Insights & News

Venture capital in the US and UK – a comparison

Inbrief

26 September 2022

The increasing number of innovative scale-up companies and the UK’s ability to attract world class talent means that the UK is an attractive destination for investments by US venture capital funds (US VCs). In turn, this means that US VCs have become an increasingly important source of capital for UK based high growth businesses.

Reducing business costs - alternatives to redundancy

Inbrief

12 September 2022

When businesses run into financial difficulties and need to reduce costs, the knee-jerk reaction is often to consider the scope for job cuts. But redundancies are not a cheap option and, if mistakes are made in the way redundancies are handled, further costs may be incurred on account of tribunal claims.

Gender pay gap reporting

Inbrief

08 September 2022

The Equality Act 2010 (Gender Pay Gap Information) Regulations 2017 (the “Regulations”) require employers to report on the gender pay gap in their organisation.

Equal Pay

Inbrief

15 August 2022

Equal pay law first developed in the UK in the 1970s after a campaign by trade unions and women's groups. The principle that men and women who do equal work should receive equal pay is implemented through the Equality Act 2010.

The FIFA World Cup 2022 - Ambush Marketing and the Law

Inbrief

09 August 2022

The FIFA World Cup stimulates a frenzy of marketing activity – both official and unofficial. Qatar 2022 is unlikely to be any different.

Going Live: Important Update about the Register of Overseas Entities

Inbrief

01 August 2022

It is fair to say that the announcement made last week by Companies House stating the new Register of Overseas Entities is intended to go live on 1 August 2022 has come as quite a surprise to those in the professional world.

Disability discrimination

Inbrief

21 July 2022

The Equality Act 2010 governs the law relating to unlawful discrimination, including disability discrimination. There are some special protections for disabled people in addition to those which apply to other protected groups, including the duty to make reasonable adjustments. This Inbrief gives an overview of the law in the employment context.

TUPE

Inbrief

14 July 2022

The Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 (TUPE) and previous versions of the regulations (which have been in force in the UK since 1981) implement the European Acquired Rights Directive, the general purpose of which is to safeguard employee rights in the transfer of a business.

Collective redundancies

Inbrief

06 July 2022

Most employers are aware of the procedures that have to be followed when making someone redundant (or their job, to be more precise). If you’d like a reminder, see our Inbrief on Redundancy.

Remote working overseas

Inbrief

30 June 2022

The Covid-19 pandemic caused many employees to ask if they could work from “home” from an overseas country. Two years on, it’s clear that the wish to work abroad – either on a temporary basis, or in some cases indefinitely – is part of a permanent sea change in working practices. Technology makes it possible – but this Inbrief explains the potential legal issues and how to avoid the traps.

Shared parental leave

Inbrief

21 June 2022

The system of shared parental leave gives parents flexibility to decide how they want to share care for their child in the first year. Guidance is available for employers and employees from the government and Acas, explaining how the shared parental leave regime is intended to work.

Redundancy

Inbrief

21 June 2022

This Inbrief looks at how employers can minimise the risk of legal claims when dismissing employees by reason of redundancy. The starting point is making sure that there is a genuine redundancy situation. The crucial thing then is to follow a reasonable procedure, including consulting the affected employees, applying a fair selection process and considering alternative employment. Finally, those dismissed should be given their correct redundancy pay.

Bullying and harassment

Inbrief

15 June 2022

Dignity at work has become increasingly recognised as an important issue for employers to address. Taking action to prevent bullying and harassment at work can be crucial in avoiding increased levels of stress and absenteeism, low staff morale, high turnover and decreased productivity.

M&A employment law support – TUPE and changes to terms

Inbrief

25 May 2022

The Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 (TUPE) can raise some difficult employment law issues during mergers and acquisitions. This Inbrief examines the challenge for a buyer of changing employees’ terms and conditions once the deal is done.

Data Protection and Employment

Inbrief

18 May 2022

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a European legislation affecting all organisations that hold personal data on living individuals. It aims to ensure that organisations using and processing personal data do so fairly and lawfully and gives a number of rights to individuals in terms of how they can access their data and influence its use.

Five compliance tips for UK Visas and Immigration account holders

Inbrief

05 May 2022

Individuals who hold a UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account need to maintain the details recorded in it. In this article we outline some tips for when to review and update the information to minimise the chance of delays at the border and to ensure access to the account is not disrupted.

Positive action in the workplace

Inbrief

21 April 2022

Positive action (called affirmative action in the US) involves taking steps to favour or encourage people from protected groups to make up for historic barriers or lack of opportunity. This Inbrief looks at the scope for taking lawful positive action in the workplace under British employment law.

Establishing a business presence in the UK

Inbrief

14 April 2022

If you are a non-UK corporate body and you wish to establish a business presence in the UK, this brief guide covers the main issues you need to consider.

Paternity leave and pay

Inbrief

08 April 2022

The law relating to paternity leave and pay is not as developed or as complicated as maternity legislation, but employers still need to be aware of the legal position. In this Inbrief, we summarise the rules and look at some practical issues.

Flexible working - the right to ask

Inbrief

08 April 2022

Employees seeking a better balance between the demands of work and personal life may seek a change in their working arrangements – for example, through part-time working, job-sharing or a change in working hours. While there is no right to insist on working in a different way, there is a statutory right to ask for a flexible working arrangement and to have that request seriously considered.