Motor Trade Legal Articles

For those with a particularly keen eye on employment law, you will have seen that this week the Court of Appeal handed down a highly publicised decision in the case of Higgs v Farmor’s School. Case Facts Mrs Higgs worked as a pastoral administrator and work experience manager at Farmor’s School. On her personal Facebook […]

In the news last week was the case of Asad Farooq v Liverpool Football Club, where Mr Farooq had claimed that he was turned down for a role based upon his race. Mr Farooq identifies himself as having British Asian heritage and applied for the role of ‘First Team Operations Manager’, having not held a […]

“If I must close my business due to storms and bad weather, do I have to pay my employees, or should it be taken as holiday?“ With the recent run of storms and the issuance of a red weather warning in January, many members are facing this question for the first time. Given the likely […]

“We made a verbal offer of employment, conditional on the individual satisfying certain pre-employment checks.  Can we withdraw that offer before the pre-employment checks have been completed on grounds that the role has been withdrawn for operational reasons?” The legal consequences of withdrawing an offer of employment will generally depend on the specific circumstances of […]

2025 looks likely to become a “Year of Transparency” for motor dealers in the UK. Driven by the landmark Court of Appeal decision in Johnson v Firstrand Bank Ltd and the enactment of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act (DMCCA), the requirements for what counts as sufficient transparency as well the mechanisms for judging […]

Last year we discussed the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCCA) and its significance for consumer protection. The DMCCA represents the most significant shift in consumer law in nearly a decade. By empowering the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) with far-reaching tools to tackle unfair behaviour, the Act has already prompted us to […]

It’s a sad fact of business life, but from time to time companies with which members trade will fail. Often such failures leave large debts to creditors, so what do you need to know if you become a creditor to a failed company? What will happen? When a company is failing it will have a […]

“We are considering hosting a Christmas party for our staff, is there anything we should be mindful of?” Providing or hosting work Christmas parties represents a good way to increase staff morale, make employees feel appreciated, and to celebrate the end of the calendar year. Christmas parties are often a flagship event of the year […]

The Automated Vehicles Act 2024 marks the UK’s leap into the future of transport.  While fully autonomous vehicles are not yet ready to hit the showrooms, they’ll be here sooner than some think.  Current estimates are that by early 2026 the first AVs will arrive on British roads.  That gives dealers and industry constituents a fairly cozy window […]

“Nothing doesn’t ever change, but nothing changes much.”  That’s a great line from a great song, White Knuckles, by the OK Go back in 2010.  It’s a fitting sentiment as we head into 2025, a year poised to bring notable compliance shifts for motor dealers and repairers.   Two recent forces driving these changes are the Digital Markets, […]