Alcock, Birds and Gale on the Companies Act 2006 (1st Edition)

Citation

Taylor, C. (2010), "Alcock, Birds and Gale on the Companies Act 2006 (1st Edition)", International Journal of Law and Management, Vol. 52 No. 2, pp. 164-165. https://doi.org/10.1108/17542431011029460

With the Companies Act 2006 now fully implemented it is now more important than ever that those involved in the management of companies are familiar with its provisions. This is, however, a far from straightforward task considering the sheer size of the statute and its associated delegated legislation. This complexity has prompted a number of texts designed to assist in navigating what is widely recognised as the largest statute ever passed by Parliament and this title follows on from the earlier Companies Act 2006: The New Law in offering an updated commentary on the Act.

At 1450 pages this is certainly a substantial text although its size is slightly deceptive in that only 380 pages are devoted to commentary, with the vast majority of the remainder being comprised of a copy of the 2006 Act, together with tables of origins and destinations. For those who do not already possess a copy of the Act this is a logical and useful feature, although it must be said that the statute itself is readily available online. Those who do already have a copy may feel slightly more ambivalent about a volume, two thirds of which they already possess.

Turning to the quality of the commentary, however, there are no such reservations and the text more than lives up to the Jordans reputation for clear and concise explanation, aimed squarely at the busy company professional or practitioner. An excellent table of contents is divided into key areas, providing speedy reference to the relevant provisions, and the text itself is helpfully broken down into manageable sections. Chapter 25 covering implementation of the Takeovers Directive and Chapter 26 on implementing the Transparency Directive are particularly welcome additions. Throughout the text, changes are placed within their proper context and are helpfully compared with the old provisions, allowing the reader to understand not only what the current position is, but also how this differs from what existed previously. Although essentially a practical text, the meticulous referencing will also make this a highly useful title for scholars of company law and the short introductory chapter on the origins of the Act is both interesting and informative. Similarly, the footnotes contain a wealth of detail on the origins of the changes together with their legislative background and Chapter 2 outlining the staggered commencement of the Act provides graphic evidence of the somewhat fragmented implementation of the statute. Once again, for those wishing to research the development of the current provisions, such information is invaluable.

As a single volume reference for company law practitioners and those charged with advising on statutory compliance, this is certainly a worthwhile text. It would also be of great interest to those with a more academic interest in the development of company law in England and Wales. Well written and highly informative, this will undoubtedly be of benefit to those still grappling with this most challenging of statutes.