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Ads & Brands Law Digest: November 2022
08 December 2022Welcome to the November 2022 edition of our Digest, covering legal and regulatory developments from the last few weeks relevant to advertising, marketing and brand-owning businesses. As usual, for each item we provide a succinct summary accompanied by a link to the full text of the relevant official source or our own report.
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CSOP options – A new lease of life?
08 December 2022As part of the infamous Mini-Budget published on 23 September 2022, the then-Chancellor announced some surprise changes to HMRC’s rules around ‘CSOP option’ grants – and they’re some of the few changes announced in that rather ill-fated reform package still to be going ahead.
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Modernising flexible working - day one “right to request” but no “right to have”
08 December 2022The government’s response to consultation on flexible working proposes a “day one” right to request and various other changes to the current rules, but stops short of more radical reform.
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Sexual misconduct in the legal sector: a seasonal reminder that prevention is better than cure
07 December 2022This time last year Omicron cases were on the rise, leading to the cancellation of countless Christmas celebrations. Many law firms are now due to host ‘in person’ Christmas parties for the first time in almost three years. Although the spirits of party-starved lawyers are bound to be high, inhibitions may not be. Ahead of these festivities, it’s therefore important for firms to be clear about appropriate workplace behaviour and the potential consequences of sexual misconduct.
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Extension of UK-Switzerland Services Mobility Agreement
06 December 2022The UK and Switzerland have agreed to extend the Services Mobility Agreement (“SMA”) for another three years to continue enabling British and Swiss professionals to work in each other’s countries with greater flexibility until 31 December 2025.
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Lewis Silkin announces Gold Partnership with Catalyst
05 December 2022We are delighted to announce our Gold Partnership with Catalyst, an independent not-for-profit organisation working with innovators and entrepreneurs in Northern Ireland.
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Lewis Silkin moves into Top 20 on Social Mobility Employer Index
05 December 2022For the third consecutive year, Lewis Silkin has improved its ranking in the Social Mobility Employer Index, rising to 18th place - up from 34th last year and 59th the year before. The firm now falls within the top ten law firms in the Index.
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Helpful guidance updates for sponsors of workers
30 November 2022The Home Office released updated sponsor guidance on 9 November 2022, in line with the Autumn Immigration Rule updates. This includes some potentially helpful changes for sponsors of workers, however there are some areas of ambiguity as well as some upcoming changes that sponsors should be aware of.
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Masking for trouble? Can employers require staff to wear a face mask even if an employee says they have a disability that prevents them from doing so?
30 November 2022The use of face masks at work is back under the spotlight as winter approaches, with two recent Employment Tribunal decisions considering whether it could be an act of disability discrimination to require disabled employees to wear face masks.
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Law Society and CLLS update 2016 practice note on electronic execution of documents
29 November 2022A (very) brief history of key guidance on electronic execution of documents.
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In Conversation with Anna Josse, Founder and CEO of Prism The Gift Fund
29 November 2022“Philanthropy is inherently personal; there are as many reasons for giving as there are people who give. We’ve found that not only would many people like to give more, but that others would be happy to start if they weren’t intimidated by the complexities of charitable giving.” We spoke to Anna Josse, Founder, CEO of Prism the Gift Fund to get the low down on effective giving vehicles, Donor Advised Funds.
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Secret gardens and the ever-increasing demand for properties on those squares
24 November 2022We spoke to Priyank Lakhia the Founder & Director of Independent Agency, 5Bay Group about the numerous garden squares spread around central London, which Priyank says are one of the city's most distinguishing features.
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Adtech’s ‘compliance theatre’ may be heading for its final curtain
24 November 2022On 7 September 2022 the Brussels Court of Appeal dismissed numerous grounds of IAB Europe’s appeal from a decision of the Belgian Data Protection Authority – Autorité de protection des données (“APD”) – and referred various questions relating to fundamental concepts of the GDPR to the Court of Justice of the European Union (“CJEU”).
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Inflation, interest rates & money markets - what are the implications for real estate?
23 November 2022The economic impacts of the former chancellor’s ‘fiscal statement’ of 23rd September, the subsequent u-turns and the resulting uncertainty and market disruption, continue to reverberate and have increased the chance of house price falls to a level not seen since 1990.
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“Eight drivers of change – 2022 and beyond” (By James Davies, Lewis Silkin LLP)
22 November 2022Last year James Davies published a report the Eight Drivers of Change – the future of work for the Future of Work Hub. It identified eight key drivers of change in society as a whole, and in the workplace in particular. It considered how these interconnected drivers were accelerating change at an unprecedented scale and speed and how these changes were influencing the what, where, from where, when, how, how much/many, who and why of work.
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Roof terraces: The Importance of Being Legal
22 November 2022Q: I recently bought a London apartment that has an unused roof space. Do I need planning permission to use it as a terrace?
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Latest proposals from the FSB on regulating cryptoasset activities and stablecoins
21 November 2022Cryptoassets are volatile by nature; while high risk may lead to high reward, there is also the very real prospect of such assets losing all value.
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John Lewis ad spotlights children in care - and a potential gap in diversity initiatives?
17 November 2022This year’s John Lewis Christmas advert has highlighted the challenges faced by children in care and their foster families. This follows a recent review calling for care experience to be a protected characteristic under the Equality Act. As John Lewis commits to becoming the employer of choice for care experienced young people, this article considers if there is a gap in current diversity initiatives.
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Government backs new laws on carers, sexual harassment, flexible working, redundancy protection and more: the Employment Bill by the back door?
17 November 2022Back in 2019, the government announced a new Employment Bill. A pandemic and two prime ministers later, it has not appeared. But several Private Members’ Bills now cover much of the same ground and have gained government support. Employment law reform now looks likely to be ushered in by the back door.
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Neurodiversity, harassment and misconduct: new ruling puts spotlight on difficult issues
16 November 2022Employers 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.