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D&O insurance meaning

What does D&O insurance mean?
D&O insurance (directors’ and officers’ liability insurance) describes a claims‑made policy purchased by a company to protect its current and former directors and officers against personal liability for alleged wrongful acts in managing the business. It typically funds defence costs (often in advance) and, where insurable at law, damages and settlements, including for regulatory, shareholder and securities proceedings. The market recognises three insuring clauses: Side A (cover for individuals when the company cannot indemnify), Side B (reimbursement to the company for indemnities it pays), and Side C (entity cover for securities claims, mainly for listed issuers). Common exclusions include fraud or dishonesty established by final adjudication, deliberate illegal acts, fines and penalties where uninsurable, prior claims, and certain bodily injury or property damage. While not a statutory term, its use is consistent across England & Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland. UK companies legislation (Companies Act 2006) and Irish companies legislation (Companies Act 2014) restrict corporate indemnities but permit the purchase of D&O insurance; policies therefore address insurability, severability, non‑rescission of Side A, retentions and notification. Run‑off (tail) cover is often arranged on M&A or IPO to protect past service. D&O insurance is a standard risk‑transfer tool in corporate governance, financing and...
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NEWS
UK employment law weekly highlights: 28 March 2024—April reforms, flexible working Code, National Insurance cuts, minimum wage, Vento bands, industrial action, Northern Ireland updates

In this issue Working time and flexible working Pay Tax Prohibited conduct (discrimination etc) Employment tribunal equality claims Diversity and gender pay gap Industrial action Unfair dismissal Employment tribunals Immigration Northern Ireland ESG and sustainability: employment issues Daily and weekly news alerts Dates for your diary Trackers New Q&As Working time and flexible working Code of Practice (Requests for Flexible Working) Order 2024 (SI 2024/429): The Order designates 6 April 2024 as the date on which the updated Code of Practice on handling requests for flexible working, issued by the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) under section 199 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 (TULR(C)A 1992), takes effect. It also clarifies that the revised Code does not cover applications for flexible working made under section 80F of the Employment Rights Act 1996 (ERA 1996) that are lodged on or before 5 April 2024;...

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NEWS
DOC extensions fall within RTA 1988 compulsory insurance; insurer liable despite co-operation breach; discontinuance set aside to determine insurer status (Advantage Insurance v Stoodley, High Court, England and Wales)

Advantage Insurance Co Ltd v Stoodley and another [2018] EWHC 2135 (QB), [2018] All ER (D) 79 (Aug) What are the practical implications of the judgment? Two key, practical takeaways arise from this decision. Substantive point: a motor insurer granting cover under a DOC extension is insuring a liability that must be provided for under section 145 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 (RTA 1988). Consequently, a DOC insurer may function not only as a contractual insurer but also as a hybrid insurer (a contractual insurer whose liability is adjusted by RTA 1988, s 148) or as a statutory insurer under RTA 1988, s 151. This will matter in situations where multiple insurers are involved. Procedural point: claimants who anticipate an adverse ruling cannot sidestep it by discontinuing before judgment and then attempting to re‑litigate the same issue. Where a claimant discontinues in those circumstances, a defendant would be well advised to seek an order setting aside the notice of discontinuance. Whilst the law...

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NEWS
Weekly property disputes update—England & Wales and Scotland: forfeiture, undue influence, BSA 2022 leaseholder protections, service charges and insurance commissions, Scottish servitudes (25 July 2024)

In this issue: Forfeiture Contractual issues Repairing obligations and dilapidations Service charges Key developments and horizon scanning Property disputes in Scotland LexTalk®Property Disputes: a Lexis®Nexis community Additional Property disputes updates Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Trackers Latest Q&As Forfeiture Valuing a claim for wrongful forfeiture (Tanfield (as executor of the Estate of Paul Watkins) v Meadowbrook Montessori Ltd) In Tanfield (as executor of the Estate of Paul Watkins) v Meadowbrook Montessori Ltd [2024] EWHC 1759 (Ch), [2024] All ER (D) 77 (Jul), the court threw out a landlord’s winding-up petition for £167,593.41 presented against a company established to operate a school. It held there was a firmly arguable position that the majority of the petitioned sum was not rent arrears, but consideration payable for shares in the company. The judge further acknowledged a cross-claim with a genuine prospect of success, quantified at no less than £546,000 in...

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PRACTICE NOTES
2022 appeal round-up and tracker: key civil litigation decisions and forthcoming Supreme Court cases (England and Wales)

Practice Note This Practice Note consists of two strands created to help dispute resolution practitioners remain up to date with developments in case law that affect their field, or which influence civil litigation procedure more generally: selected forthcoming appeals to the Supreme Court are highlighted below; see Key forthcoming appeals to the Supreme Court—2022 summaries of significant appeal decisions in England and Wales (ie rulings of the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court and, where appropriate, certain judgments of the Competition Appeal Tribunal, Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, Court of Justice of the European Union), and ECtHR, which we have covered; see: Key forthcoming appeal cases—2022 You can navigate this content using the table of contents in the left-hand margin. Alternatively, search this tracker using [CTRL]+[F]. This material is not intended to be a comprehensive register of every appeal or major decision relevant to dispute resolution practitioners. Key forthcoming appeals to the Supreme Court—2022 Tort and negligence ...

