Supreme Court rules for employer over non-compete contractual clauses
A recent UK Supreme Court decision will help employers to enforce contractual clauses that restrict employees from leaving to work for their competitors. However, employers should be careful to ensure that such clauses – known as non-compete clauses – are not unduly broad or unreasonable. The ruling will be welcomed by employers, since non-compete clauses […]
Read MoreGig economy workers’ rights demand a global approach
British people increasingly work in temporary positions and on short term engagements: part of a fundamental global shift in the way we work. The domestic gig economy has seen the number of workers more than double in number since 2016, according to a recent report from the TUC and the University of Hertfordshire (conducted with […]
Read MoreGDPR: one year old and ready to grow (adult) teeth
The deadline of 25th May 2018 is deeply ingrained in the corporate psychology of businesses across Europe. That was the deadline by which they strained every sinew to audit their systems, update their data-protection processes, and upgrade their security in order to meet the requirements of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The most significant […]
Read MoreClosing the gender pay gap needs more than the final ideas of Theresa May
Theresa May has spent her final few weeks in office trying to salvage a meaningful prime ministerial legacy from the long shadow of her failed Brexit strategy. Part of this effort is her plan to introduce 12 weeks’ paternity leave for new fathers, as part of her drive to reduce the UK’s gender pay gap. […]
Read MoreProbate modernisation – help or hindrance?
Since January 2019, HM Courts and Tribunals Service’s (HMCTS) has outsourced key parts of its probate function to a private company called Exela, which it says has “30 years of experience in the bulk scanning industry”. Exela has been contracted to scan wills and issue grants of probate digitally. At first glance, the new online […]
Read MoreRestaurant chain collapses highlight extent of company directors’ personal liability
The restaurant business has always been notoriously precarious. Fashionable one year and passé the next, restaurants are subject to rapidly changing consumer taste. In the last two years, well-known chains such as Carluccio’s, Prezzo, Byron Burger and Gourmet Burger Kitchen have closed numerous outlets amid rising costs from higher wages, an increase in property taxes […]
Read MoreDivorce law reforms – simpler, faster, friendlier
After sustained lobbying from all sides, the government finally announced in April that divorce laws in England and Wales will be reformed and updated. The impetus for reform has gathered significant momentum over recent years. Prominent members of the judiciary, the Family Mediation Taskforce and Resolution, the national organisation of family lawyers, have all argued […]
Read MoreHow do employers overcome unconscious bias in their HR processes?
Unconscious bias has become firmly embedded in the thinking of HR departments in many organisations, even though it only found its place in modern psychology just over 20 years ago. In 1998, the University of Washington and Yale published the world’s first research on the subject which revealed that it is remarkably prevalent: 90-95 per […]
Read More24% would contest a will: the avoidable & costly route to resolution
A recent poll by Direct Line suggested that 24% of UK residents would contest a loved-one’s will, if they were unhappy with the division of assets. Claimants made over 8,100 applications to halt probate in 2017. That figure increased by 6% last year. The idea of freedom of testation has deep roots in English law. […]
Read MorePartner pressure and promotion promises can foster dishonesty to meet billings targets
Last year, the legal media devoted considerable coverage to Kirkland & Ellis as it overtook Latham & Watkins to become the world’s highest billing law firm with gross revenues of $3.165 billion – a 19 percent increase in its top line over the previous year. Meanwhile Kirkland also saw its profits per equity partner rise […]
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