On June 3, 2024, a divided three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit ruled that an Atlanta hedge fund likely violated 42 U.S.C. § 1981—the federal prohibition on racial discrimination in public and private contracting—by operating a grant contest that awarded $20,000 grants to select small business owners, all of whom, by the contest’s express rules, had to be Black women ...
Employees have a statutory right not to suffer discrimination in the workplace and it is essential that employers, and those responsible for managing the workforce, fully understand the legal provisions and the potential consequences of failing to comply. Sexual orientation is one of nine characteristics that are protected by discrimination legislation ...
In the final part of our mini-series in dealing with DSARs, we look at the process of redacting when responding to a DSAR, and in particular, what information should be provided to an employee who has submitted a DSAR. Employees are increasingly seeking to raise DSARs within an employment context and in particular ahead of instigating legal proceedings. Responding to a DSAR can be a challenging, costly, and often time-consuming process ...
The current Temporary Agency Workers Regulations (S.L. 452.106) regulate temporary agency workers, transposing Directive 2008/104/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on temporary agency work into Maltese law. This legislation is meant to ensure equality of treatment between temporary agency workers and employees of the user undertaking (the entity for which the temporary agency workers would be providing their services) ...
The Automated Vehicles Act (the Act) regulates the marketing of self-driving vehicles, prohibiting the use of misleading terminology or communications that could confuse consumers. In this article Ben Gardner explores how the use of terminology that could mislead consumers will be regulated. The Act has now received Royal Assent and creates a regulatory framework which applies to the deployment and use of automated vehicles on UK roads ...
On May 30, 2024, the Comptroller General of the Republic (“Comptroller”) approved Supreme Decree No. 70 (“Decree”), which amends, mainly, (i) the Supreme Decree No. 62, of 2006, of the Ministry of Economy, Development and Reconstruction (“DS 62”), which approves the Regulation of Power Transfers between Generating Companies established in the General Law of Electric Services, and (ii) the Supreme Decree No ...
Do you have an employment agreement? Should you have an employment agreement? We are often asked whether founders need written employment agreements with their companies. Every company's culture is different. Often founders are at-will employees who can be terminated (or can quit) for any or no reason. They may have an offer letter but no employment agreement. In other situations, founders or investors demand that the company put employment agreements in place with key personnel ...
On 3 May 2024, the Court of Session upheld the Scottish Ministers’ decision to refuse Miller Homes Ltd planning permission for 250 houses in West Calder. The decision is the first occasion on which the Court has considered Policy 16 of the NPF4 (Quality Homes) and confirms the approach to be adopted when considering applications for development of unallocated housing sites in the absence of an adopted local development plan postdating NPF4 ...
As employers begin to embrace Artificial Intelligence (AI) within the workplace, its growing use within the recruitment process means that the potential risks of its implementation need to be considered. The Responsible Technology Adoption Unit (RTA) has published guidance to assist HR and recruitment organisations on how to use AI responsibly ...
A Guide to Guernsey's population management regime following the new Employment Permit Policy Up until April 2023, two separate policies with different criteria governed immigration Work Permits and Population Management Employment Permits. However, to streamline the process and to enable businesses to look further afield to fill job roles, a new Employment Permit Policy (the New Policy) has been introduced ...
Our Employment and Benefits practice group recently organised an afternoon seminar focusing on current and upcoming topics in the field of employment law and within the labour market in Finland. This article dives deeper into some of the topics discussed during the successful afternoon at Krogerus and gives a brief overview on what to expect in the coming months in the field of employment law ...
On 17 April 2024, the JCT Design and Build 2024 (JCT DB 2024) was published. This is the first contract published in the new JCT 2024 suite, with further contracts set to be published on a rolling basis over the coming year. There are some notable changes, but overall the JCT has taken a balanced approach on the extent of the changes, building on the previous JCT Design and Build 2016 (JCT DB 2016). An understanding of the key changes is essential for those looking to adopt the new form ...
On April 23, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) issued a final rule (“Final Rule”) broadly banning non-competition (“non-compete”) agreements nationwide. With limited exceptions, the Final Rule prohibits employers from entering new non-compete agreements with workers and requires employers to notify workers with existing non-compete agreements that those agreements will not be enforced ...
