McGoff & Byrne Counsel you can rely on, in Leeds and London

McGoff & Byrne

Counsel you can rely on, in Leeds and London

Latest Articles

Conflicts Are Rarely Announced: Building a Register That Remembers
Legal Services

Conflicts Are Rarely Announced: Building a Register That Remembers

Conflicts often surface long after instruction, through mergers, panel changes, lateral hires or personal connections. This article explains how Leeds and London firms can maintain a practical conflicts register, review it meaningfully and escalate issues before they crystallise.

Who May Stand on Your Opinion: A Reliance Letter Discipline for UK Practices
Legal Services

Who May Stand on Your Opinion: A Reliance Letter Discipline for UK Practices

Reliance letters are often requested late, under pressure, and in broad terms. This guide sets out a disciplined approach for UK professional firms asked to let third parties rely on their advice, with practical controls for transactions, refinancing and regulatory reviews.

The Two-Year Runway: Managing Terminal Dilapidations on UK Commercial Leases
Commercial Disputes

The Two-Year Runway: Managing Terminal Dilapidations on UK Commercial Leases

Terminal dilapidations rarely arrive as a genuine surprise to a well-prepared occupier. This note sets out how to treat the final two years of a commercial lease as a managed project — reading the schedule properly, separating repair from reinstatement, and building the evidence file that supports a credible negotiating position in Leeds and London.

Reasonable Procedures, Defensible Records: A Director's Fraud Prevention Audit for 2026
Legal Services

Reasonable Procedures, Defensible Records: A Director's Fraud Prevention Audit for 2026

The failure to prevent fraud offence has been in force since September 2025, and boards that treated it as a drafting exercise are now being asked whether their procedures would survive scrutiny. This checklist is aimed at directors and senior managers who want to test their arrangements now — and to leave behind a governance record that explains the decisions taken.

The Postcode Is Not the Problem: Coordinating Legal Counsel Between Leeds and London
Legal Services

The Postcode Is Not the Problem: Coordinating Legal Counsel Between Leeds and London

A practice with Leeds and London offices should feel like one team, not two firms sharing a letterhead. This article explains how clients can test matter allocation, local knowledge, fee transparency and single-point accountability before instructing counsel across both cities.

Reading the Lease Before Renewal: A Clause-by-Clause Discipline for UK Occupiers
Commercial Disputes

Reading the Lease Before Renewal: A Clause-by-Clause Discipline for UK Occupiers

Commercial tenants approaching renewal or rent review in 2026 should treat the lease as a risk register, not a formality. This guide sets out the clauses that most often determine outcomes in Leeds and London, together with a practical pre-renewal checklist for occupiers and their advisers.

When AI Meets Privilege: A Confidentiality Framework for UK Professional Firms
Legal Services

When AI Meets Privilege: A Confidentiality Framework for UK Professional Firms

Artificial intelligence can improve how professional firms work, but it also creates new routes for confidential client material to leave the firm's control. A practical governance framework helps Leeds and London firms adopt AI without eroding confidentiality, privilege or data-protection standards.

Before the Year Turns: Five Governance Questions for Leeds and London Boards
Commercial Disputes

Before the Year Turns: Five Governance Questions for Leeds and London Boards

Year-end is more than a financial close. For directors and business owners in Leeds and London, it is a useful moment to test whether boardroom habits would withstand scrutiny in a dispute, transaction or regulatory enquiry.

Across the Irish Sea: Contract Discipline for UK Businesses Trading with Ireland in 2026
Commercial Disputes

Across the Irish Sea: Contract Discipline for UK Businesses Trading with Ireland in 2026

UK–Irish trade can feel routine until a supply dispute exposes gaps in governing law, jurisdiction and enforcement. This advisory note sets out the contractual checks that help Leeds and London businesses keep a cross-border disagreement within manageable bounds.

Appointing Legal Counsel with Confidence: A 2026 Checklist for Growing Leeds and London Businesses
Legal Services

Appointing Legal Counsel with Confidence: A 2026 Checklist for Growing Leeds and London Businesses

Choosing a legal partner is both a procurement decision and a relationship decision. This checklist helps growing businesses in Leeds and London test sector fit, partner involvement, fee clarity and dispute readiness before appointing counsel.