News and Insights

MIPM 2020, Cannes.

Griffiths & Armour will once again be sending a team to MIPIM in Cannes, France from the 10th - 13th March 2020. If you are attending this year's event we would welcome the opportunity to meet with you, please get in touch with our team and we will be delighted to schedule a meeting time that suits you.

Winter is coming…Get prepared!

Winter weather in the UK is notoriously unpredictable and as most of us know, can lead to serious and sometimes devastating consequences from snow, ice and low temperatures, all of which can have serious impacts on your business, organisation and workforce.

Workplace Wellbeing

Statistics show that one in four adults will experience a mental health issue at some point in their lifetime and it is estimated that 15.4 million working days are lost every year due to stress, anxiety and depression.

Ransomware attacks

Ransomware attacks appear to be on the increase again, potentially being fueled by some organisations being prepared to pay the demands of criminals. Here are 5 top tips for helping your organisation falling into the ransomware trap.

Crisis Communications

With the UK General Election now over, the past few weeks of campaigning has certainly witnessed some ‘interesting’ ways political parties have chosen to deal with their communications in front of the media during a crisis. If your organisation finds itself at the center of a controversial or damaging event, how you choose to manage your communications during that crisis can have a huge impact on the eventual outcome.

Claims on Ice - Pausing The Action

Most consultants are already familiar with the idea that claims in negligence and/or contract are subject to the doctrine of limitation periods (or prescription periods in Scottish law).

British Overseas Bank & Henderson v. Stewart Milne Group

Towards the end of 2018, a Scottish court threw a spanner in the works of those seeking to limit their liability in collateral warranties, by ruling that a prescription period (limitation period) in a collateral warranty was not impacted by the presence of ‘no greater liability’ and ‘equivalent rights’ clauses, which would otherwise have had the effect of ‘time barring’ the claim.

Common Data Environments – Paradise Lost?

We have recently fielded a number of questions from clients relating to the increasing use of Common Data Environments (or CDEs) on construction projects.

Griffiths & Armour’s global capabilities

Assurex Global is an exclusive partnership of 108 of the world’s premier independent insurance agents and brokers, which marries local market expertise with global economies of scale.

What is Professional Indemnity Insurance?

Professional Indemnity insurance - also known as PI insurance – is intended to protect professionals and their businesses

Cyber Risks

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Organisations are increasingly dependent on information and communication technology (ICT) for their day-to-day activities. Whilst this delivers significant benefits, it may also introduce new risks, which if not managed correctly can significantly impact upon operations, financial performance, legal compliance and reputation. Research suggests that the cost of cyber crime in the UK is £34.1 billion per year.

The Latest Claimant Tactics

Traditionally claimants always used to plead complete claims in front of judges, so that if the judge felt minded to find for the claimant then the court would go on to award compensation at the same time. The unsuccessful defendant consultant and its insurers would be bound to pay any damages (possibly with costs in addition) within a relatively short timescale.

Professional Indemnity Insurance: The supermarket revisited

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It has been more than 10-years since Griffiths & Armour published ‘Professional Indemnity insurance: the not so super market’, a paper written as the financial crash of 2008 took hold and the talk in the insurance industry was of insurer withdrawal, a hardening market, increased cost, restricted class wordings and generally challenging times.

Stand-alone certificates and actions in negligent misstatement

Engineers are commonly asked to sign certificates containing broadly worded statements on conformity of the works with drawings, compliance with relevant regulations or general quality of build. These certificates are usually provided for the benefit of third parties, i.e. for someone other than the engineer’s client.

Contractual Interpretation And Lead Consultants' Liability For Others

The recent Scottish decision in Midlothian Council v Bracewell Stirling [2018] CSIH 21 has confirmed what any lead consultant would have hoped in relation to his responsibility for others on the construction team.