Insights & News

Neurodiversity, harassment and misconduct: new ruling puts spotlight on difficult issues

Employers are becoming more aware of neurodiversity and the benefits of more inclusive hiring strategies. At the same time, neurodiversity-based discrimination claims are on the rise. Cases where employees have committed misconduct linked to their neurodivergence can be particularly difficult, as a recent ruling illustrates.

Settlement agreements cannot settle future employment claims that have not arisen

A settlement agreement cannot sign away claims which have not arisen at the date of the agreement, according to this latest Employment Appeal Tribunal decision.

Lewis Silkin provides evidence on Brexit Freedoms Bill

We have provided written evidence to the parliamentary committee that is scrutinising the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill.

Navigating Neurodiversity Policies Gives Employers A Leg Up: Tom Heys Comments For Law360 UK

Read the full article by clicking the link below.

Lewis Silkin ranked in top three firms for employment practice in The Times Best Law Firms 2023

Press Release

We are delighted to announce that Lewis Silkin has been ranked in The Times’ top three firms for employment law in England and Wales. These firms were identified according to the number of recommendations received.

Linda Hynes discusses what new protected disclosures legislation means for employers on News Talk’s Breakfast Business Podcast

A new law coming into force in January will have a notable impact on employers. It concerns a protected disclosure from employees who are usually known as whistleblowers and it means that if staff see wrongdoing, they can report it and not be fired.

When can a mistake not be corrected? Court of Appeal rules collective agreements are not capable of rectification

A recent Court of Appeal decision has confirmed that employers cannot seek rectification of mistakes in collective agreements. Where agreements with unions about terms and conditions have been wrongly recorded, employers will be limited to seeking to rectify relevant employees’ individual employment contracts in as far as they incorporate the mistaken terms.

What might the Brexit Freedoms Bill mean for employment law in Northern Ireland?

A major shake-up of Northern Irish employment legislation is on the cards, complicated by there being no functioning Northern Ireland Executive, or Assembly in Northern Ireland.

Tax rules for employment intermediaries - what this means for agencies and employment businesses

Inbrief

Over recent years a number of anti-avoidance measures have been introduced in a bid to tackle “disguised employment”. Disguised employment refers to those situations where arrangements are implemented to falsely treat employees or workers as self-employed, primarily to gain a tax or National Insurance Contributions (NICs) advantage.

Hybrid working arrangements

Inbrief

Long-term remote working arrangements have become increasingly common.

The Bribery Act 2010 - an employment law perspective

Inbrief

In recent years there has been increasing focus on anti-bribery and corruption. The Bribery Act 2010 created a regime of criminal offences described by the Director of the Serious Fraud Office as “the toughest bribery legislation in the world”.

Bill to mandate minimum service levels during transport strikes published

Against a backdrop of prolonged national rail strikes, the government has proposed a complex new legal framework to ensure minimum service levels are maintained on transport services during industrial action.

Lewis Silkin has advised the shareholders of Lola Post Production on its sale to Milk VFX

Deal

Lewis Silkin has advised BAFTA Award-winning visual effects company Lola Post Production on its sale to fellow studio Milk VFX.

Lewis Silkin recognised with top rankings in Chambers UK 2023 for Employment, Media and Entertainment: Advertising and Marketing, Information Technology, and Intellectual Property

Press Release

19 of our practices are ranked, and all our existing Band 1 practice rankings have been maintained. In addition we have 56 ranked individuals, six of whom are new entries. This strong performance follows similarly robust results in the Legal 500 UK earlier this month.

Consultation must start early where a pool of one is inevitable

The EAT has ruled that it was unfair to dismiss an employee for redundancy when the employer chose a single selection criterion that inevitably led to a pool of one and did not consult about this beforehand. Consultation had started too late to impact the outcome.

Modern slavery - transparency in supply chains

Inbrief

Although many organisations take steps to promote ethical business practices and have policies to protect workers from being exploited, so-called “modern slavery” remains a global problem.

IR35 reversal reversed!

Plans to repeal IR35 tax-avoidance reforms in April 2023 have been scrapped as part of a major reversal of proposed tax cuts.