Press & media
News, views and comment - RPC in the media.
City-based law firm RPC comments on potential EFL club administrations
Following a statement by Damian Collins, former Chair of the Commons Select Committee, that up to 10 football clubs could go into administration within weeks, unless they receive an urgent and substantial government bailout.
Read moreRPC promotes 15 to partnership globally
Law firm RPC will be promoting 15 lawyers to its partnership in 2020, spanning a broad range of contentious and non-contentious practices in the UK and Asia.
Read moreRPC teams up with manufacturers by providing free legal advice on the production and distribution of personal protective equipment (PPE) to frontline NHS staff
RPC has advised Augment Bionics on legal issues in relation to producing and distributing face shields for NHS staff dealing with COVID-19.
Read moreDisputes Powerhouse RPC strengthens Team with senior hires for JLV in Singapore
International law firm RPC has hired three partners, Boey Swee Siang, Navin Joseph Lobo, and Lin Yuankai, to strengthen its disputes, regulatory compliance and investigations practice for its joint legal venture (JLV) RPC Premier Law in Singapore.
Read moreLaw firm RPC comments on ground-breaking trade mark referrals case Sky v Skykick
Today, Lord Justice Richard Arnold handed down a ground-breaking decision for trademark referrals in the UK High Court's case Sky v Skykick.
Read moreGovernment ban on winding-up petitions welcome step – but this needs to extend beyond 30th June deadline
Measures announced by Business Secretary, Alok Sharma to protect commercial tenants from aggressive debt recovery actions during the coronavirus crisis are a welcome step for retailers, says RPC, the City-headquartered law firm. Many retailers have seen a catastrophic drop in sales during the lock-down.
Read moreReports of market manipulation hit 822
822 reports of suspected market manipulation were made to the FCA last year (year end Dec 31 2019) by market participants, suggesting that the problem is far from being eradicated*, says RPC, the City-headquartered law firm.
Read moreRPC advises liquidators on the sale of the UK's oldest newspaper Jewish Chronicle to a consortium of new owners
City-law firm RPC have advised the liquidators on the sale of the UK newspaper Jewish Chronicle to a newly incorporated company, JC Acquisition Limited, established by a Consortium led by Sir Robbie Gibb, former Head of Communications at 10 Downing Street.
Read morePlacing a moratorium on winding-up petitions will protect retailers and help contain COVID-19 business interruption
Placing a moratorium on “petitions” to make retail businesses insolvent would protect retailers and help contain business interruption caused by COVID-19, says RPC, the City-headquartered law firm.
Read moreRPC advises on the sale of a majority stake in British luxury luggage brand Globe-Trotter to Oakley Capital
RPC has advised the owners of British luxury luggage brand Globe-Trotter on the sale of a majority stake to the private equity firm Oakley Capital. RPC acted as English counsel, supporting Japanese law firm southgate in its role as global deal counsel.
Read moreRPC advises leading metal processing company Metal Technology Co. Ltd on its acquisition of Sandvik Powder Solutions AB
RPC have advised Metal Technology Co. Ltd., a leading metal processing company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, on the acquisition of Swedish based Sandvik Powder Solutions AB.
Read moreRPC boosts professional indemnity team with well-respected insurance partner hire
UK-headquartered law firm RPC has hired professional indemnity specialist Scott Ashby as Partner to join the firm's leading insurance team in Bristol. Scott joins from Beale & Co, where he acted for a wide variety of national and international firms, defending them against claims brought against lawyers and accountants. Scott joined RPC on 30 March 2020.
Read moreEnvironment Agency investigations into businesses increase 12% since 2018
The number of investigations into businesses launched by the Environment Agency increased by 12% from 5,518 in 2018 to 6,164 in 2019, says RPC, the City-based law firm.
Read moreRPC moves UK offices to remote working
International law firm RPC has asked all its people in the UK to work remotely, with immediate effect. The firm will keep its London and Bristol offices open and operational to ensure it can continue to offer the highest levels of service to its clients, but the vast majority of its people will be working away from RPC premises until further notice.
Read moreUK litigation funder “war chests” hit record high of £1.9bn – up 46% in a year
The value of court cases and cash directly held by UK litigation funders hit a record high of £1.9bn last year, up 46% from £1.3bn in 2017/18, says RPC, the City-headquartered law firm.
Read moreCity law firm RPC comments on UK Budget presentation - M&A, the Budget and Entrepreneurs' Relief – time to act?
Ahead of today's Budget announcement by the UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak, the city law firm RPC takes a look at its impact for business.
