The Legal 500

Olswang

APEX PLAZA, FORBURY ROAD, READING, RG1 1AX, ENGLAND

What we say about the firm's legal practice in South East

Finance

Within Banking and finance Banking and finance

Human resources

Within Employment: Thames Valley, Berks, Oxon, M4/M40, Olswang is a first tier firm,

Olswang’s ‘excellent team’ attracts an ‘enviable quality of work and clients’. Led by the ‘very credible and impressive’ Gary Henderson, the group advises on discrimination claims, restructurings and redundancies, as well as providing outsourcing advice. It continues to act as sole employment advisers for Timberland, Microsoft UK, Quintiles, Ernst & Young, and Chellomedia.

Overview

Real estate

Within Commercial property: Thames Valley, Berks, Oxon, M4/M40, Olswang is a third tier firm,

Olswang provides ‘good commercial responses’ and is noted for property-related secured lending transactions for the likes of Eurohypo and Santander. Carol Griffin advised UBS Global Asset Management regarding the portfolio sale of five multi-let properties. Michael Higgin joined from Shoosmiths in 2010.

TMT (technology, media and telecoms)

Within Intellectual property , Olswang is a second tier firm,

Responsive and thorough’, Olswang advises on trade mark and copyright matters. Iain Stansfield has expertise in IP commercial contracts and design and brand protection. Clients include Direct Wines, Net-a-Porter, Reader’s Digest, TMO Renewables and Yell.

Within IT and telecoms, Olswang is a second tier firm,

Olswang provides ‘really practical and commercial ideas’. Microsoft and Yell remain key clients, and the team added Indian-owned consulting company Mastek to its roster in 2010. The ‘knowledgeable and practical’ Iain Stansfield is ‘reliable in a crisis’, and leads the ‘knowledgeable’ team.


Further information on Olswang

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Legal Developments in the UK

Legal Developments and updates from the leading lawyers in each jurisdiction. To contribute, send an email request to
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    In Harrow LBC v Ayiku [2012] EWHC 1200 (Admin) Sales J held that the word “or” in the Council Tax (Exempt Dwellings) Order 1992, art 3 Class N, had a disjunctive meaning, therefore it was sufficient for the non-British spouse of a foreign student to satisfy one or other of the two conditions, namely being prevented from taking paid employment or being prevented from claiming benefits, in order to qualify as a “relevant person” who was exempted from liability to pay council tax.
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  • QUEEN’S SPEECH

    Bills already introduced pursuant to the Queen’s Speech on 9 May 2012 include Local Government Finance Bill and Electoral Registration and Administration Bill, both accompanied by Explanatory Notes, which in each case address ECHR compatibility.
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  • Standards

    In R (Calver) v Adjudication Panel for Wales [2012] EWHC 1172 (Admin) Mr Calver was a member of Manorbier Community Council who successfully challenged the decision of the Panel to dismiss his appeal against a decision by Prembrokeshire County Council Standards Committee censuring him for a number of comments or blogs posted by him on a website he owned and controlled.
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  • Public Sector Equality Duty (“PSED”)

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  • Public Sector Equality Duty

    Surrey County Council conducted a review of its Library Service. This culminated in a Report to the Council’s Cabinet. The Recommendations in the Report included that there should be consultation about a community-partnership approach at selected Libraries.
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    After its torrid passage through Parliament, the Health and Social Care Bill received Royal Assent on 27 March 2012. The Act deals principally with healthcare reform, but it also contains some amendments to the legislative framework for social care. It will come into force on a day yet to be appointed by the Secretary of State.
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