The National Security and Investment Bill will allow government intervention in transactions raising national security concerns. It will require investors in UK real estate to consider whether the regime applies and factor in any timetabling implications. The Bill is currently being examined in the House of Lords. It will introduce an independent screening regime in the UK where a transaction gives rise to national security concerns ...
Led by Legal Director of Immigration, Rachel Harvey, and Employment Partner Emma Morgan, this webinar focussed on the considerations many Employers are faced with concerning immigration. This complex and ever-changing area means Employers need to keep a keen eye on any changes or alterations that are made to the current guidelines and rules. The key themes from the webinar and what they mean for employers are detailed below ...
In its highly anticipated judgment, the majority of the Supreme Court of Canada found the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act constitutional in a split 6-3 decision. The key issue before the court was whether the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act (“GGPPA”) was constitutional. The majority decided that it was, because Parliament has jurisdiction to enact this law as a matter of national concern ...
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) announced on March 29, 2021 that qualifying employers should file 2019 and 2020 workplace diversity data, known as the EEO-1 Component 1 data, by July 19, 2021. The data collection will open on April 26, 2021. Employers with 100 or more employees and federal contractors with 50 or more employees should begin preparing to submit the data in anticipation of this opening ...
Those in the CBD sector should be mindful of their marketing tactics, as the FDA continues to police the industry. Manufacturers of CBD products must also evaluate their quality-control procedures to ensure safe products are hitting the marketplace. As we forecasted this past December in a previous legal alert, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration continues to referee the emerging cannabidiol (CBD) product market ...
As of today, March 31, 2021, no longer may public bodies take advantage of the “any reason” remote meeting provisions of the Open Meetings Act. When the Legislature extended the circumstances under which public bodies could meet remotely, it provided for limited circumstances after the “any reason” provision sunsets ...
No one can escape the basic rules of contracting, even the federal government. If the contract is clear and unambiguous, then the four corners of the agreement set the rules for the project and the parties – and there’s not much room for interpretation. The government was recently reminded of this cold, hard truth after it refused to grant a contractor an equitable adjustment of the contract price for purchasing wetland mitigation credits. In Kiewit Infrastructure W. Co. v ...
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, in BGT Holdings LLC v. United States, recently held that the government does not have the discretion to deny a contractor’s request for equitable adjustment (REA) under Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 52.245-1 (Government Property) where the conditions specified in that clause are present and the contractor is able to show financial loss ...
In a December 2020 opinion, the United States Civilian Board of Contract Appeals (the “Board”) reviewed and reversed a Federal Highway Administration (“FHWA”) Contracting Officer’s (“CO”) decision to terminate for default Eagle Peak Rock & Paving, Inc.’s thirty-six million dollar contract (the “Contract”) for work on a project in Yellowstone National Park (the “Project”) ...
The opening webinar of The Lawyer’s Smarter Working Week saw leaders from a broad range of different sized teams discuss their experiences over the past 12 months and how they will use these learnings to build back better and enhance the experience for their business ...
In the context of a growing transition to a digital economy, the possibility of working anywhere in the world as a remote worker is gaining more and more supporters, and this trend has been encouraged and promoted by many global companies. The concept of digital nomadism focuses on a lifestyle and work that can be considered nomadic in the sense that it does not depend on a fixed location and allows freedom to move around for extended periods of time ...
ENSafrica recently released Africa Regulatory Insight: Coronavirus (COVID-19) Regulatory Measures. This comprehensive report outlines the COVID-19 regulatory measures for each country across Sub-Sahara Africa, providing the sector, measure, effective date/status and key points and impact for each region. The information provided herein is intended to provide a general overview, and is not an exhaustive list of all legislatice developments across Sub-Sahara ...
On 25 March 2021, the Royal Government of Cambodia (“RGC”) implemented ‘Round 8’ of measures aimed at mitigating the impacts of COVID-19 on businesses and workers in Cambodia. The RGC in their press release noted the positive update with respect to the development of COVID-19 vaccines and the fact that Cambodia has to date managed to effectively control COVID-19 ...
Key Points Historic definition of "public works" expanded beyond construction-related activities Supreme Court holds that some special districts must pay prevailing wages to workers performing non-infrastructure related tasks Full extent of coverage of prevailing wages for operational contract workers is unclear Labor Code Section 1720(a)(1) defines a "public work" as "construction, alteration, demolition, installation, or repair work done under contract and paid for in wh
Over the past couple of years, school systems have been faced with several personnel issues related to the ECCAT classification. Several grievances were filed relating to determining seniority of the ECCAT classification, with employees mainly alleging that seniority as an Aide should serve as the seniority date as an ECCAT ...
In 2020, as offices and workplaces across Canada closed or reduced staffing capacity due to COVID-19, many Canadian workers who normally performed work at their employer’s worksite were suddenly required to work from home, either fully or partially. While this has not always been an easy transition, the silver lining is that such workers may be eligible for an income tax deduction in respect of their work-from-home situation ...
COVID-19 has forced us to completely rethink the way we live, work and move around. It has begged the question: what is it that makes a great city? Manchester is one of the fastest-growing cities in the UK. With cranes dominating the skyline, billions continue to be invested into the city centre as it evolves into a city of quarters ...
The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (“ARP Act”), the $1.9 trillion pandemic aid bill, contained changes to (1) the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) by expanding eligibility and other items and (2) the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (“COBRA”). The ARP Act provides for fully subsidized COBRA premium payments ...
UAE Federal Decree Law 19 of 2020 Regarding Trusts (the UAE Trusts Law) was issued in September of 2020. As there was no comparable law previously, the UAE Trusts Law opened the door to trusts in the UAE for the first time (not including DIFC and ADGM trusts, the UAE’s two financial free zones). This is a potentially significant development that holds great promise, although some key questions remain ...
It’s fair to say that ‘employee engagement’ has become quite the buzz word(s) in organisations’ quest for a competitive advantage. But what is engagement really and what impact does it have on performance? Furthermore, how do we drive employee engagement at a time when our own wants and needs are evolving right in front of us? This blog will attempt to scratch the surface on what is a much larger topic ...
The Charity Commission focuses on charities meeting “public expectation”, but they also need to remain true to their stated purpose, even when doing so may prove controversial. A report on our colonial past The National Trust has acted in accordance with its charitable objects. This shouldn’t be headline news, but it has been for the last six months ...
Since the consultation document on Proposed Security of Payment Legislation (SOPL) for the Construction Industry in June 2015 and the report of the consultation in April 2016, the SOPL Bill has yet to be put before the Legislative Council for consideration. The Government released a draft Technical Circular on the Implementation of the Spirit of Security of Payment Legislation in Public Works Contracts (Draft Circular) and a reference document in mid-March 2021 ...
