Companies Act 2006

At 1300 sections and 16 schedules, the Companies Act 2006 is one of the longest acts ever passed by parliament. The new act substantially consolidates the previous company legislation with little of any significance left behind in the previous statutes.

Managing cash flow in uncertain times

Against a backdrop of continuing uncertainty in the financial markets and increasingly tightening credit terms from lenders, credit control and debt management has become a business critical issue.

New directors' duties – are you prepared?

Before the Companies Act 2006 ('CA 2006') came into force directors owed duties to companies which were mainly founded in common law. The government has now attempted to codify these duties taking into account corporate social responsibilities, and has put them into the statute book in the CA 2006.

Share buy-backs: proceed with caution

The purchase by a company of its own shares has a variety of uses not least as a device to resolve shareholder conflicts or to enable an owner managed business to manage a partial or entire exit from his business.

Dawn raids - uninvited guests

On 17 April 2008 competition law hit the headlines in the UK when the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) announced that it had issued a 'Statement of Objections' (SO) against 112 construction firms in England and Wales, alleging engagement in 'bid rigging' activities.