On July 1, 2023, laws that were passed by the General Assembly and signed into law by Governor Glenn Younkin become effective in Virginia. In the most recent legislative session, a number of new employment laws were passed applicable to Virginia employers. 1. HB1895 – Expansion of Prohibited Contractual Provisions in Cases of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Current Virginia law (Va. Code § 40.1-28 ...
As a part of Federal agencies’ issuance of their semi-annual Spring 2023 Regulatory Agenda, the CFPB has published its Spring 2023 Agency Rule List (“2023 List”). In that List, the CFPB has set forth the status of its present rulemaking activities and its plans for such activities in the next 6 months ...
The rules governing discrimination and psychosocial risks at work have been revised to bring them in line with European legislation and the European Court of Justice’s recent case law. Various legislation has now changed, including: the Gender Act of 7 May 2007, the Antidiscrimination Act of 7 May 2007, the Racism and Xenophobia Act of 30 July 1981, the Wellbeing Act of 4 August 1996, and the Wellbeing at Work Code. These new rules entered into force on 1 June 2023 ...
On 14 June 2023, the European Parliament adopted its positionon the draft AI Act, which brings one step closer an EU regulation for generative AI and other AI systems. This blog gives the highlights of the current draft text, taking into account the newest amendments that have been proposed ...
Over the past few years, the United Arab Emirates has witnessed an increase in awareness and significance of environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues. While businesses in the UAE have begun to acknowledge that conscious efforts towards ESG compliance is imperative for growth and longevity of their business, the question remains whether ESG compliance can truly be said to now form a part of the UAE compliance ecosystem ...
Law firms have a lot more male than female partners, though the situation is changing Business Plus June 17, 2023 Gender pay gap reporting has highlighted that across the largest law firms there is a substantial pay gap between men and women when the earnings of equity partners are included. In general terms, commercial law firms have more female than male solicitors in their ranks, but there are much more men than women at the top table ...
The National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”) reinstated the test established in FedEx Home Delivery (FedEx II), lessening the requirements for a worker to be considered an employee and not an independent contractor. The decision in The Atlanta Opera, Inc., issued on June 13, 2023, overruled the 2019 SuperShuttle decision, opting to return to “common-law principles ...
On June 1, 2023, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau along with Federal Reserve, OCC, FDIC, NCUA and FHFA (collectively, the “Agencies”) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking seeking comment on rules to implement quality control standards for automated valuation models (AVMs) used by residential mortgage originators and secondary market issuers in determining the collateral worth of a mortgage loan that is secured by a consumer’s principal dwelling ...
On May 15, 2023, the Chilean Congress approved the Bill that Systematizes Economic Crimes and Attacks against the Environment (the "Bill"). Therefore, the Bill was sent to the President for its enactment into law, although it is subject to the preventive control that must be carried out by the Constitutional Court. During this period, the Executive has a deadline to exercise veto power over the bill prior to its enactment into law ...
Net migration figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) for the year ending December 2022 show an increase on figures from the previous year. Taking a closer look into the categories of migration behind the net figures gives further insight as to why the target to reduce net migration figures are not being met. These figures show that total immigration into the United Kingdom for 2022 was in the region of 1.2 million with emigration counted at approximately 557,000 ...
June marks ‘Pride Month’ which celebrates how far LGBTQ+ rights have come whilst also highlighting the work that still needs to be done. We consider how allies and effective employee networks can assist in this supporting ongoing progress. Employee networks are voluntary, employee-led groups aimed at providing support, resources and a sense of community for employees who may share a common identity or experience ...
Fertility is not only a ‘women’s issue’ - the impact of infertility on men can be enormous, yet regularly goes unnoticed. In light of Men’s Health Week and Father’s Day, we look at improving support for men who are experiencing fertility issues. When it comes to infertility, research and support predominantly centres around the perspectives of women ...
The Procurement Bill has now had its third and final reading and has passed the Report Stage in the House of Commons. The House of Commons’ latest amendments that have been added to the Bill include the following: If a supplier or a connected person poses a threat to the national security of the UK, this would be a mandatory exclusion ground. This is a change from previous versions of the Bill which classed this exclusion ground as discretionary ...
Good governance counts because without it a charity’s impact can be much diminished, but it is also important not to be overwhelmed by all the detail and to focus on what matters. There is a lot of guidance on governance for charities Someone once said, “With proper governance, life will improve for all ...
The UK Covid-19 Inquiry has sought to consider as many voices as possible in its assessment of the vast human impact the pandemic has had on both individuals and organisations. Every Story Matters is the Inquiry’s way of doing so, enabling those in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales to share their experiences of the pandemic with the Inquiry, via an online form. To date, around 6,000 people have shared their stories ...
A Bill’s fate is never sealed until it has been through all the necessary approval stages and the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill is no exception. Whilst numerous concerns have been raised about the speed and impact of the Bill, there were comparatively few amendments made to it as it sped through the Commons ...
According to a recent TUC poll of over 1,000 women, 58% have experienced sexual harassment, bullying or verbal abuse at work, with the perpetrator in 39% of most recent instances of harassment being a third party. Clearly, this needs to change. Harassment is still an issue at work As a result of the findings from the poll, the TUC is supporting the Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Bill 2022-23 which is currently passing through Parliament ...
We look at the legal framework within which the dispute between the UK Covid-19 Inquiry and the Cabinet Office over the former Prime Minister’s WhatsApp messages and diaries has developed, and possible consequences for the Inquiry depending on the outcome. What has the Cabinet Office been asked to provide? On 21 April 2023, Baroness Heather Hallett, Chair of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry (‘the Inquiry’) issued a Section 21 Notice to the Cabinet Office (‘the Notice’) ...
“Why don’t I own this?” The words of oil prospector Daniel Plainview to his property advisor, querying the land rights for his oil pipeline to the California coast in the Oscar winning film ‘There Will Be Blood, and a blunt, single sentence reminder of the need for early due diligence on large scale developments ...
The President of the Russian Federation instructed the Government to consider the opportunity of granting clearance for the sale of Russian legal entities controlled by “unfriendly” entities only with the consent of senior officials of the Russian regions where such entities are located. The Government should issue a report on this matter by June 15, 2023 ...
Business reorganization is a commonly utilized strategy to enhance efficiency and reduce costs within a business. Reorganization not only impacts corporate changes, but also has an effect on labour relations, which can pose certain risks. We have summarized the key labour issues that illustrate the red flags associated with corporate transactions, along with practical issues that should be taken into consideration. More details here ...
The SEC has published its final rule for the modernization of share repurchase disclosures. The final rule will require additional details of an issuer’s share repurchase activity. Unlike the previous requirements for share repurchase reporting, the final rule will require daily repurchase data, reported either quarterly or semi-annually, and eliminates the previous requirement for the publication of an issuer’s repurchase data by month in its 10-Qs and 10-Ks ...
No-fault attendance policies may be on a watchlist for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. A recent matter before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, EEOC v. Eberspaecher North America Inc., suggests that the EEOC is interested in how those policies work. It seems the EEOC wants to determine if such policies potentially violate the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the agency may want to pursue that interest on a national scale ...
