Mayor-PCC merger legal bid: How did we get here? – BBC News

‘An application for a legal review into a plan to merge the roles of West Midlands mayor and police and crime commissioner (PCC) is due to be heard in court.’

Full Story

BBC News, 12th March 2024

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Bar Council warns regulator over plans for chambers – Legal Futures

Posted March 7th, 2024 in barristers, consultations, mergers, news, standards by sally

‘The Bar Council has warned the Bar Standards Board (BSB) not to go too far in its oversight of chambers and said its idea of encouraging smaller sets to merge is “inappropriate”.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 7th March 2024

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Insider trading conviction highlights FCA market abuse crackdown – OUT-LAW.com

‘A recent criminal conviction secured by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in a case of insider trading highlights the UK regulator’s intention to proactively crackdown on cases of market abuse – not just with criminal prosecutions but through the enforcement of regulation too, a former senior market regulator has said.’

Full Story

OUT-LAW.com, 23rd February 2024

Source: www.pinsentmasons.com

Chambers “should not have to merge for regulatory reasons” – Legal Futures

Posted January 11th, 2024 in barristers, inns of court, mergers, news, standards by sally

‘The new chair of the Bar Council has pushed back at the idea floated by the Bar Standards Board (BSB) that chambers could merge to make regulatory compliance easier.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 11th January 2024

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

BSB could publish assessments of chambers and encourage mergers – Legal Futures

Posted October 24th, 2023 in barristers, consultations, mergers, news, standards by tracey

‘The Bar Standards Board (BSB) has floated the idea of publishing assessments of individual chambers as part of a new “graduated supervision strategy”.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 24th October 2023

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Watchdog rules rail infrastructure deal could leave passengers worse off – The Independent

Posted June 8th, 2023 in competition, mergers, news, railways by tracey

‘The UK’s competition watchdog has provisionally ruled that Hitachi’s 1.7 billion euro (£1.36 billion) proposed purchase of Thales’s rail infrastructure could drive up prices and reduce service quality for passengers. The findings could lead to the merger being blocked.’

Full Story

The Independent, 8th June 2023

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Regulating Big Tech in the UK – Competition Bulletin

‘Following hot(ish) on the heels of the EU’s Digital Markets Act, the UK’s Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill (“the Bill”) was published on 25 April 2023. It seeks to do three things: (1) to establish a new ex-ante regulatory regime for digital markets, conferring powers on the CMA, via its Digital Markets Unit, to impose conduct requirements and make “pro-competitive interventions” (“PCIs”) in relation to designated firms, and to impose hefty penalties for failure to comply; (2) to reform the existing competition law system, notably relating to merger controls, market inquiries and enforcement; and (3) to enhance consumer rights and enforcement. This post focusses on the first of these.’

Full Story

Competition Bulletin, 17th May 2023

Source: competitionbulletin.com

UK appeal court clarifies ‘doctrine of merger’ – OUT-LAW.com

Posted August 13th, 2021 in abuse of process, appeals, damages, mergers, news, res judicata by tracey

‘A recent decision by the English Court of Appeal confirms the scope of the “doctrine of merger”, which is designed to prevent an abuse of court process by preventing parties from bringing multiple claims in respect of the same cause of action.’

Full Story

OUT-LAW.com, 12th August 2021

Source: www.pinsentmasons.com

3,000 law firms “could be forced to close or merge” – Legal Futures

Posted December 8th, 2020 in conveyancing, coronavirus, insurance, law firms, legal services, loans, mergers, news by sally

‘As many as 3,000 law firms could be forced to close or merge over the next few years after the conveyancing bubble bursts and the recession really kicks in, a leading law firm consultant has warned.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 8th December 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Viagogo may have to sell all or part of StubHub, regulator says – BBC News

Posted October 23rd, 2020 in competition, fees, mergers, news, ombudsmen by sally

‘Ticketing site Viagogo may need to sell all or part of StubHub after an investigation by the UK’s competition watchdog found the merger of the two firms could lead to higher fees.’

