collective redundancies and the narrowing scope of TUPE protection.

On 10 October, the Supreme Court of the United States of America heard the case of Abigail Fisher v University of Texas at Austin. Mills & Reeve provide a brief overview of the case and its signficance for education and public law; and looks at how it might have proceeded under English law.

As the end of 2012 approaches, Mills & Reeve consider how it will be remembered with an in-depth review of noteworthy employment law developments. As well as reviewing these major developments, this update also anticipates some of the changes employers are likely to face in 2013.

Mills & Reeve provide an overview of the Barbudev decision, focusing on the issues the Court of Appeal found with a side letter. Additionaly, this briefing outlines how those drafting side letters can be certain that their document would pass the test of what a true contract should contain.

Mills & Reeve looks at why the recent Scots law case of Specialist Insulation Ltd v Pro-Duct Ltd is a timely reminder of the importance of being clear about which terms apply to a contract; and provides four simple steps to increase the chance of your standard terms applying.

The healthcare market has proved to be more encouraging than other sectors for deal activity in the post recession years. With this in mind, Mills & Reeve provide a round-up of recent legal issues within the sector, including M&A activity, the CQC's report, NHS reforms and sector regulation.

In May 2011, a BBC Panorama programe exposed widespread abuse at Winterbourne View Hospital of people with autism and learning disabilities. Mills & Reeve look at the recommendations made in the recently published Serious Case Review and how this sets the scene for the Mid Staffs report.