London calling

London calling Notice provisions should not become a “technical minefield to be navigated”   Contracts often include provisions barring claims unless no-tice is given within a specified time limit, thereby…

  The steps required before an onerous or unusual term of a contract will be held to be binding A recent case in the English Court of Appeal refines what…

A recent English High Court case* reaffirms the high threshold for showing that an arbitral tribunal has “gone so wrong in its conduct that justice cries out for it to…

A recent English High Court case* provides a reminder of some of the key principles affecting the interpretation of written contracts where their meaning is otherwise unclear or ambiguous.  It…

A few years ago, I had to grapple with a dissenting trade arbitrator who refused to sign an award. That trade arbitrator was subsequently removed (endorsed by the Court).  We…

Time bar under the Hague Visby Rules  Legal Insight from HFW   Background The court recently clarified what a “suit” is for the purpose of the time bar under Article…

  In a recent case, the High Court considered* whether a vessel owner could disregard a charterer’s voyage instruction without interrupting demurrage.   The dispute centred around two instances where…

The Court of Appeal held that an exclusion of liability clause did not prohibit a claim for wasted expenditure. The clause in the spotlight was as follows:   “… neither…

  Two relatively recent cases remind us of the possible limits of “reserving your rights” in certain situations.    For Mr Justice Baker, in the 2018 case Phones 4u Ltd (In…