Read moreUnderstanding insurance megatrends
Emerging megatrends in a fast-changing world, increasingly impacted by climate change, pose testing challenges for the insurance industry.
Read moreHow will insurers respond to the growing challenge of social inflation?
‘Social inflation’ is becoming a major challenge for US insurers, and its effects may soon spread to the UK, says RPC, the City-based law firm at a seminar hosted in conjunction with their US partner firm, Hinshaw and Culbertson*.
Read moreFighting Financial Crime in the 2020s – Summary of discussion
The Centre for Legal Leadership and the law firm RPC were delighted to co-host a panel this morning on the topic of 'Fighting Financial Crime in the 2020s'. The panellists comprised Lisa Osofsky, Director of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), Lord Garnier QC, the former Solicitor-General, and Amanda Pinto QC, Chair of the Bar Council of England & Wales.
Read moreAndy McGregor, Partner and Head of Civil Fraud at RPC, has been named in the Client Choice Awards 2020 as the winner in UK Litigation.
Andy has received high praise from long-standing clients, with one describing him as "an elegant litigator and leader". Others praised his "great experience, judgment and strategic acumen" and his "uncanny knack of working out exactly the best way to advance his client's case".
Read moreCoronavirus
Businesses and their insurers will be monitoring the Coronavirus outbreak with increasing concern. As the Chinese government switches to crisis mode and the UK government warns that the country is unlikely to escape a "rapidly developing" global outbreak, what are the risks for industry and their insurers?
Read moreRPC advises on purchase of Unika Group
RPC has advised US-based IPS Corporation on its purchase of Unika Group, a leading UK manufacturer of kitchen and flooring products and sealants.
Read moreDisputes over trade marks hit record high of 3,600 – up 21% last year
The number of challenges to trade mark applications hit a record high of 3,611 last year*, a rise of 21% from the 2,983 filed in the previous year, says City-headquartered law firm, RPC.
Read moreRPC advises Kudan on investment in tech company Artisense
RPC has advised Kudan Inc. on its highly complicated multi-jurisdictional investment and eventual acquisition of Artisense Corporation, a leading tech company specialising in artificial intelligence, founded in 2016 and headquartered in California with its main business based in Germany. Kudan now holds a 12% shareholding, to be followed in several stages by the purchase of the remaining shares.
Read moreRPC advises Comhar Capital on minority stake in The Lakes Distillery for £4.25m
RPC advised Comhar Capital on the £4.25 million investment in The Lakes Distillery, a Cumbrian-based whisky distiller.
Read moreRPC hires business restructuring partner to bolster restructuring and insolvency capabilities
City-headquartered law firm RPC has hired business restructuring partner Finella Fogarty to work across its disputes, commercial and corporate practice. She joins from DWF, where she was head of the firm's Business Restructuring practice, becoming partner in 2014 after joining from DLA Piper.
Read moreSix major global trends in insurance in 2020: RPC’s Annual Insurance Review
The fallout from protests such as Extinction Rebellion and the increasing popularity of ‘telemedicine’ – medicine over the internet – are just two of the major trends that are set to impact insurers in 2020, according to RPC, the City-headquartered law firm.
Read more48% rise in the value of fines issued to audit firms by the FRC – nearly £25m in 2019
There has been a 48% increase in the value of fines issued by the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) to audit firms in 2019. Fines issued to auditors have risen to £24.9m in 2019 (year to December 31) from £16.8m in 2018*, says RPC, the City-headquartered law firm.
Read moreWorrying decline in use of HMRC mediation to settle tax disputes
HMRC figures show a worrying decline in use of mediation to settle tax disputes in the past year, with the number of cases entering mediation falling 25% from 553 in 2017/18 to just 417 in 2018/19*, says City-headquartered law firm RPC.
Read moreWhy we need a super regulator
The high street is experiencing a rash of administrations, but could regulators fix the mess?
Read moreRPC appoints Director of Information Technology
City-headquartered law firm RPC is pleased to announce the appointment of Ben Denison as Director of Information Technology, starting work at the law firm on 6 January 2020.
Read moreBeer trademarks hit record high of 2,500 in a year
The number of trademarks registered for beer in the UK has hit a record high in 2018, jumping 6% to 2,519, up from 2,372 in 2017*, says RPC, the City-headquartered law firm.
Read moreArrests made by HMRC fall to five-year low
The number of arrests of taxpayers made by HMRC for suspected tax evasion has fallen to a five-year low of just 782 in the last year*, says RPC, the City-headquartered law firm.
