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

McGoff & Byrne

Counsel you can rely on, in Leeds and London

Latest Articles

The Ladder Must Hold: Drafting Enforceable Escalation Clauses Under English Law
Commercial Disputes

The Ladder Must Hold: Drafting Enforceable Escalation Clauses Under English Law

Tiered dispute-resolution clauses rarely fail because English courts disapprove of them. They fail because the drafting leaves too much to inference. This note explains how escalation steps are tested and sets out a practical discipline for drafting, signing and recording them.

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.

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 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.

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.