There has never been a more challenging time to lead than right now. Amid the ongoing pandemic, it’s more complicated than ever for leaders to determine a long-term vision when the day-to-day seems so uncertain and urgent. But like many challenging moments in our lives, we learn to evolve and become stronger, more resilient. Through it all, it’s crucial for business leaders to remain courageous, empathetic and adaptable ...
There has never been a more challenging time to lead than right now. Amid the ongoing pandemic, it’s more complicated than ever for leaders to determine a long-term vision when the day-to-day seems so uncertain and urgent. But like many challenging moments in our lives, we learn to evolve and become stronger, more resilient. Through it all, it’s crucial for business leaders to remain courageous, empathetic and adaptable ...
The New Homes Quality Code has been published and this article sets out some initial aspects for housebuilders to consider. After a consultation process lasting almost five years, the New Homes Quality Code (the Code) and Developer Guidance were published by the New Homes Quality Board (NHQB) on 17 December 2021. The Code will replace the current Consumer Code for Home Builders and will apply across the UK for the benefit of purchasers buying new build homes for their own occupation ...
With Scotland’s population growth stalling and with labour shortages in the UK at a record high, the demand for migrant workers at all skill levels is ever-increasing. Part 1 of this insight focuses on some of the current immigration routes for consideration by Scottish employers. Scotland is more reliant on migration than the rest of the UK to maintain population and help alleviate skills shortages ...
On December 7, 2021, in Georgia v. Biden, No. 1:21-cv-163, a federal judge in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia issued a preliminary injunction barring enforcement of President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate that applies to all federal contractors and subcontractors in covered contracts in any state or territory of the United States ...
In Appeal of Carothers Constr., Inc., the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals (the “Board”) rejected the Government’s reliance on strict compliance with the material specifications for a 2 1/2″ thick roof deck product when the contractor proved the substitute 2″ thick roof deck was equivalent ...
A pair of recent rulings involving the economic loss doctrine from North Carolina serve as a timely reminder to carefully consider the extent of contractual remedies in negotiation of construction agreements – lest a later breach of contract remedy prove insufficient, and further recovery barred by the economic loss doctrine ...
Legislation about retainage has become common place as many states have adopted different limitations, requirements, and schemes. A recent case in Tennessee is a good reminder that you must pay attention to all of the relevant state’s requirements. Failure to do so can be costly. In Snake Steel, Inc. v. Holladay Construction Group, LLC, the Tennessee Supreme Court recently addressed Tennessee's retainage requirements ...
In November 2021, OSHA issued an Emergency Temporary Standard that applied to employers with 100 or more employees (the “ETS”). The ETS required those employers to either adopt a policy requiring their employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or adopt a masking and weekly testing regime that included removing employees who tested positive for COVID-19 from the workplace ...
On Dec. 17, 2021, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit ended the injunction preventing enforcement of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS). The ETS requires that large employers must implement a COVID-19 vaccine mandate or testing protocol ...
Late Friday, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit issued an Order and Opinion lifting the stay that previously had been entered by the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit which had prevented the OSHA COVID-19 emergency technical standard (the “ETS”) that applied to employers with 100 or more employees from going into effect ...
On Jan. 25, President Biden signed Executive Order 14005 (the “Executive Order on Ensuring the Future Is Made in All of America by All of America’s Workers”), which modified the Buy American Act (BAA) to require the use of more American-made components on government projects ...
On December 14, 2021, Treasury issued an important update to its guidance on use of CARES Act funds. Currently, there is a deadline of December 31, 2021 to spend CARES Act funds on eligible expenses. While Congress is considering legislation that would extend that deadline to December 31, 2022, there is no assurance that legislation will pass ...
The pandemic alongside a renewed focus on climate change following COP26 and the growing interest in ESG credentials are all contributing to a changing world of work ...
As promised, this is a more detailed discussion of the new Labour Law, which takes effect on 2 February 2022. For an initial snapshot, see myInBrief Dated 21 November 2021. In that earlier inBrief, I discussed what I thought were the most significant departures from previous law, including the new rules on termination of contracts with notice, on end-of-service gratuity, on overtime, and on non-compete clauses. Some of those earlier remarks are further developed below ...
On December 9, 2021, the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force issued a new statement regarding the court orders enjoining implementation of the federal contractor vaccine mandate ...
On Dec. 11, 2021, The Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs will issue final regulations launching a new licensure and certification process for drug and recovery homes doing business in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Each individual drug and recovery home operating in Pennsylvania must obtain a license and demonstrate compliance with the final regulations within 180 days of their issuance ...
As we draw to the end of 2021, Lauren Bholé and Lizzie Lord reflect on some of the HR challenges faced by many companies over the past 12 months. 1. Employees wanting a change in career – the ‘great resignation’ A study by Microsoft found that 41% of the global workforce is considering leaving their employer this year ...
On Tuesday, December 7, 2021, in The State of Georgia, et. al. v. Biden, et. al., Case No. 1:21-cv-163, a federal district court judge in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia issued a preliminary injunction enjoining enforcement of the vaccine mandate for federal contractors and subcontractors in all covered contracts in any state or territory of the United States. This injunction is nationwide and states that it applies to all federal contractors ...
In collaboration with the Legal 500, we are once again selected as the exclusive contributor for the 5th edition of Thailand’s Real Estate Comparative Guide, published on December 2021 ...
The aim of this guide is to provide its readers with a pragmatic overview of the law and practice of real estate law in Thailand. This guide provides information about the current issues affecting real estate in Thailand and addresses topics such as ownership proof, due diligence, taxes, planning and zoning restrictions, mortgages and environmental contamination as well as insight and opinion on the most common issues in their respective country ...
Kudun and Partners represented The Erawan Group Public Company Limited (SET:ERW), one of the most renowned and longest-standing SET-listed real estate developers in Thailand, on its divestiture of the Renaissance Koh Samui Resort and Spa and Ibis Samui Bophut Hotel to Infinity Hospitality Holding Company Limited and Infinity North Samui Co., Ltd ...
Experts from Shoosmiths and BDO recently led a panel discussion regarding the upcoming introduction of Solent’s Freeport. Shoosmiths’ Kirsten Hewson (head of real estate), Stephen Porter (head of corporate) and Solent office head Paula Swain (also a board member of the Solent Freeport Consortium & Solent LEP) discussed the upcoming development. Also on the panel were Cllr ...
On November 24th, 2021, Law No. 21,391 introducing in the Labor Code a new article 206 bis, was published in the Official Gazette. This article establishes the employer’s obligation to offer remote work or teleworking to certain employees, in the event a state of catastrophe due to public calamity or a health alert due to an epidemic or pandemic because of a contagious disease is declared ...
The Employment (Amendment) Bill 2021 (“the Bill”) was tabled for its first reading on 25 October 2021, seeking to amend the Employment Act 1955 (“the Act”). In this update, Vijayan Venugopal, Grace Chai and Nur Najehah set out the key changes that the Bill proposes to introduce and analyse the potential impact of such proposed amendments ...