Read moreRPC refreshes partnership structure to offer greater choice for lawyers and depth for clients
City-headquartered law firm RPC is introducing a number of new senior level roles for lawyers to reflect the changing expectations of its people, the market, and client demand.
Read moreCity law firm RPC comments on Labour cyberattack
Earlier today media reported that the UK Labour Party became victim of a sophisticated Cyber attack.
Read moreCity law firm RPC comments on Saracens fine
Yesterday, the Premiership Rubgy fined UK Rugby champions Saracens with a 35 point deduction and £5.36 million for breaching salary cap rules.
Read moreRPC advises Ebury on sale of majority stake to Santander for £350m
RPC advised UK based fintech Ebury on sale of a majority stake to Banco Santander, a leading retail and commercial bank, founded in 1857 and headquartered in Spain. Ebury is a UK-based fintech company specialising in trade and foreign exchange facilitation for SMEs, operating in 19 countries and across 140 currencies.
Read moreNo let-up in retail sector insolvencies – 1,252 last year
New data published today shows that there has been no let-up in the number of retail businesses entering insolvency, with 1,252 insolvencies in the sector in the last year, up from 1,232 the year before says RPC, the City-headquartered law firm.
Read moreE-retailer takeovers rise as high street decline increases pressure to grow online sales
The number of M&A deals for UK e-retailers has risen to 12 in the past year*, up from eight last year, says City-headquartered law firm RPC.
Read more‘Craft’ spirits boom continues, driving new trade mark registrations to a record high
The expansion of the UK craft spirits industry shows no sign of abating, with the industry filing a record number of trade mark registrations in the last year, says RPC, the City-headquartered law firm. The number of new trade marks registered for spirits jumped 12% in the past year, with 2,482 filed in 2018, up from 2,210 in the previous 12 months.
Read moreRPC commits to Mindful Business Charter
We are proud to report that last night RPC signed the Mindful Business Charter, an initiative developed to mitigate unnecessary stress in the workplace. The Charter is a commitment by the firm to seek to change avoidable working practices which can have a negative effect on mental health and wellbeing. It aims to build trust and effective communication between colleagues, clients and contacts.
Read moreUK allergy-related food recalls jump 20% in a year to 5-year high
Food recalls relating to allergens have jumped 20% in the past year, as concerns rise over the dangers of poorly labelled foods, says RPC, the City-headquartered law firm. 122 food products were withdrawn from the market in 2018/19, compared to 102 in 2017/18.
Read moreMedical device alerts hit four-year high
The number of alerts issued by the Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has hit a four-year high of 35 in the past year*, up from 32 last year and more than double the 17 alerts issued three years ago, says City-headquartered law firm RPC.
Read moreRussia/CIS disputes Partner to boost global arbitration and litigation capability
Law firm RPC's global dispute resolution capability has received a further boost with the hire of Russia/CIS specialist Tatiana Minaeva. A Russian, English and German speaker, Tatiana joins the firm's London office and will have a particular focus supporting clients across Russia, other CIS states and Eastern Europe, as well as in Israel and Turkey.
Read more65% increase in challenges to rates bills by businesses in the last quarter
There has been a 65% increase in the number of businesses challenging their rates bill in the last quarter, with 4,000 challenges made in the first quarter of 2019, up from 2,430 challenges in Q4 2018, says RPC, the City-headquartered law firm.
Read more65% increase in challenges to rates bills by businesses in the last quarter
There has been a 65% increase in the number of businesses challenging their rates bill in the last quarter, with 4,000 challenges made in the first quarter of 2019, up from 2,430 challenges in Q4 2018*, says RPC, the City-headquartered law firm.
Read moreFCA gives payments and e-commerce industry extra time to implement Strong Customer Authentication
Jeremy Drew, Co-Head of Retail at RPC, the City headquartered law firm comments: “Retailers are going to be delighted that the FCA is taking a pragmatic approach to enforcement of SCA.”
Read moreGovernment must act fast to waive UK competition law for food & drink industry to prepare for no deal Brexit, say lawyers
The Government must act fast to waive competition laws to allow the food & drink industry to prepare for a possible “no deal” Brexit, says City-headquartered law firm RPC.
Read moreSales at UK’s leading online retailers rise 16% in just one year
Sales at the UK’s Top 20 largest online retailers have risen 16% in the last year to £9.5bn, up from £8.2bn the year before*, shows new research from RPC, the City-headquartered law firm.
Read moreRetail insolvencies up 6% in a year to 1,260
There has been a 6% rise in the number of retail businesses entering insolvency, to 1,260 in the past year (year-end June 30 2019) from 1,189 the previous year*, says RPC, the City-headquartered law firm.
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