FICA v RICA We’ve all grumbled about being endlessly FICA’d and RICA’d. “Waste of time,” we mutter as we wade through all the red tape yet again. Compliance certainly is a hassle, but don’t blame the bank, service provider or conveyancer who asks for it. They are...

“One of the greatest disservices you can do a man is to lend him money that he can’t pay back.” (Jesse H. Jones, entrepreneur) A recent High Court decision provides yet another cautionary tale for lenders. The stakes are high: get this wrong, and you could lose...

"The big print giveth and the fine print taketh away." (Tom Waits) You have almost certainly signed a disclaimer at some point. A waiver before a trail run, an indemnity form before a bungee jump, a clause buried in a brochure. Businesses rely on these documents to...

"To avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing, be nothing." (Elbert Hubbard) An unpleasant boss. A strained working relationship. A manager whose style leaves much to be desired. Sound familiar? For many employees, the line between a miserable workplace and an unlawful...

"Good rules make good neighbours." (Old proverb, updated) The many benefits of living in a residential complex come, naturally enough, with obligations as well as rights. With its innate potential for conflict between competing rights, community living requires a fine...

“Trade Mark” A trade mark is a brand name, slogan or logo that identifies your services or goods and distinguishes it from the goods and services of other businesses. Registration gives you easily enforceable rights to use or licence the mark, and to stop others from...

“Sexual harassment is the most heinous conduct that plagues the workplace.” (Extract from the judgment below) Our courts have no tolerance for sexual harassment in the workplace, stressing that, at its core, it is concerned with power dynamics at work. A recent Labour...

“Wouldn’t it be nice to get on with me neighbours?” (from “Lazy Sunday” by  Small Faces) Maintaining friendly relations with the neighbours, or at least an “I’ll ignore you if you ignore me” sort of neutrality, has probably been a primary aim of homeowners since the...

“You know you’re winning when you’re being copied.” (Robin Sharma, author of The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari) Whether your business is brand new or well established, you need to protect your trading, product and service names from being unlawfully copied. Often your...

“All you need is love… and a good lawyer.” (Anonymous) February, with its Valentine’s Day chocolates, roses and declarations of undying love, should be a month for romance, not legal niceties. But in the real world, love and the law are inextricably linked because any...