UK’s new flexible working laws still give employers right to reject requests, employment lawyers say December 5, 2022 New rules aimed at boosting uptake of flexible working arrangements still give employers’ significant discretion to reject those requests, lawyers have told City A.M. New laws aimed at increasing flexibility in the workplace, by giving low paid workers the legal right to ask for a more flexible arrangement and letting all staff ask for flexible [...]
Glencore to pay £147m over Democratic Republic of Congo corruption claims December 5, 2022 Glencore has agreed to pay $180m (£147m) to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to settle “all present and future” lawsuits arising from the large-scale international bribery scandal currently facing the firm. In a statement, Glencore said the $180m deal acts to settle any existing or future claims relating to the corruption allegations surrounding [...]
Legal sector talent war drives boom in London office market December 5, 2022 Britain’s top law firms are driving a surge in demand for City office buildings in their efforts to win over talent and meet their ESG goals. Law firms have taken up a record 1.5m square foot of office space in 2022, following a series of big deals involving Britain’s top firms, data from Knight Frank [...]
Linklaters cashes in on UK push to bolster naval fleet December 4, 2022 Magic Circle law firm Linklaters is cashing in on the Royal Navy’s push to bolster its fleet with the purchase of five new battleships from British arms manufacturer BAE. The City law firm is advising the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) as it pushes forwards with the purchase of five new battleships from BAE Systems [...]
Art dealer’s sale of aristocrat’s French masterpiece was not negligent, court rules December 4, 2022 A London art dealer who advised a British aristocrat to sell an 18th century French masterpiece for a fraction of its actual worth did not act negligently, a court has ruled. The court ruled in favour of Simon Dickinson after Amanda Fielding, Countess of Wemyss and March, sued the art dealer over claims he [...]
KPMG to bolster legal services offering through deal with Zico Law December 1, 2022 KPMG has struck a deal to incorporate one of South East Asia’s biggest law firms, Zico Law, into its global partnership. The deal will see Zico Law’s more than 275 lawyers join KPMG’s 2,900-strong legal team. The merger is set to expand KPMG’s footprint in the Asia Pacific region, by extending its legal services offerings [...]
Criminal solicitors ‘highly unlikely’ to make ‘reasonable’ living, Law Society warns December 1, 2022 The UK government’s refusal to hike criminal solicitor’s legal aid fees by 15 per cent means it is “highly unlikely” those lawyers coming into the job will be able to make a “reasonable” income from their work, the Law Society has warned. Law Society president Lubna Shuja said justice secretary Dominic Raab’s refusal to increase [...]
Bird & Bird hikes new lawyers’ salaries for second time this year December 1, 2022 London law firm Bird & Bird has given its newly qualified (NQ) lawyers a pay hike for the second time this year. The law firm has given its NQ lawyers a five per cent pay rise in upping their annual pay to £92,400 per year, a Bird & Bird spokesperson told City A.M. The pay [...]
Class actions pose increasing threat to UK firms, new research shows December 1, 2022 Class action lawsuits pose an increasing threat to UK companies, according to new research showing the majority of British people would now willingly take part in collective claims. Most British people (60 per cent) would now be willing to take part in a claim against a company whose actions have impacted them, while 55 per [...]
Court blocks Mastercard’s bid to exclude three million dead people from collective action lawsuit November 30, 2022 A UK appeals court has blocked Mastercard’s bid to prevent three million dead people from participating in a £10bn class action lawsuit against the credit card company. The UK’s Court of Appeals refused to exclude three million individuals who died after the class-action lawsuit was first filed against Mastercard in September 2016. The decision comes [...]