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PRACTICE NOTES
CPR Part 36: 2016 case law review on offers, costs, interest, fixed costs and settlement (England and Wales)

ARCHIVED: this Practice Note is archived, not kept up to date, and provided for background reference only. Moreover, some links may no longer point to the provisions as they stood on the date this Practice Note’s guidance was published. Key Part 36 cases 2016—what do you need to know? Although the updated Part 36 took effect a little over 18 months ago, intending to ease interpretative difficulties in a scheme designed to encourage settlement (and thereby save court time), problems under Part 36 remain. The position through 2016 is unchanged, with recurring issues continuing to arise despite the revisions...

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PRACTICE NOTES
Using Incoterms 2020 in Trade Finance: A Lawyer’s Guide to Delivery, Risk, Insurance, Letters of Credit, Repos, Pre‑Export Finance and Common Pitfalls

What are Incoterms and what is their origin? Incoterms—short for ‘International Commercial Terms’—are a set of globally recognised trading terms used in international, and at times domestic, contracts for buying and selling goods. They comprise 11 three‑letter abbreviations, each standing for a distinct package of provisions that apportion duties, costs and risks within a sale and purchase agreement. The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) publishes rules that interpret Incoterms and explain the meaning of each term. First issued in 1936, these rules are updated from time to time to mirror developments in trading practices. In September 2019, the ICC released the most recent edition, Incoterms 2020, effective from 1 January 2020 (although parties could opt to apply the 2020 rules earlier if they wished). For the complete text of the 2020 rules, see the following Practice Notes: Incoterms® 2020—introduction Incoterms® 2020 Rules—EXW Ex works Incoterms® 2020 Rules—FCA Free Carrier Incoterms® 2020 Rules—CPT Carriage paid to Incoterms® 2020 Rules—CIP Carriage and insurance paid...

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PRECEDENTS
Intra‑group Intellectual Property Licence Precedent (England and Wales): comprehensive terms, optional clauses and schedules for copyright, patents, trade marks, designs, domain names, databases and know‑how

This Licence is entered into on [ insert date ] (the Commencement Date): Parties [ insert licensor name ], a company incorporated in [ England and Wales ] under number [ insert company number ], whose registered office is at [ insert address ] (the Licensor); and [ insert licensee name ], a company incorporated in [ England and Wales ] under number [ insert company number ], whose registered office is at [ insert address ] (the Licensee), (each of the Licensor and the Licensee being a party and, together, the Licensor and the Licensee are the parties). Background (A) [ Explain the relationship between the Licensor and the Licensee. ] (B) [ The Licensor has entered into an agreement with the Licensee [ dated [ insert date ] ] (the Main Agreement) for [ insert other description of relevant transaction (referencing any relevant related agreements) ] (‘ Transaction ’). ] (C) The Licensor has agreed to...

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PRECEDENTS
Archie’s Clause: D&O Premium Reductions for IFRS‑aligned Climate‑related Financial Disclosures

Insurance Premium Adjustment for D&O Climate-related Financial Disclosures (Archie’s Clause) (The Chancery Lane Project) This clause encourages organisations to lessen climate exposure by offering lower insurance premiums to policyholders who satisfy agreed reporting disclosure standards for climate-related financial risks...

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PRECEDENTS
JCT ICSub/D 2016 Sub-Contract with Design: Bespoke Agreement, Particulars and Comprehensive Amendments covering Building Safety Act, Dutyholder/HRB, BIM, Bonds, Warranties, Insurance, Payments and Adjudication (England)

Agreement in relation to [ insert brief details of the works/project ] at [ insert address of works ] ( incorporating (inter alia) the JCT Intermediate Sub-Contract with sub-contractor’s design Agreement 2016 (ICSub/D/A 2016) and JCT Intermediate Sub-Contract with sub-contractor’s design Conditions 2016 (ICSub/D/C 2016) as modified and supplemented in the manner indicated in this Agreement and the Schedules hereto ) This Agreement is entered into on the [ insert number ] day of [ insert month ] 20[ insert year ]. Parties [ insert name of the Contractor ] (company registration number [ insert number ]), whose registered office is at [ insert address of the Contractor ] ('the Contractor'). [ insert name of the Sub-Contractor ] (company registration number [ insert number ]), whose registered office is at [ insert address of the Sub-Contractor ] ('the Sub-Contractor'). It is now agreed as follows: 1 Interpretation For the purposes of this Agreement, words and expressions shall bear the...

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Q&As
AEOI registration under 2025 ITC Amendments: specified non‑reporting trusts—trust corporations, trustee‑documented, and lay‑trustee private company shares

Amendments to the International Tax Compliance Regulations 2015 (2015 regs), SI 2015/878, introduced by the International Tax Compliance (Amendment) Regulations 2025, SI 2025/740, have brought in a compulsory Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI) registration obligation for certain trusts treated as ‘specified non-reporting financial institutions’. Under the 2015 regs, SI 2015/878, reg 24(1), a specified non-reporting financial institution is ‘a non-reporting financial institution which is a trust within the meaning of Section VIII(B)(1)(e) of the CRS or paragraph II(D) of Annex II to the FATCA agreement’. Set out below is a concise overview of the components of that definition. Financial institution (IEIM400610) The FATCA and CRS frameworks recognise four common categories of Financial Institution: custodial institution depository institution investment entity specified insurance company Where a private trust satisfies any Financial Institution definition, it will most commonly be treated as an Investment Entity...

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