A webinar hosted by Shoosmiths in collaboration with Asset Reality. Scroll down the page to watch the webinar. Intro poll According to a recent survey, what percentage of millennial millionaires own cryptocurrency? According to a recent study conducted by CNBC, 83% percent of millennial millionaires own cryptocurrency with over half having at least 50% of their wealth in cryptocurrencies. https://cointelegraph ...
The UK government has announced proposals to make flexible working requests a ‘day one’ right for employees, as part of reforms to the Flexible Working Regulations 2014. Over the past 18 months, the pandemic has been a catalyst for increased flexible working. Although this has meant ‘working from home’ for most, flexible work can include other arrangements such as flexitime, job-sharing, condensed hours and part-time work ...
The conversation around Artificial intelligence (AI) regulation is set to go into a “supercharged” phase globally. At least, that’s the conclusion one can’t help drawing from the hype around the UK’s AI Safety Summit, which takes place in early November, and from comments this week by Senate Leader Chuck Schumer around upping the pace of AI regulation in the US ...
The idea of achieving purpose alongside profit has been part of the business world for centuries, but the importance placed on it has reached new heights in recent years. How can charities help? “In every corner of our lives and our country, civil society can be found ...
Once again, the grocery sector is coming under the spotlight. At a time when the UK’s inflation rate has started to slow a little, it still remains in double-digits with food prices rising to their highest since 1977[1]. Continual increases in grocery prices are undoubtedly a huge concern for consumers, as considerable amounts of the average household’s monthly income goes on food ...
Many of us chuckled at the viral video of a Texan lawyer who appeared at a remote court hearing as a cat. This unfortunate filter mishap does, however, act as a warning to all lawyers to check their settings before attending remote hearings as it looks like they are here to stay. Over the last 12 months, the use of virtual court hearings has sky-rocketed (perhaps unsurprisingly) in the wake of the COVID pandemic ...
A judgment has been handed down in the Supreme Court case of Wolverhampton City Council and others v London Gypsies and Travellers and others [2023] UKSC 47. The case considered whether the court had the jurisdiction to make injunctions against not only ‘persons unknown’, but also against unidentified and unknown persons that have not yet performed, or even threatened to perform, the acts which the injunction prohibits. Such persons are known as “newcomers” ...
As employees start to push the boundaries and consider travelling abroad to profit from a ‘working vacation’, it is essential that UK employers are aware of their obligations and the checks that must be carried out. Visa requirements should not prove an issue if the employee is remaining within the UK, but there are numerous visa considerations and contractual terms that should be reviewed before approval is given to work overseas ...
In the third instalment of our series, we consider the practical elements of the ‘workcation’ concept. As we have seen, working elsewhere may seem like an attractive proposition to employees. They will undoubtedly be keen to take advantage of the opportunity to save precious annual leave entitlement, but it is important an employer sets some ground rules ...
We are now several years post-pandemic, and it seems remote working, at least in part, is here to stay. Employees, however, are taking things one step further and last summer, we saw a growing trend of workers interested in working remotely from a holiday property, either in the UK or abroad. We started to see the increasing popularity of the ‘workcation’ where employees work remotely in their location of choice, combining work and leisure ...
The Bitcoin ‘halving’ event is rapidly approaching, anticipated to occur around the 19th or 20th of April. Currently, there’s an unprecedented level of attention on Bitcoin due to this event. So, what exactly does ‘halving’ entail, and why is there such a buzz surrounding it? The term itself evokes the intrigue of a suspenseful horror film, one that could be straight out of a Stephen King story ...
The internet may be global, but enforcement is always local—and there are plenty of (expensive) ways to find out the wrong way that you should have been doing something where you might not expect it. A typical example is the legal requirement to appoint an EU data protection representative if you’re not based in the EU, or a UK representative if you’re not based in the UK ...
By 15 February, councils must issue a final EHC plan for every child going through a phase transfer at school, i.e., from primary to middle or junior, from primary to secondary, or from middle or junior to secondary ...
Yet again, this year has been a busy one for employers, HR teams and their lawyers: employment law changes and decisions from the Courts have kept us all on our toes! Here is a reminder of some of the most significant cases and legal developments of 2012.1. The unfair dismissal qualifying period increased to two years for those employed on or after 6 April 2012. The qualifying period for employees whose employment started before this date remains 12 months.2 ...
With the UK currently due to leave the EU at the end of this month, Brexit may cause the construction industry a continuing period of uncertainty in 2020 but the government’s agenda may also provide increased opportunities. We look ahead at what this year may have in store. Brexit The top priority for the government is delivering the UK’s departure from the EU on 31 January. How Brexit will affect the construction industry remains open to speculation ...
After what can only be described as a difficult year (an annus horribilis!) for employers and employees alike, we turn our attention to 2021 and look at some of the more significant legislative changes coming into force this year. Furlough continues The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme has been extended until 30 April 2021 ...
There were big changes in 2020 in the world of restructuring and insolvency legislation with the introduction of two new restructuring tools: the Moratorium and the Restructuring Plan, as well as the reintroduction of Crown preference. However, due to the government-imposed moratorium while the pandemic runs its course, we have seen hardly any real effects of those reforms ...
If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that no one can predict the future. But as we start 2021, we look at some of the legislative changes impacting real estate and expected to come into force, or be progressed, this year. Residential With Brexit concluded and the prospect of vaccinations bringing the Coronavirus pandemic under control, the government is keen to pursue its agenda of levelling up the country ...
The outlook for the year ahead is uncertain with the effects of post-Brexit rules to contend with and COVID-19 continuing to restrict the way we live and work. We look at what the year may have in store for the construction industry. COVID-19 There is no doubt that the pandemic has caused challenges for the construction industry and is likely to have a significant impact into 2021 ...
This year it may be easier to predict developments in environmental law and policy than in 2020. The main reason for that is that there are several key developments that should have happened in 2020 but didn’t because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Here are our top five predictions. 1. The Environment Bill The Environment Bill is a key piece of legislation that establishes a post-Brexit environmental governance framework for England ...
If 2020 marked the beginning of the pandemic, 2021 was the year it became fully imbedded in our personal and working lives. What does 2022 have in store? For the pandemic, only time will tell, but when it comes to employment law things are a little clearer. Employment Bill Perhaps unsurprisingly, the long-awaited Employment Bill did not progress in 2021 ...
After the growth and successes of the tech industry in 2021, James Klein, head of the technology sector at Shoosmiths shares his thoughts on emerging trends and a few areas where we may see developments in 2022. Data Data continues to be a key strategic asset, whether it is in connection with data storage, transfer, protection, processing, security, or capacity issues. Predictive analysis of data is likely to be more pertinent than ever this year ...
The living sector will continue to provide opportunities and challenges for investors, developers and residents, alike. The government is set to turn the page on pandemic restrictions, with most set to stop in England on 26 January. Time will tell if this will be the year when we can get back to a more normal way of life, but one thing we can be sure of is that the living sector will continue to provide opportunities and challenges for investors, developers and residents, alike ...
As the pandemic persists and the disruption of the previous two years continues to impact projects, the construction industry faces a continued period of uncertainty in 2022. Further disruption The pandemic and issues around the availability of materials may continue to disrupt projects into 2022 leading to higher costs and further delays ...
If 2020 marked the beginning of the pandemic, 2021 was the year it became fully imbedded in our personal and working lives. What does 2022 have in store? For the pandemic, only time will tell, but when it comes to employment law things are a little clearer. Employment Bill Perhaps unsurprisingly, the long-awaited Employment Bill did not progress in 2021 ...
