On 2nd December we hosted a webinar focused on social mobility and the role that in house legal functions can take to improve social mobility in the legal market. The panel of speakers comprised of Amanda Callear, senior legal counsel at Volkswagen Group and Tarn Kaur, associate at Shoosmiths as part of the ‘Conversations with Clients’ web-series and was hosted by Sebastian Price, partner at Shoosmiths ...
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 ...
With just seven days left until Christmas Day, there’s no denying we are well in the midst of the festive build up. But, for those holding out for a special ‘I Do’ surprise this year, Christmas might just come a bit earlier than expected. Predictions made previously by Bridebook [1] show that the weekend before Christmas is when most intending spouses do, in fact, pop the question ...
It may seem logical that personal injury damages awarded for someone’s on-going medical needs following a serious injury would be ring-fenced on a divorce. Unfortunately, this is not necessarily the case. The leading authority on this point is Wagstaff v Wagstaff from 1992 in which, when referencing an attempt to ring-fence damages on divorce, it was stated that “the capital is not sacrosanct nor any part of it secured against the application of the other spouse” ...
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 ...
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 ...
The pandemic alongside a renewed focus on climate change following COP26 and the growing interest in ESG credentials are all contributing to a changing world of work ...
Taking agricultural land out of production to offset the impact of nitrate pollution from housing can generate income for its owner and benefit developers and local authorities. The problem Nitrogen and Phosphorus are essential nutrients for plants. Used as fertilisers they boost growth and increase crop yields. They are also a pollutant ...
The Court of Appeal has considered the question of whether it is fair and appropriate for a Court of Protection Judge to visit the person who lacks mental capacity and about whom the Judge is being asked to make a best interest’s decision. In the case of Re AH (2021) Mr Justice Hayden, who is a High Court Judge and the Vice President of the Court of Protection, visited AH in hospital after the hearing had concluded and before giving judgment ...
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 ...
A tech entrepreneur recently publicly condemned men who opt to take longer periods of paternity leave. It is crucial that this outdated narrative is dispelled to ensure greater equality in relation to maternity, paternity and other types of parental leave. A prominent US entrepreneur recently branded men that take six months paternity leave “losers” and claimed that the “correct masculine response” is for men to work harder to provide for their children ...
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” ...
As we draw to the end of 2021, Lauren Bholé and Lizzie Lord reflect on some of the HR challenges faced by many companies over the past 12 months. 1. Employees wanting a change in career – the ‘great resignation’ A study by Microsoft found that 41% of the global workforce is considering leaving their employer this year ...
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 ...
Like many UK cities, Sheffield is going through a period of major transformation, offering modern new office space, repurposed buildings and making headway on its net zero ambitions. However, Sheffield is unique as the only city with a national park within its boundary – in fact, 61% of Sheffield’s entire area is green space ...
The High Court has dismissed 28 divorce petitions after finding that the particulars of behaviour were ‘absolutely identical’ to each other. Every marriage is different, but in the recent case of Celine-Shelby v Yorston, the courts were confronted with 28 divorce applications from 28 different people, all seemingly based on the same reasons ...
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 ...
Shoosmiths’ London office hosted its first hybrid seminar on 23 November, With Alastair Peet, Steve Barnett and Lisa Faragher from our VC team teaming up with Pietro Strada and Paddy MccGwire from technology focused corporate finance house Silverpeak to discuss current trends in tech market exits and financings. The seminar also included a panel discussion with David Cocks, co-founder of CloudTrade and Simon King, Partner at Octopus Ventures ...
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 ...
New rules in relation to statutory transfers rules came into force on 30 November 2021 to protect members’ pension savings from being lost as the result of a transfer to a scam arrangement. Trustees and managers (trustees) must take additional steps before a statutory transfer can be paid. Regulatory guidance The new requirements (and everything in this article) only apply to statutory transfers ...
In the final instalment in our series of articles looking at whistleblowing claims, we look at types of whistleblowing claims and their potential remedy at an employment tribunal. Previously we looked at what amounts to a protected disclosure, how clear and effective policies in place helps employers to handle protected disclosures and the handling of complaints confidentially and/or anonymously ...
Our Shoospeak HR podcast welcomes special guest Jonathan Naylor (Partner in the Shoosmiths' employment team) to discuss trade union communication strategies ...
Across the UK, local people are creating businesses that could revitalise town centres – repair and sharing spaces, community bakeries, climate action hubs, genuinely affordable housing – services that develop critical social, economic and climate resilient infrastructure. But a major barrier to their success is the lack of access to affordable, secure, long-term land and property ...
The national minimum wage is the prescribed minimum hourly rate of pay that employers are required to pay to most workers. Ensuring the minimum wage is paid correctly can be tricky and errors can lead to damaging and costly consequences for employers. Calculating the correct minimum wage is not just about adding up the pennies ...
