Consultation outlines sweeping overhaul of ‘messy’ corporate reporting, including audit exemptions, dividend reforms, and changes to accounting standards
Sophie Brookes and Debbie Shaw examine use of director’s loan accounts in McCarthy v Marshall, BlueCrest lessons on LLP remuneration and Saxon Woods ruling on good faith under section 172 rules
Failure to respond to a valid request in five days in BCNO, equal participation not unfair prejudice in Magic Investments, High Court clarifies execution formalities in receivership appointments, overhaul of P&L accounts for smallest companies
Critical Supreme Court decision in Saxon Woods clarifies scope of good faith requirement as part of a director’s duty under section 172 of Companies Act 2006
As of today, companies will be held criminally liable for wider range of offences committed by senior managers, with ‘greater scrutiny from both prosecutors and their own organisations’
Sophie Brookes and Debbie Shaw examine rulings on HMRC opposition to restructuring and use of cross-class cram down in Waldorf Production, warranties in M&A transactions in Hoffman and share purchase agreements in Veranova Bidco LP
Regulator overhauls audit enforcement procedure to speed up action on poor audit work and take more robust action on serious or significant failures from July
Government confirms requirement to file balance sheet and P&L accounts publicly on Companies House will have an opt-out from April 2028, but abridged accounts will be abolished
After Accountex audience pressures Companies House over uncertainty about changes to profit and loss (P&L) filing, Department for Business & Trade steps in to clarify
Sophie Brookes and Debbie Shaw assess rulings on treating accounting liabilities as assets in Nawaz-Khan, whether auditors have duty to report fraud to individual shareholders in Crowe, and director misconduct and insolvency in Greensill case
Sophie Brookes and Debbie Shaw examine unfair prejudice petitions in Zedra, trade mark licence termination in Zaha Hadid, questions of unlawful poaching in Guy Carpenter and subscriber shares in Zavarco
Revised accounting rules for academy schools for 2025-26 accounts now available with clarifications on related party transactions and employment benefits disclosures
Sophie Brookes and Debbie Shaw examine rulings on invalid execution of deeds in South Bank Hotel case when PA signs contract for director, use of estoppel to overrule £28m assignment of debt in liquidated private equity firm Abraaj and fine for interim CFO for insider trading AIM shares