Case studies

Penningtons has advised long-term client Aviva Investors and others on the impact of a number of major retail insolvencies including Fitness First, La Senza, Blacks Leisure, Allied Carpets and JJB. Our work has included a full review of the terms of these insolvency proposals governing both stores that were proposed to continue trading and those that were to be closed.

We advised landlords of Central London offices concerning encroachment from a neighbouring hotel development.

Our technology lawyers advised a software supplier on the licensing of its instore marketing software to supermarkets, including Somerfield stores.

Many companies are preparing for future investment or grooming themselves for sale when the market is more opportune. We have worked with several clients to ensure they are prepared for potential investors or acquisitions.

We regularly advise UK plcs and other entities on the data protection compliance obligations relating to the many consumer and HR records that they hold.

We advised a specialist storage integrator on its terms and conditions of business for managed services. This involved a detailed consideration of the variety of services and service levels offered by our client.

In September 2007, Farnborough International Limited commenced work on a major re-design of its website. The re-design necessitated a change of web development supplier with attendant service termination negotiations; creation of contracts for the new supplier; and various intellectual property issues including trade marks and brand protection on an international scale. Additionally, work was required to create and implement robust data protection and privacy policies, and most recently, oversee the acquisition of SSL certification.

Tata Motors sells its vehicles and spare parts in Italy, Spain and Poland through its distributors. Models for this market include the Telcoline and Xenon pickup trucks, Safari SUV and the Indica and Indigo passenger cars.

Moët Hennessy UK commissioned photographs by the renowned photographer Mike Figgis for a new exhibition entitled 'Glenmorangie 5 Senses'. Glenmorangie is one of its portfolio of 15 wines, champagnes and whiskies. Moët Hennessy UK also sponsored the exhibition at Proud Camden.

Our longstanding client GE Fabbri is a partwork magazine publisher. A partwork is a collectable magazine series on a particular theme, usually published fortnightly. GE Fabbri's previous titles have included 'Dad's Army', 'Dr Who' and 'Midsomer Murders'. More recently, we were instructed by the company to advise on its acquisition of rights to publish a partwork magazine and trading cards collection featuring the James Bond films, called 'OO7 Spy Cards'.

We advised AlphaLAW – rated top legal software supplier in six categories in an independent survey carried out by the Law Society – on its sale to Iris Software Group Limited, the largest privately owned software and services business in the UK.

Penningtons' immigration team has achieved a successful outcome for a college which had its Highly Trusted Status application refused. The UKBA's initial reason for refusal was that 'the college had failed to meet the criteria because 5% of students who enrolled failed to complete their course'. Penningtons managed to obtain clarification from the UKBA of the decision making process and also a list of students that the UKBA alleged had failed to complete their course.