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 ...
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 ...
In the wake of the spate of recent business collapses the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has published a White Paper titled “Restoring trust in audit and corporate governance”. The White Paper is open for consultation until 8 July 2021, and feedback can be submitted directly online via the BEIS website or emailed to [email protected] ...
This article forms part of our ‘New How: Perspectives’ campaign: ‘The logistics industry is booming, but can our infrastructure keep up?’. Here Choisanne Man, a real estate partner in Shoosmiths’ London office, speaks with David Proctor, Managing Director, Group Investment at Segro, to discuss the state of the logistics sector including the challenges it poses for our towns and cities. 1 ...
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 ...
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 government’s recently announced low-carbon industrial sector strategy, supported by over £1 billion in funding to cut emissions from industry and public buildings, if nothing else, shows great ambition but does it also deliver the wherewithal to achieve those objectives? It builds on the proposals in the Energy White Paper which themselves expanded upon the Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution announced by Prime Minister in November last year ...
There has been a growing expectation that in order to fill the COVID sized hole in the Treasury's finances focus and ultimately action would be brought to bear on pension tax relief across defined benefit and defined contribution pension schemes. However, "Tax Day" has seen cuts to higher rate tax relief fail to materialise ...
From April 1 2021 new rates for the National Minimum Wage (“NMW”) and the National Living Wage (“NLW”) will take effect. Chancellor Rishi Sunak commented that “taken together, these minimum wage increases will likely benefit around two million people” ...
COVID-19 has undoubtedly occupied the minds of employment lawyers and businesses over the past 12 months; however, what else has happened in the world of employment law that we might have missed? In our webinar, we looked at the changes that have taken place in the employment context over the past year and we looked ahead at the changes we can expect to see in 2021. Looking back... Section 1 changes A number of key changes took place in April 2020 ...
HM Treasury’s decision to hold a “Tax Day” today will be a bellwether for long-term changes in government tax policy. Traditionally these announcements would have been made alongside the Budget, but this year the Treasury has decided to announce some extra tax rule changes separately. In our previous insight we highlighted an “amber” tax alert for couples contemplating divorce or separation ...
Following the extension of the state of emergency until April 30, 2021 and the issuance of further pieces of legislation in connection with the COVID-19 emergency, including the recent Decree of March 13, 2021, no. 30 (that introduced, among others, new parental leaves and baby-sitting vouchers), the so-called “Sostegni Decree” has been just issued (Decree of March 22, 2021, no. 41, in force from March 23, 2021) ...
The Court of Justice of the European Union has given a welcome answer to the question of under what circumstances embedding, by means of the technique of framing, should be regarded as a communication to the public that requires the copyright holder’s prior authorisation. In doing so, it has decided not to follow Advocate General Szpunar’s proposed approach (discussed here) ...
Law 7/2021 was published on 26 February and it amends the General Tax Law, the Tax Procedure and Process Code, the General Rules on Tax Infringements, and some other legislative acts. The aim of the new law is to strengthen taxpayers' guarantees and to simplify procedures in tax matters ...
On 14 March 2021, the law of 5 March 2021 on certain rules for the implementation of Regulation (EU) No 2019/1150 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2019 on promoting fairness and transparency for business users of online intermediation services (the “P2B Regulation”) (hereinafter the “Law”) entered into force ...
The Court of Protection and Serious Injury Teams at Shoosmiths held a joint seminar ‘From Litigation to Deputyship’ on 11 March 2021. A recording of the webinar can be found below. The day comprised sessions on the litigation process, how to maximise settlement then looked in detail at the Case Manager’s role before moving on to sessions around how the deputyship team support clients and key areas of consideration when acting as a professional deputy ...
On 10 March 2021, we held the first webinar in our series on regional perspectives in international arbitration ...
The legal and practical issues that arise when executing documents electronically with a focus on practical points to consider and pitfalls to avoid. This is quite a hot topic at the moment with businesses having to continue to operate during lockdown ...
In recent months, the need to conclude the procedures to adapt/amend/revise the municipal and inter‑municipal plans for spatial planning has been widely discussed by the municipalities, the Government, economic agents and civil society. This discussion has focused on: i) The integration into in those plans of the rules contained in special plans concerning the arrangements to safeguard territorial resources and natural values that directly bind private individuals ...
Deciding what happens to employees in a TUPE transfer where there is more than one transferee is never straightforward. However, developments in this area continue to add complexity to the situation, adding cost and uncertainty to employers. Recent developments In the recent case of McTear Contracts Ltd v Bennett & ors the EAT looked at a situation where there were two transferees in the context of a service provision change ...
In connection with the adoption of a new law on the ethical treatment of clinical trials of medical devices, the Folketing has made a number of changes to the rules on the affiliation and financial support of pharmaceutical and medical companies to healthcare professionals. The amendments will enter into force on 26 May 2021 ...
Corporate & Commercial Recognition of UK Insolvency Proceedings in Malta Post-BrexitSimon Pullicino comments on the impact of Brexit with respect to cross-border insolvency and the implications for the recognition and enforcement of UK proceedings in Malta and vice-versa ...
This article looks at how leaders can develop psychological safety within teams and how they can encourage individuals to speak up when they need help or when mistakes have been made. Failure, or the importance of creating psychological safety in the workplace? Nobody likes to fail. It’s not comfortable, it’s embarrassing, it induces anxiety, sleepless nights and all sorts of other tell-tale symptoms. Unfortunately for leaders, many of these symptoms remain hidden ...
This article looks at the dynamics and tensions which exist between remote and agile working versus the role of hierarchy and the competing needs of teams. Where does the power lie in deciding what the future of work looks like? Does it sit with management, leadership, employees or HR? Many leaders and managers seem to have embraced working remotely, having previously spent days/weeks and possibly months commuting every year ...
LAW OF 26 FEBRUARY 2021 AMENDING THE LAW OF 27 JULY 1991 ON ELECTRONIC MEDIA AND IMPLEMENTING DIRECTIVE (EU) 2018/1808 (THE "AUDIOVISUAL MEDIA SERVICES DIRECTIVE") The law of 26 February 2021 amending the law of 27 July 1991 on electronic media (the “Electronic Media Law”) and implementing the Audiovisual Media Services Directive was adopted on 26 February 2021 to implement (faithfully) the so-called Audiovisual Media Services Directive ...