In this article we look at Prevention of Future Death reports (“PFDs”) issued by Coroners in England and Wales – specifically those which have been made in relation to deaths arising from or connected with the COVID-19 pandemic. We assess the significance of the reports and how they may relate to the COVID-19 public inquiry examining the government’s response to the pandemic ...
Part 1 of this insight focused some of the current immigration routes for consideration by Scottish employers to mitigate the Scottish labour shortage. Part 2 of this insight explores some of the new routes expected to be opened up by Spring 2022. Innovation visas Global Business Mobility Route In spring 2022, the Home office is due to launch the new Global Business Mobility route ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
Following the publication of its guidance on environmental claims in September 2021, the Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) will start reviewing potentially misleading claims in January 2022. Enforcement action may follow if claims breach consumer law ...
The UK has introduced new legislation that, from 4 January 2022, will require transactions in certain specified sectors to be approved by the UK government before they can be completed. A new regime The UK is introducing a new regime which, from 4 January 2022, will require purchasers to obtain prior approval for transactions in certain specified sectors ...
Led by legal director of immigration, Rachel Harvey and principal associate, Sian Hoare, this webinar provided a post-Brexit recap, outlined general trends and looked at what is on the horizon for immigration law in 2022. Free movement in the UK for all EU citizens ended on 31 December 2020. As a result, there have been significant changes to the UK immigration rules and it looks likely that further changes are still to come in 2022 ...
The U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) recently signaled its intent to prioritize prosecuting individuals who commit corporate environmental crimes ...
In October 2021 the UK government introduced a new International Sportsperson route to cater for elite athletes and qualified sports coaches wishing to work in the UK. The new International Sportsperson route was introduced on 11 October 2021. It merges and replaces the previous Tier 2 Sportsperson route and the sporting provisions of the Tier 5 Creative and Sporting Worker route ...
Since the UK left the European Union, new rules have come into force surrounding the travel of pets. This article outlines the current position on bringing cats, dogs and ferrets into England, Scotland and Wales. Prior to Brexit, UK pet owners could travel freely with their cats and dogs between EU countries, provided their pet was microchipped and also had a pet passport ...
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 ...
In a statement last week, the justice secretary, Dominic Raab, warned that parents who bring vexatious claims to the family courts will face financial penalties. The policy is part of plans currently being drawn up by the government to introduce new incentives and disincentives to “spare children the trauma of seeing their parents fight it out in court” ...
On 12 May 2021, Prime Minister Boris Johnson committed to holding a Public Inquiry into COVID-19 that will place "the state's actions under the microscope". Demonstrating that it is independent, objective and fair is fundamental to an Inquiry’s purpose. We take a look at the extent to which the State can effectively examine itself in a Public Inquiry when it has ultimate responsibility for determining the remit, and therefore inevitably the scope of any conclusions ...
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 ...
Ohio has more than 2,300 athletic trainers. H.B. 176, signed into law by Governor Mike DeWine on Oct. 27, 2021, updates the scope of practice for athletic trainers for the first time since 1991. These changes to Ohio’s athletic trainer scope of practice may create new opportunities for your business, facility or practice. Beginning Jan. 25, 2022, athletic trainers will be able to enter into collaboration agreements with physicians and podiatrists ...
On 24 November 2021 Shoosmiths hosted a webinar exploring recent developments and forthcoming changes in environmental regulation – the COP26 climate change conference, the Environment Act 2021 and trends in sentencing for environmental offences. COP26 David Symons, director of sustainability at WSP UK outlined the three main messages from the COP26 conference: The 1 ...
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 Tuesday, November 30th, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky issued a preliminary injunction halting the government's enforcement of the federal contractor vaccine mandate on federal contractors and subcontractors in Kentucky, Ohio, and Tennessee. A copy of the decision is attached ...
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' (CMS) vaccine mandate (Mandate)[1] has been preliminarily enjoined[2] on a nationwide basis due to a Nov. 30, 2021, decision by Judge Terry A. Doughty of the Western District Court of Louisiana, Monroe Division. Among other conclusions, Judge Doughty stated that mandating vaccination of health care workers should be done by Congress, not a government agency, although he also questioned whether even Congress had such authority ...