Full Story

BBC News, 22nd October 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

De Sena v Notaro [2020] EWHC 1031 (Ch): The family, the demerger and the expert who wasn’t an expert – Hailsham Chambers

‘The case arose out of a corporate demerger which took place in relation to a family owned company, S Notaro Holdings (“Holdings”), on 28 April 2011. The First Claimant (C1), and the First Defendant (D1) were siblings. Prior to the demerger, they were both shareholders in and directors of Holdings. Neither were majority shareholders. D1 held 43.75% of the shares in Holdings, and C1 held 31.25%. In the demerger, C1 gave up her shares in Holdings in exchange for some assets of Holdings or its subsidiaries being transferred to the Second Claimant (C2), a company formed for that purpose, owned and controlled by C1.’

Full Story

Hailsham Chambers, June 2020

Source: www.hailshamchambers.com

UK fine issued for breach of CMA initial enforcement order – OUT-LAW.com

Posted September 26th, 2019 in competition, electronic commerce, mergers, news, penalties by tracey

‘A payments provider that breached an order to stop the integration of its UK business with a rival until a full merger investigation could be carried out has been fined £250,000 by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).’

Full Story

OUT-LAW.com, 26th September 2019

Source: www.pinsentmasons.com

Court cannot deviate from six month limit for cross-border merger certificates – OUT-LAW.com

Posted September 5th, 2019 in EC law, foreign companies, foreign jurisdictions, jurisdiction, mergers, news, time limits by tracey

‘The High Court in England has ruled that the EU’s cross-border merger regulations meant that a pre-merger certificate from an EU member state court cannot be more than six months old when hearing an application for sanction of the merger, even where obtaining a second pre-merger certificate would be difficult.’

Full Story

OUT-LAW.com, 4th September 2019

Source: www.pinsentmasons.com

Sainsbury’s-Asda merger blocked by regulator – BBC News

Posted April 25th, 2019 in competition, consumer protection, food, mergers, news by tracey

‘The proposed merger between Sainsbury’s and Asda has been blocked by the UK’s competition watchdog over fears it would raise prices for consumers.’

Full Story

BBC News, 25th April 2019

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

CMA challenges call for new UK merger laws – OUT-LAW.com

Posted March 27th, 2019 in competition, enforcement, internet, mergers, news by sally

‘Changes in legislation are not necessary to “prevent mergers in digital markets which could harm existing or potential future competition or innovation”, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has said.’

Full Story

OUT-LAW.com, 27th March 2019

Source: www.out-law.com

Competition watchdog to scrutinise merger of Sainsbury’s and Asda – The Guardian

Posted August 24th, 2018 in competition, mergers, news by sally

‘The competition watchdog has launched a formal investigation into whether the proposed £12bn merger between Sainsbury’s and Asda could hurt consumers and the small businesses that supply the supermarkets.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 23rd August 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

Competition watchdog launches investigation into Sainsbury’s-Asda merger – The Independent

Posted May 18th, 2018 in competition, mergers, news by tracey

‘The Competition and Markets Authority said it will be considering whether the merger could result in a substantial lessening of competition within any market or markets in the UK for goods or services.’

Full Story

The Independent, 18th May 2018

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Ofcom to investigate Trinity Mirror deal to buy Express and Star – The Guardian

Posted May 2nd, 2018 in competition, media, mergers, news by tracey

‘Trinity Mirror’s £200m deal to buy the Express and Star newspapers is to be investigated by media regulator Ofcom over issues including plurality and the editorial independence of Richard Desmond’s titles.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 1st May 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

Sky-Fox deal not in public interest, says regulator – BBC News

Posted January 23rd, 2018 in competition, media, mergers, news, public interest by sally

‘Fox’s proposed takeover of Sky is not in the public interest on grounds of media plurality, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has said.’

Full Story

BBC News, 23rd January 2018

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Ofcom could face judicial review over Murdoch’s Sky takeover – The Guardian

Posted August 22nd, 2017 in competition, media, mergers, news by sally

‘A campaigning group opposed to Rupert Murdoch’s takeover of Sky is threatening a legal challenge to the media regulator’s ruling that the broadcaster would remain “fit and proper” to hold a UK licence if it was snapped up by 21st Century Fox.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 21st August 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com