Chris Fick & Associates

Check all emailed bank details for BEC (“Business Email Compromise”) frauds

“…sending bank details by email is inherently dangerous, and so must either be avoided in favour of, for example, a secure portal or it must be accompanied by other precautionary measures like telephonic confirmation or appropriate warnings which are securely communicated.” (Extract from judgment below) Before you make any payment to a supplier’s bank account […]

Landlord liable for a tragic “freak” flood drowning

Landlords need to be aware that they risk being sued if their tenants suffer any loss whilst on their premises. We discuss the principles involved with reference to the tragic High Court case of a toddler drowned when the riverside chalet in which his family was holidaying was subjected to a “freak” overnight flood. The […]

Chris Fick & Associates February update

At Chris Fick & Associates, we aim to provide simple solutions to complex legal problems. As an extension of our focus for simplicity and putting you first, we have undergone a redesign of the firm’s website at www.chrisfick.co.za. We want to invite you, as a valued client, to visit our updated site. We will appreciate […]

Welcome to 2021!

Welcome to 2021! We hope you had a good break and that you are ready to tackle the new year’s challenges and opportunities. In this newsletter we have a short report on the Deeds Office and we introduce Mr Odwa Ndesi, an attorney who joins us as a professional assistant focussing on litigation and human […]

Happy Festive Season!

Our firm wishes all our clients, colleagues and acquaintances an enjoyable festive season and a very much happier new year! We sincerely appreciate working with wonderful colleagues and clients and we value your support and co-operation greatly. During the Xmas and New Years period our firm will close early on the 24th of December and […]

POPIA: A Practical 4-Step Action Plan for your Business

Preparation is of course always key to success, and compliance with POPIA (the Protection of Personal Information Act) is no different. Do not be misled by the scare stories about having to comply immediately just because POPIA is now in force, but equally don’t fall into the trap of thinking “I can ignore this for […]

The Pandemic and Business Interruption Cover – Can You Claim?

It’s no surprise that our media has been awash with reports on the recent High Court judgment around a restaurant’s business interruption cover claims. The restaurant in question, like many other businesses of all types and sizes, has been suffering severe losses from being forced to close (and latterly trade under very limited conditions) during […]

How to stop an ex-director from competing with you

What happens if relations between you and your fellow company directors sour to the extent that a director leaves? Can he or she immediately open up a new business in direct competition to you? A recent High Court decision both addresses that knotty question, and highlights a quick and easy solution. Fishing for business: “Big […]

COVID-19: Small businesses, employment laws, and survival support

We can only guess at how the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak will end, but let’s all take whatever concrete steps we can right now to lessen its impact on our personal lives, on our businesses, and on our country. One of those steps is for businesses to find ways of continuing to operate as normally as […]

All companies: Prepare for the mandatory new CIPC compliance checklist

The CIPC (Companies and Intellectual Property Commission) has announced that its new “compliance checklist” requirement, voluntary until now, becomes mandatory for all companies and close corporations from 1 January 2020. You must complete the checklist before submitting your annual return. So firstly check when your due date for the annual return is – for companies […]