Insights & News
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Data security breaches - a tale of two airlines
24 July 2019Recent decisions by privacy regulators in the United Kingdom and Hong Kong have highlighted contrasting approaches towards data security breaches affecting customers of two major airlines.
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Hong Kong has taken another significant step towards equality of rights for same sex couples
23 July 2019The Court of Final Appeal (“CFA”), Hong Kong’s highest court, has ruled that it is unjustified indirect discrimination to refuse a male government employee access to spousal benefits for his husband and the ability to elect for joint assessment of salaries tax.
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Hong Kong protestors “in breach of data privacy law”
23 July 2019Revealing officials’ personal data in protest against the proposed “Extradition Bill” was a breach of the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance.
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APAC Bulletin - May 2019
02 June 2019Welcome to the May 2019 edition of our APAC Bulletin covering the latest employment and immigration updates across the region.
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Hong Kong Government tightens laws on Occupational Retirement Schemes
20 May 2019A bill to amend the Occupational Retirement Schemes Ordinance (Cap. 426) (the “Ordinance”) was introduced to the Legislative Council on 17 April 2019. The bill aims to: ensure there is a genuine employment relationship for participants in an occupational retirement scheme; and enhance enforcement powers of the Mandatory Provident Fund (“MPF”) Schemes Authority which acts as the Registrar of Occupational Retirement Schemes.
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APAC Bulletin - January 2019
25 January 2019Welcome to the January 2019 edition of our APAC Bulletin covering the latest employment and immigration updates across the region.
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Hong Kong increases statutory paternity leave with effect from today
18 January 2019Hong Kong male employees will be entitled to five days’ paid paternity leave for each child born on or after today, 18 January 2019, increasing from the current entitlement to three days’ leave.
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NEW ICO guidance on “Data protection if there’s no Brexit deal”
18 December 2018With uncertainty about Brexit continuing to dominate the headlines, the Information Commissioner’s Office (“ICO”) has released some useful and practical guidance on key data protection issues if there is no Brexit deal.
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Sports Q&A – Privilege in internal investigations
18 December 2018We sometimes need to conduct internal investigations, which can often relate to quite sensitive matters (which we would prefer not to be made public). However, I’ve heard that the content of these investigations is not always privileged. How does privilege work in internal investigations and do you have any tips about how to preserve it?
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How should hospitality employers deal with third-party harassment at Christmas parties?
17 December 2018“Christmas time is here by golly; disapproval would be folly; Deck the halls with hunks of holly, fill the cup and don’t say when”, as the legendary American satirist Tom Lehrer once sang. But Christmas party season can be a mixed blessing. The day after the office party, you will find many HR managers bracing themselves to hear what happened the night before…
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Preventing illegal working: employers able to rely on online right to work checks from 28 January 2019
14 December 2018In some circumstances employers will be able to use the Home Office Right to Work Checking Service available on GOV.UK from 28 January 2019 to obtain a statutory excuse against payment of a civil penalty for employing an illegal worker, without having also to check the individual’s physical documents.
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Ask about… Retail, Fashion & Hospitality
13 December 2018Many of our clients in the retail, fashion and hospitality sector face similar HR issues. Each month one of the members of our team will identify an issue, ask how you would deal with it and provide our advice. This month we asked Anna...
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The new visa route for recognised or emerging leaders in architecture: what does this mean for the architectural sector?
13 December 2018The Government has announced a new immigration category for overseas recognised or emerging leaders in architecture that has the potential to ease access to jobs in the UK. With Brexit looming on the horizon, this news will provide some much needed reassurance that the UK’s Architecture sector will still be able to attract the best global talent over the coming years. However the new measures are limited in their scope and are unlikely to plug the gap that will be left once freedom of movement for EU workers comes to an end.
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Can / should someone who is not a director be invited to join a committee of the board?
13 December 2018Even if a company’s articles of association permit a committee of the board of directors of a company to comprise or include persons who are not directors, is it sensible for such a committee to be appointed? Are there benefits? This article explores this question.
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Disclosure Pilot Scheme already making an impact as High Court orders list of “issues for disclosure”
12 December 2018The mandatory Disclosure Pilot Scheme may not start in the Business and Property Courts of England and Wales (“BPCs”) until 1 January 2019, but it seems the courts are already taking the new rules into account. In one reported case, the High Court has ordered a separate “list of issues for disclosure”, which will have to be jointly completed by the parties as part of the new Disclosure Review Document required under the Pilot Scheme.
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Tier 1 (Investor) applications are still being accepted but changes to the Immigration Rules have been announced
12 December 2018The Home Office has confirmed to the Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association on 11 December 2018 that the Tier 1 (Investor) route currently remains open but that a further announcement on this will be made in due course. The correspondence also confirms that any suspension of the route will be effected through a Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules. This follows reporting by various news outlets including the Times and The Guardian on Thursday last week that the route was to be suspended as of the end of that day.
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How will the Brexit endgame play out?
10 December 2018This week is a crucial one for the Brexit process, with Parliament due to vote on the draft Withdrawal Agreement negotiated between Theresa May’s government and the EU. Even so close to the projected date for the UK’s departure on 29 March 2019, there are many imponderables and it is impossible to predict how Brexit will unfold. This article provides an employment law perspective on the current situation.
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Brexit – the “no deal” scenario
10 December 2018On 5th December 2018, the UK Government published its latest policy paper setting out what rights EU citizens will have to reside in the UK in the event the UK exits the European Union without a deal in place.
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Smart Floorspace Digitalising Retail Experience
06 December 2018Media coverage this year for the retail sector has been saturated with reports about the decline of the nation’s high streets.
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Tier 1 Investor category suspended with immediate effect
06 December 2018The Home Office has suspended the Tier 1 (Investor) immigration category for new applications from midnight on Thursday 6th December 2018 as part of a crackdown on organised crime and money laundering in the UK. The move follows a 46% rise in applications under the route from July this year, to over 400 applications.