Our Energy practice group has been following the progress of the legislative project which aims to clarify the requirements and processes for offshore wind power in the Finnish exclusive economic zone ("EEZ"). On 23 May 2024, the Finnish Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment ("Ministry") held a third stakeholder meeting to inform and discuss in detail the draft government proposal, which has just been submitted for consultation ...
For many years, nurses in Ohio were only required to disclose convictions to the Ohio Board of Nursing on their biennial license renewal application. However, a new regulation from the Ohio Board of Nursing now requires licensees to additionally report a guilty plea, conviction or treatment in lieu of conviction of certain crimes within 30 days of the plea or entry ...
Probate and estate planning administration for Guernsey domiciliaries Why do I need a Guernsey grant of probate or administration? Guernsey is an independent legal jurisdiction for estate administration purposes. When a person dies leaving assets in Guernsey it is likely their personal representative will be required to obtain a Guernsey Grant of Probate or Administration in order to receive the Guernsey assets ...
Probate and estate planning administration for non-Guernsey domiciliaries Why do I need a Guernsey Grant of Probate or administration? Guernsey is an independent legal jurisdiction for estate administration purposes. When a person dies leaving assets in Guernsey, it is likely their personal representative will be required to obtain a Guernsey Grant of Probate or administration in order to receive the Guernsey assets ...
A General Election will be held on 4 July 2024. In this article, Sarah Jenkins considers what that might mean for the pensions industry What does the General Election mean for pensions? It has been a busy time for the pensions industry of late - a new policy, consultation or legislation seemingly appeared each month. However, the pensions plates are not the only ones which the Government has been spinning, and much of the planned pension reform has not yet made it to the statute books ...
Finland and Sweden secure key arms procurement under EU security exemption The Finnish Defence Forces Logistics Command has finalized a framework agreement with the Swedish Defence Materiel Agency and Finnish arms manufacturer Sako Oy. This agreement – critical for the enhancement of both nations’ military capabilities – bypasses conventional public procurement procedures, invoking Article 346(1)(b) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) ...
On 15 May 2024 a new report, titled 'Skills 2030; Building a World-Class Skills System' was launched in Westminster. Below are our key recommendations of the report and what it could mean for the automotive sector. The report includes contributions from multiple industries and sector leaders including the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI), Jisc, The University of Derby and The University of Warwick ...
nternal investigations: an employee’s right to be assisted during an interview. The Supreme Court clarifies… but is already overruled by recent legislative changes? Although employers have been proceeding with internal investigations for decades, nowadays they raise more and more legal questions. Driven by legislative initiatives (e.g. whistleblowing legislation) and case law trends, there are many situations in which an employer may be forced to an internal investigation ...
The Automated Vehicles Act has received Royal Assent after a smooth and quick passage through parliament. In this article, Ben Gardner outlines what organisations in the sector can expect to happen next. What is the Automated Vehicles Act? The Act lays the foundations for the future deployment of automated vehicles on public roads ...
HR teams have a lot on their plate, but a key priority for 2024 is undoubtedly protecting the employee brand proposition. Our 2024 online programme is focused on supporting HR teams to do just this, equipping them with the tools they need to protect the employee brand proposition of the organisations they work for. Our latest webinar focused on what organisations need to do to protect their employee data ...
When the Scottish Law Commission (SLC) first invited comments in 2018 on the wide-ranging topic of termination of leases, it sought views not only on those elements which were subsequently covered in its draft bill, the Leases (Automatic Continuation etc) (Scotland) (Bill) published in 2022, but also on the Tenancy of Shops (Scotland) Act 1949 ...
Did the United States Supreme Court upend specific jurisdiction in Ford Motor Co. v. Montana Eighth Judicial District Court, 141 S. Ct. 1017 (2021)? Not quite. But the Court did rule for the first time that due process does not require a causal link between the defendant’s activities in the forum and the alleged injury to the plaintiff. This case calls into question decades of precedent in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit suggesting otherwise ...