Client highlights

Positive resolution from complex disputes: the world’s highest-value divorce

Date Posted: 10/11/2010 Author: Jeremy Posnansky

Farrers has been advising offshore trustees in what has been described recently as “the world’s most expensive divorce”. One spouse is challenging the validity of transfers into a trust and also questioning whether they should be valued at the date of transfer, or based on the current value.

Groundbreaking tax haven agreement: negotiating the high-profile Liechtenstein Disclosure Facility with HMRC

Date Posted: 18/09/2010 Author: John Carrell

Last summer, Farrer & Co was asked to advise the Principality of Liechtenstein on the groundbreaking tax agreements it was proposing to enter into with the UK. This led to John Carrell, our head of tax, joining the Liechtenstein negotiating team, which hammered out the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding and the Liechtenstein Disclosure Facility at meetings with HMRC in Vaduz, Zurich and London.

Innovative approach to sale and leasebacks on acquisition of Tesco Extra for Charities Property Fund

Date Posted: 01/08/2010 Author: Gavin Acheson

Farrer advised the Charities Property Fund on the structured acquisition from Tesco of its Tesco Extra store in Mansfield for £43million. The innovative sale and leaseback terms allow Tesco considerable flexibility in return for a 20-year lease on a new store with a number of associated benefits for the Fund and Tesco.

Eton’s Egyptian treasures: international audience benefits from deal to share antiquities

Date Posted: 07/06/2010 Author: Paul Jones

Farrer & Co advised Eton College on a three-way collaboration, involving the University of Birmingham in the UK and the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, to enable the sharing and exhibition of a huge number of Egyptian and other antiquities owned by the College.

Discrimination in the City: advising law firms on multi-million pound claims

Date Posted: 06/06/2010 Author: William Dawson

Over the last year, Farrers have advised several major law firms defending discrimination and whistleblowing claims, including one which was listed for a multi-week Employment Tribunal hearing where the claimant solicitor sought compensation of several million pounds.

The British Library goes digital

Date Posted: 28/05/2010 Author: Peter Wienand

Farrers advised the British Library on its partnership with brightsolid online technology, owned by DC Thomson, for the digitisation of up to 40 million pages of the Library’s newspaper archive. The contract was procured using the new Competitive Dialogue procedure. 

A licence to succeed: Duchy Originals tie up with Waitrose

Date Posted: 20/04/2010 Author: Peter Wienand

Farrers advised long-time client Duchy Originals Limited on its widely publicised strategic partnership with Waitrose, announced by The Prince of Wales in September 2009.

Hidden assets: protecting the Church Commissioners’ valuable minerals

Date Posted: 17/03/2010 Author: Simon Pring

Manorial minerals are mineral interests attached to the lordship of a manor. Since 1925, these rights have not needed to be registered at the Land Registry in order to bind the owner of the surface title (they have been ‘overriding interests’). However, from 12 October 2013, these rights will cease to override and must therefore be registered in order to be secure. If they are not registered, they risk being lost when title to the surface changes.

Property partnership: driving the deals behind a new market town

Date Posted: 18/02/2010 Author: Jeremy Gordon

Farrers has been advising one of our entrepreneurial clients, Red Tree LLP, on a major property development partnership, creating an urban extension – the town of Sherford near Plymouth.

High-value, complex trust litigation

Date Posted: 16/01/2010 Author: Toby Graham

Farrer is acting for Russa Management Limited and others, trustee of Intertraders Trust, in proceedings brought before the Royal Court in Jersey by members of a wealthy Saudi-based family.