Do not fear our new robot overlords – Editor’s Letter March 5, 2015 ARE robots coming for your job? That isn’t a premise for an episode of Doctor Who; for some City-watchers, it has become a genuine fear. On Monday, at a debate hosted by Intelligence Squared, George Magnus, formerly of UBS, was one of those arguing that professionals like lawyers and bankers should be afraid, very afraid [...]
Britain’s legal sector is leading the world: It’s time we celebrated it February 23, 2015 This week, more than 2,000 delegates – lawyers, business leaders and ministers from around the world – are descending on London for the UK’s first Global Law Summit. Two years in the planning, its genesis lies in the government’s desire to promote the UK’s international standing in legal services in an increasingly competitive world-wide market. [...]
European Court of Justice’s redundancy guidance paves return to “pre-Woolworths status quo” February 5, 2015 Employers are one step closer to being able to return to the “pre-Woolworths status quo” when it comes to redundancy consultation. The European Court of Justice's advocate general has this morning said that employers need not be bound by costly collective redundancy rules. It all comes down to the meaning of the word [...]
Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct faces million-pound claim over bonus scheme which excluded zero-hour contracted staff February 3, 2015 Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct faces legal claims over its bonus scheme from hundreds of staff working at its stores which could run into millions of pounds. Nearly 300 workers on zero-hours contracts were excluded from a bonus scheme which gave around 2,000 staff who were permanently employed a windfall share of £160m worth of shares [...]
The Supper Club founder Duncan Cheatle talks cowboys, venture capital and safe spaces January 25, 2015 If you ask Duncan Cheatle, founder of members-only entrepreneur networking group The Supper Club, to describe his formative entrepreneurial experience, you’re instantly transported. “Like lots of entrepreneurs, the first early thing I did was to sell tuck,” he tells me. “I guess there’s a limit to what you can do as a kid to show [...]
Rihanna vs Topshop: Three things businesses need to know about using celebrity images and endorsements January 23, 2015 Rihanna's “We Found Love” was one of the biggest hit songs of the autumn of 2011. Some readers may remember the furore surrounding the video shoot when the farmer, whose land the video was shot on, took a dislike to Rihanna’s dancing style and dress sense. Yesterday, we saw the next instalment in another dispute [...]
Pros and cons of making the move into consultancy January 21, 2015 You won’t necessarily have more security as a formal employee. If you're thinking about moving on from your current job – and over a third of UK workers are, according to research from the Institute of Leadership and Management – instead of finding work as a formal employee, it may be worth considering a [...]
John Lewis Partnership hit by multi-million pound burden of new holiday pay ruling January 16, 2015 Lawyers warned us that changes to holiday pay would be an expensive ruling, and lo, it came to pass. The John Lewis Partnership, which includes the eponymous department store and Waitrose, will have to stump up an additional £12m each year to cover costs relating to pension, bonuses and National Insurance. “The majority [...]
This year’s best paid graduate jobs will be in accounting, law and finance professions January 12, 2015 Young people disheartened by sky-high university fees should set their sights on a career in the City, with accounting, law and finance professions set to pay the highest graduate salaries in 2015. Anyone about to embark upon their first year in investment banking could take home £45,000. Wannabe lawyers and ambitious financiers can expect to [...]
New job? What to look out for when signing a contract January 4, 2015 Have you been offered a new job? It’s worth negotiating the key terms. Do you have the back to work blues? For many, the Christmas and New Year break is an opportunity to reassess your position. It may be that you feel you are being undervalued and aren’t getting a fair deal at work. [...]