News and Blogs

The government has announced a number of interesting proposed reforms as it looks to make changes following Brexit. 

Rolled-up holiday pay

Since the Working Time Regulations were introduced in 1998, the provisions covering annual holiday and holiday pay have been problematic.  This is particularly so when applied to those with atypical working patterns, for example, those on term...

We regularly find ourselves advising both individuals and employers about appeals against dismissal.  The implications of appealing are not widely known, but can have significant consequences.  A string of cases in recent years have considered the effect and established some important principles.

Why appeal against dismissal?

It makes a lot of sense for employees to appeal against...

Copyright is a continually evolving intellectual property (IP) right. It arises in many different circumstances and protects literary, artistic, dramatic and musical works. When copyright arises, it is owned by authors, image makers, software code writers and TV programme producers.

How may copyright be infringed?

Copyright is infringed where there is reproduction of another person’s...

Intellectual property (IP) is intangible property. Any business may own patents, trade marks, designs and copyright just as it owns physical property, such as land, buildings or machinery.

IP might be the most valuable assets that a business can own, demonstrating to the world your ownership a technical invention, a brand name or presentational style, a design or computer software.

Some IP...

Please remember that various limits and payments set out in legislation change in April each year. 

From 2 April 2023, statutory maternity, paternity, adoption and parental bereavement pay, as well as statutory shared parental leave pay, all increased to £172.48 (from £156.66) per week.

From 6 April 2023, statutory sick pay will increase to £109.40 (from...

The Supreme Court has today extended the law by confirming that overlooking or ‘visual intrusion’ can give rise to a cause of action in private nuisance.

Background

Private nuisance is where an owner (or their visitors, agents, contractors, etc.) behaves on or uses their own land in a way that causes harm to a neighbouring owner’s land, or their use and enjoyment of it.

In ...

In anticipation of Family Mediation Week, I wanted to share my thoughts on mediation and why I think it is so successful.  I am conscious there are many articles available already on the mechanics of mediation, when and where it may be appropriate and answers to the most common mediation FAQs. I therefore wanted to take this opportunity to dig a little deeper, and to assess the...

In 2015, the government introduced regulations which banned exclusivity clauses for workers and employees on zero-hours contracts.  A zero-hours contract is one where the employer is not obliged to guarantee any working hours to the worker or employee, whilst the worker or employee is not obliged to accept work offered by the employer.  Introducing the prohibition meant that those...

Following a divorce or separation between parents, the location of the children’s home base may be a point of contention, especially if it results in the children being moved further away from one parent, whether in the UK or abroad.

If you have parental responsibility over the children, you will have equal rights of decision-making as to their future alongside your ex-partner, including...

Being entrusted with distributing an estate and attending to the last wishes of a loved one is a serious matter and the majority of people carry out their role with the respect and due care that it demands. Personal representatives who don’t take their duties and role seriously, however, could find themselves wound up in prison; as Mark Totton recently discovered in the case of Totton...