Hotels, hostels, bed and breakfast accommodation, holiday apartments/homes, cottages/bungalows, campsites, caravan parks, boarding houses in England were allowed to re-open…

Legal documents generally require signatures to have binding effect, such as contracts/agreements, court documents, and deeds. There are also rules on how and who can execute certain types of legal documents. This has all come under the spot light recently with the difficulties posed by COVID-19, the lockdown and need for social distancing.

It is well established that where a wrongdoer is an employee (or in a relationship akin to employment) and the wrongdoing complained of is closely connected to their role, then an employer can be liable in law for that wrongdoing. This can be regardless of the fact that the wrongdoing is not endorsed by the company and in breach of the employee’s contract.

As a result of GDPR, everyone has the right to ask any organisation whether or not they are storing any personal information. Issuing a Subject Access Request normally means the recipient has up to one (calendar) month to comply with the request.

But what are the challenges for organisations seeking to comply with the normal rules during the global Covid-19 pandemic?

Within proceedings, parties are encouraged to try and settle claims without recourse to a final hearing. To encourage this, there are provisions in CPR 36 that give a party costs protection. This is where an offer is made to settle the whole or part of a claim/counterclaim.