No plans to return to the office for millions of workers August 26, 2020 There are no plans for millions of public and private sector workers to return to the office. A survey of 50 large employers by the BBC found none of them had plans to return all staff to the office full-time in the near future. Twenty firms have reopened their offices for staff unable to work [...]
London’s legal sector continues to lead the world August 3, 2020 Socially-distanced juries, virtual trials, and a mass shift to remote working — these are just some of the radical steps that have been taken to allow justice to be served during lockdown. Almost every part of our economy has had to adapt to Covid-19 and the legal system is no different. One constant throughout these [...]
Still safe to return to work, Boris Johnson says, despite reopening pause July 31, 2020 Businesses will still be allowed “more discretion” on whether to make employees return to work from next week, Boris Johnson confirmed today, despite delaying the easing of lockdown for many leisure activities. However, the Prime Minister insisted that if employers did not make sure their workplaces were safe they could face legal punishment. “If employers [...]
Uber faces final Supreme Court appeal to argue drivers are not employees July 20, 2020 Uber will tomorrow begin one final attempt to overturn a ruling that means it must treat its drivers as “workers” in what could be a landmark case for UK employment rights. The ride-hailing app has already been defeated on the two previous occasions it has tried to challenge the ruling, which was first made in [...]
UK fraud office launches review after director implicated in Unaoil scandal July 14, 2020 The UK Serious Fraud Office (SFO) said yesterday it would launch a review after its head was rebuked by a London judge for being vulnerable to flattery from a freelance agent during a high-profile bribery investigation into oil consultancy Unaoil. Judge Martin Beddoe said SFO head Lisa Osofsky and senior colleagues had “taken the bait” [...]
Common mistakes founders make – a lawyers’ point of view July 14, 2020 There is a ton of noise on how to succeed in making fail-proof start-ups or nailing the elevator pitch. What doesn’t find much mention is mistakes founders make for lack of a legal budget. As a lawyer I will obviously say that there is just no substitute for proper legal advice, but I also recognise [...]
AI is here and compliance needs to respond June 29, 2020 Automation and artificial intelligence (AI) are set to pose a unique challenge to the future workplace, including the compliance profession. How should compliance respond to such innovation? Handwringing over technology and automation replacing human beings in the workplace has a long history and is far from being unique to our times. When unveiling his automated [...]
IP lock-out: Is Britain handing the EU the keys to a billion-pound industry? June 8, 2020 We are getting close to crunch point in the Brexit negotiations. Last week saw the culmination of the final round of talks between the EU and the UK ahead of the 30 June deadline to agree an extension to the transition period. Given the glacial progress so far, a sudden breakthrough appears highly unlikely, with [...]
Five ways to retain your wealth management clients in 2020 April 28, 2020 The global wealth management industry is being buffeted by demographic changes among investors, as well as technological advancements such as the arrival of robo-advisers. Recent research commissioned by Bank of America on millennials’ spending priorities in the USA – with millennials defined as those aged 24 to 41 – found that about 25% of those who [...]
Ex-Home Office chief Sir Philip Rutnam launches legal action against Priti Patel April 20, 2020 Former Home Office chief Sir Philip Rutnam has launched legal action against home secretary Priti Patel. Sir Philip, who was the most senior civil servant in the department, today lodged an employment tribunal claim for unfair dismissal and whistleblowing against Priti Patel, according to civil service union FDA. A government spokesperson said: “We do not [...]