You are the Judge
Welcome to our legal scenario feature, You are the Judge.
We want people to get more involved with the law, as we believe this will benefit everyone. Clients will understand their solicitor, solicitors will have more faith in their clients and everyone will know more about whether a situation should - or possibly more importantly shouldn't - be escalated.
So we have created example scenarios of various legal situations. They involve ordinary people in ordinary situations that anybody could (and probably will!) experience. Each time we would like you to comment on what you believe is the correct outcome.
We'd also like you to convey what you think should be the outcome, as this might generate some great discussion!
Latest You are the Judge:
A relationship has broken down, but this time the main issue revolves around finances. The main dispute relates to property, but international jurisdiction are now being involved despite the UK courts saying that the matter is now at an end. Can the case proceed? Read more in our latest You are the Judge scenario and share your views with us.
Previous entries:
| You are the Judge topic | Synopsis |
| A mother wants to change her child's surname in an attempt to essentially delete his father out of his life, following a contentious separation, will she be allowed to do this? | |
| An activist has suffered an injury whilst going door-to-door posting leaflets. Is he able to claim for personal injury? Can the defendant be held liable for the complications that eventually arose? | |
| Khaled produces a very unique product. When asked to meet one of the most specific orders of his career he is dismayed to find that the customer is dissatisfied with the product. But were the goods fit for their purpose? | |
| Matthew has arrived back from holiday to find that his shop has flooded and around £10,000 has been caused. Who will be held liable for this damage? | |
| Commercial Ts & Cs | Drake appears to have struck gold by securing a large deal with a merchant-banking conglomerate. But on whose terms is the deal governed? |
| Partnership agreements | You've set up a business with two partners. With no partnership agreement, what could go wrong? |
| Licensing issues for a pub | Suzanna is a landlord, but is having issues with drinkers making noise outside her pub. What are the licensing laws and what rights do the local residents have? |
| Dilapidations | Timothy and Sarah leased a property, turned it into a successful cafe, and have now ended the lease so they can move to a bigger property. But how should the original property be left? |
| Gazumping | James and Hannah have sold their cottage - or so they think. They have a verbal agreement... |
| Employment offer contracts | Once offered a contract to start a job, is this binding? Can the company remove the offer at no cost? |
| A mistake in a will | A beneficiary in a will has had their company name misspelled. Will this mean they receive no money? |
| Passing off dispute | A pizza joint owner on a high street has discovered another pizza joint is using a likeness of his image to sell lower-quality pizzas. Is there anything he can do? |
| Boundary dispute | James and Hannah currently use a disused field to get to their home as it saves time. The farmer wants to use it now, but they feel they should have a right of way. Is this possible? |
| Inheritance dispute | Natalia has been left money by her grandfather, and he has a wish as to how she should spend it. What can she do? |
| Defamation dispute | An ex-employee has been abused on email by his old manager. Can he sue for defamation? |
| Rent payment dispute | Rebecca has had no heating in her flat for months. Can she force the landlord to fix it by withholding rent? |
| Copyright question | Tracy wrote a story, then lost it. Years later she found her story, published. Can she do anything? |
| Sneaky terms and conditions | Tim's paintballing ended up costing much more than expected. Must he abide by the terms and conditions stipulated? |
| A will dispute | A will was created, but unfortunate circumstances mean the original wish cannot be fulfilled. What will happen? |
| Swearing manager | Having been treated badly, an employee left work early. They were then fired. Is this unfair dismissal? |