While many people begin to work from home in an effort to practice social distancing, it is important to remember that corporate needs still arise for many individuals and their businesses. Effective 5:00 p.m. on March 18, 2020, the Kentucky Secretary of State’s office closed to walk-in services. Additionally, Kentucky government agencies, including the Secretary of State’s office, have been asked to reduce staffing by 50 percent and work remotely ...
As Petroleum Commissioner for Namibia, Dr Leon Moller had first-hand experience of negotiating with international oil companies in Africa. Now a solicitor in Aberdeen, with leading UK law firm Shepherd and Wedderburn, he outlines the challenges and potential pitfalls facing firms hoping to exploit the continent's vast resources ...
What is driving the imperative for ESG alignment? There has been a cultural shift in society as more and more individuals commit to leading sustainable lives. Those individuals – whether as consumers, employees or other stakeholders in industry – now expect the businesses operating in their communities to function in a more sustainable manner too ...
Environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations have taken on an increased significance in recent years, and the pace of change is accelerating. ESG performance is becoming an additional standard by which businesses are being judged by consumers, investors and other stakeholders ...
In October 2020 the Information Commissioner’s Office (the “ICO”) announced that it was issuing a Penalty Notice to British Airways (“BA”), imposing a financial penalty of £20 million following a data breach that resulted in hackers obtaining the personal data of 400,000 BA customers. This was a significant reduction from the ICO’s original intention to issue a fine of £183 million ...
The Environment Agency has been found in breach of the Regulators’ Code by failing to provide a proper appeal mechanism for challenging Compliance Assessment Reports. It must now decide how to provide permit holders with a new appeal mechanism ...
In the Loop: With the Hanson Bridgett Government Group Not long ago, the state of California suffered through a crippling six-year drought, and water conservation was the name of the game. But California’s last two winters have been wetter, and water conservation feels a lot less urgent when the stuff is literally falling from the sky ...
Welcome to the second part in our series of articles on the Building Safety Act 2022. In Part 1 of our series of articles on the Building Safety Act 2022 we discussed the greater exposure to claims due to extensions in limitation periods and the measures aimed at addressing failures to remedy historical safety defects. In Part 2, we discuss the dutyholder regime and look at the steps developers can take now to prepare ...
The latest report from techUK, which Shoosmiths has sponsored, shows the economic impact, as well as the potential to boost the positive impact, of data centres on the UK economy. The main economic value of data centres is their role in enabling digital transformation across all sectors of the economy, allowing businesses to benefit from digital products and services that allow them to operate and be more efficient and productive ...
Early last year the Prime Minister dropped the “E-bomb” on British motorists, announcing a ban on cars powered wholly by petrol and diesel from 2030, and on the sale of new hybrid vehicles with the capability to drive a significant distance with zero emissions (such as plug-in or full hybrids) from 2035. Since then, the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the world in an unprecedented manner ...
Did you know? A pilot program providing Hong Kong applicants with the opportunity to expedite their patent applications filed in China has been in place since 1 Jan 2023. The scheme allows Hong Kong permanent residents and entities legally registered in Hong Kong to request prioritized examination for their patent applications before the China National Intellectual Property Administration ...
Limited liability companies and stock companies must file for the opening of insolvency proceedings if they are unable to pay their open debts (illiquidity) or over-indebted without a positive prognosis. If such ground to file for insolvency has occurred, managers are obliged to file for insolvency as soon as possible, but at the latest within 60 days. Otherwise they are personally liable - without limitation - for damages caused by a delayed filing for insolvency (i.e ...
As an employer, how do you support your employees who are going through a divorce or separation? Lots of employers (including household names such as Asda, Tesco and Unilever) are working with Positive Parenting Alliance (PPA) to ensure that they have more family-friendly employee policies in place for employees going through divorce or separation ...
The government's attempt to remove the ban on employment businesses supplying temporary workers to cover striking workers has so far failed. What other options are available to employers to mitigate the impact of industrial action? The last two years’ have been marked with high profile industrial action across many sectors, including particularly damaging strikes on the railways and in the NHS ...
With Mother’s Day approaching this Sunday, a day seen by many as one to celebrate and recognise fantastic, supportive, loving motherly figures, it is for others a day full of challenges and sadness ...
The turbulent nature of recent years, not least the impact of the global pandemic, stock market volatility, the rising cost of living and rising inflation, has left no sector of the economy untouched, and so it is for wealth management ...
Key Points California's First District Court of Appeal continued a recent pro-housing trend, reversing a City of San Mateo rejection of a multifamily housing development application. The court determined the denial was based on a subjective design guideline, therefore violating the Housing Accountability Act. Ambiguous guidelines may still be utilized in limited circumstances if there is a long-standing and consistent local government interpretation ...
As early as September 23, 2019, the United States House of Representatives is expected to vote on the widely anticipated Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act ...
March 21, 2022 By Michelle Meek On March 18, 2022, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the CROWN Act (H.R. 2116). The Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair (CROWN) Act explicitly prohibits discrimination in employment on the basis of hair texture or hairstyles commonly associated with a particular race or national origin ...
It is well established under Ohio law that an injured worker is not eligible to participate in the workers' compensation system for a psychological condition unless it arises from their physical injury. While this remains the case, an exception is being considered to allow first responders to receive benefits should they experience post-traumatic stress disorder due to on-the-job factors. In Armstrong v. John R. Jurgensen Co ...
