The Legal 500

Chambers of Claire Andrews

6-7 GOUGH SQUARE, LONDON, EC4A 3DE, ENGLAND
Tel:
Work 020 7353 0924
Fax:
Fax 020 7353 2221
DX:
476 LONDON CHANCERY LANE WC2
Web:
www.goughsq.co.uk
Email:

This set provides specialist advice and representation in all aspects of consumer law and offers expertise in numerous additional areas in the commercial business field.

The set: The set has a progressive approach to its work and aims to provide a friendly and flexible service at competitive rates. Members are responsive to the needs of business and are ready to give advice at short notice as required.

Clients include City, regional and company solicitors acting for banks, building societies, finance houses and other lenders, as well as leading supermarkets, retailers of electrical, white and brown goods, food and drink retailers and manufacturers, cosmetics companies, and distributors of a wide range of other products. Chambers is also happy to accept instructions by direct professional access.

Chambers publishes a free quarterly Trading Law Bulletin detailing recent legal developments (which can be sent to those interested on request) and the Consumer and Trading Law Reports, in six parts per year. Seminars and conferences on consumer law are also given.

Types of work undertaken: Chambers’ expertise in consumer law results in members advising and representing clients in relation to consumer credit, secured lending, timeshare and package holidays, trading schemes and franchising, food safety, trade descriptions, pricing, advertising and marketing, sale and supply contracts, unfair contract terms, weights and measures, data protection, health and safety, environmental pollution, product safety, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.

Individual members of chambers also specialise in a number of other areas, including banking, sale of goods, commercial contracts, company and partnership, landlord and tenant, employment, fraud, trusts, pension schemes, insolvency and professional negligence.

Chambers’ consumer work spans the full range of both the civil and criminal tribunals. Whilst chambers handles the day-to-day litigation encountered in these areas of law, it is also involved in advising business clients more specifically, including how to conduct their business so that they can obtain and keep any necessary licences, how to ensure the enforceability of contracts, and how to avoid or handle the attention of regulatory authorities (such as environmental health officers, trading standards departments and the Office of Fair Trading). For example, chambers has particular experience appearing in relation to Minded to Revoke notices before the OFT. This consumer work can also involve advising clients on the drafting of policy documents, procedure manuals and consumer contracts and advising whether or not advertising and sales techniques are legitimate.

Members of chambers also regularly act for and advise central and local government enforcement agencies.

Above material supplied by Gough Square Chambers (Chambers of Claire Andrews).

Legal Developments in the UK

Legal Developments and updates from the leading lawyers in each jurisdiction. To contribute, send an email request to
  • HOUSING

    In Nzinga Maswaku v Westminster City Council [2012] EWCA Civ 669 the Court of Appeal clarified that in offering a homeless person with alternative temporary accommodation the local authority is obliged to point that if the offer is refused it has discharged its Part VII duties under the Housing Act 1996.
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  • COUNCIL TAX

    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.
    - 11KBW
  • 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.
    - 11KBW
  • 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.
    - 11KBW
  • A justified retrospective

    Clive Sheldon - QC debates the pros & cons of retrospective tax legislation
    - 11KBW
  • Public Sector Equality Duty (“PSED”)

    In R (Greenwich Community Law Centre) v Greenwich LBC [2012] EWCA Civ 496 the Court of Appeal held that the Council had had “due regard to the PSED when making changes to its funding of community legal advice services”. At para 30 Elias LJ said:
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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.
    - 11KBW
  • Judicial Review

    The Judgment of Lindblom J in The Manydown Co Ltd v Basingstoke and Deane BC [2012] EWHC 977 (Admin) repays attention. The Claimant sought to challenge by judicial review 2 decisions of the Council: (1) the Council’s refusal to reconsider its position on the development of a site that it owns (and is the subject matter of a Joint Development Partnership Agreement with the Claimant); and (2) a decision of the Council’s Cabinet approving a selection of sites for development which did not include this site.
    - 11KBW
  • The Health and Social Care Act 2012: impact on adult social services

    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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  • Immigration update May 2012

    In this issue: