As part of the UK Government’s review of the UK funds regime it has included in the Finance Act 2022, (the Act) a new regime for qualifying asset-holding companies (QAHCs). This regime came into effect on 1 April 2022. The QAHC regime provides a tax efficient, UK resident vehicle through which certain types of institutional investors and funds can hold investments ...
All registered charities with an annual income over £10,000 and all CIOs - charitable incorporated organisations - are required to complete and file online with the Charity Commission an Annual Return in a prescribed form within ten months of their financial year end. Just before Christmas, the Commission confirmed details of new and revised questions in the Annual Return ...
In the second part of this article, we look at the problems that can arise through the interpretation of evidence by the tribunal and look at ways to mitigate litigation risk by ensuring that the story of the case is presented as clearly as possible ...
The unquantifiable part of subjecting a dispute to the arbitration of a court is the litigation risk. We explore what those risks are and why it is essential that they should never be ignored. The cornerstones of any case should be clear, solid and documented evidence, a series of strong witnesses and in the ideal world and a juicy piece of case law (precedent) that ties it all together and gives the judge/panel a map to direct them to their decision ...
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) recently published revised figures showing that net migration figures for the year ending 2022 were in fact much higher than initially expected. You may remember our previous article published in June 2023 regarding increases to net migration figures released by the ONS; Net migration figures continue to increase, according to ONS ...
Net migration figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) for the year ending December 2022 show an increase on figures from the previous year. Taking a closer look into the categories of migration behind the net figures gives further insight as to why the target to reduce net migration figures are not being met. These figures show that total immigration into the United Kingdom for 2022 was in the region of 1.2 million with emigration counted at approximately 557,000 ...
In an increasingly digital age, paper documents are often regarded (at best) as quaint and (at worst) as unnecessary and expensive. But when it comes to international trade, paper documents have been fundamental in terms of giving the holder of that physical document the benefit of valuable rights. This has now changed. From 20 September 2023, the Electronic Trade Documents Act 2023 places certain electronic trade documents on an equal footing as their paper counterparts under English 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 ...
In a recent panel session I attended at the CAN DO Summit in Glasgow featuring Lina Srebrova, XR Strategist at Digitalnauts, and Prof. Paul Chapman, Director of Emerging Technology at the Glasgow School of Art, the conversation delved into the disruptive potential of immersive technologies, particularly virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), on both society and business ...
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 ...
The recent publication of the 2024 UK Corporate Governance Code introduces several targeted changes in a move to build on the transparency and accountability requirements for corporate practices brought in by the current version of the Code ...
Ahead of International Data Centre Day on 20 March 2024 we consider what we believe to be some of the most important trends that are likely to have an impact on the data centre industry over the next 12 months: 1 ...
Our latest article provides a useful checklist to help in-house legal teams consider potential implications when dealing with employment claims arising from the pandemic, which are linked to civil and/or criminal claims and the COVID-19 public inquiry. Companies have been receiving Employment Tribunal claims arising from the pandemic – ranging from unfair dismissal (no jab, no job) to whistleblowing and bullying claims relating to alleged employer breaches during the multiple lockdowns ...
Earlier this month, the UK Joint Taskforce (UKJT) formally launched the Legal Statement on Digital Assets and English Insolvency Law. The statement aims to provide clarity to critical legal questions regarding how digital assets are treated in any insolvency. Shoosmiths contributed towards the consultation for this legal statement through the Crypto Fraud and Asset Recovery network ...
It’s National Surrogacy Week this week (2-8 August 2021) and the aim is to raise awareness and celebrate surrogacy and all the amazing work being done by professionals involved. The focus this year is on surrogacy choices in the UK to highlight organisations that can assist in a surrogacy journey. Surrogacy is a path to parenthood, which otherwise may not have been available to some ...
The UK Government has published the National Security and Investment Bill – a proposed law that will introduce a screening process for certain acquisitions and investments and which is expected to come into force as early as April 2021. The National Security and Investment Bill has now had its second reading and is expected to come into force as early as April 2021. We take a look at what it will cover ...
The National Security and Investment Act 2021 – a law that will introduce a screening process for certain acquisitions and investments. The National Security and Investment Act 2021 will introduce a new mandatory notification regime for transactions that comes into force on 4 January 2022. We take a look at what it will cover ...
The Shoosmiths pensions team has hosted a webinar for non-pensions professionals, trustees and company directors to provide an oversight of pensions issues likely to effect businesses over the next 12 months ...
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” ...
Since 1 October 2021, the requirements for prepacked for direct sale food labelling changed, offering increased protection to the estimated one in four people with food allergies in the UK. What is PPDS? Prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) is food that is: presented to the consumer in packaging; packaged before the consumer selects or orders it; and packaged at the same place it is sold ...
In December, the Government published MSL Regulations, together with guidance, specifying the minimum number of workers needed to operate public services in times of strike action; for more detail, please see our recent article. With the dispute between the ASLEF train drivers’ union and UK train operators still ongoing, industrial action has now been announced to take place between 30 January and 5 February, with significant disruption expected ...
What will UK data protection look like after Brexit 2.0 on 31 December 2020? Regime 1: the 'UK GDPR': the UK's new bespoke version together with the Data Protection Act 2018 The UK GDPR will be the UK data protection regime based on the 'EU GDPR' (see below) ...
In a defining moment for the digital economy, Vodafone Germany has recently announced its partnership with Cardano, a public blockchain platform, to launch one of the world’s largest NFT collections. This move by Vodafone demonstrates the growing interest of global telecommunications corporations in embracing blockchain technology and digital assets ...
The Charity Commission has today (17 January) begun a public consultation on proposed new guidance for charities’ use of social media. It encourages charities to adopt a social media policy which is right for them. Social media presents charities with great opportunities to campaign and comment, to communicate the value they create and to fundraise. But these channels also present serious risks for charities ...
The majority of disputes are settled before trial, and an increasing number are settled before proceedings are issued. The Civil Procedure Rules that provide the framework for litigation in England and Wales encourage parties to consider alternative ways to resolve their differences. There are a variety of techniques that can be utilised to achieve an early and cost effective settlement. Collectively, these are known as ADR ...
