Insights & News
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Restrictive covenants: key reminders recently highlighted by the Court of Appeal
06 April 2020In the recent case of Guest Services Worldwide Limited v David Shelmerdine the Court of Appeal found that a non-compete clause, restricting Mr Shelmerdine for a period of 12 months after he ceased to hold shares, was binding. The clause prohibited Mr Shelmerdine, a shareholder who was also a consultant of Guest Services Worldwide Limited (GSW), from being interested in competing businesses.
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Coronavirus – our third employer survey
06 April 2020Our third employer benchmarking survey looks at the take-up of the new Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and ongoing support for homeworkers.
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Comparative advertising: what it is and how to manage risk
06 April 2020In highly competitive industries, the line between extolling the virtues of one’s own product and comparing it with others can be a very fine, and sometimes blurry, one. Most advertisers will make claims about their products. Those claims might be straightforward, such as claims as to battery life, suitability for certain tasks or conditions, or relating to price. Other claims might suggest that the advertiser’s product is the best, cheapest or superior in some other way. There is a category of advertising though that can be much more high stakes – comparative advertising.
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How will M&A buyers respond to Covid-19?
03 April 2020 -
Covid 19 - Government schemes in other key European jurisdictions
03 April 2020Many other European governments have introduced schemes, similar to the furloughing scheme here in the UK, with the aim of supporting employers experiencing financial difficulties as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and encouraging them to retain staff during the crisis. The below is a brief summary of the schemes in place in the key European jurisdictions.
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Corporate solvency – matters to consider in light of COVID-19: FAQs
03 April 2020The UK Government has announced a number of changes to the UK insolvency framework in light of the economic storm caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Covid 19 – what it means for EMI options
03 April 2020You may wonder what the current Covid 19 crisis has to do with EMI options but in fact there are a number of potential consequences.
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EPO and EUIPO extend deadlines in response to COVID-19 pandemic
02 April 2020As you will have seen, governments across Europe have issued a range of recommendations to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
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Enforced homeworking during the coronavirus crisis – employers’ health and safety obligations
02 April 2020On 23 March 2020, the government announced that everyone was required to stay at home for at least three weeks, unless they have work which “absolutely” cannot be done at home. This article explains an employer’s health and safety responsibilities towards this significant group of temporary homeworkers during the enforced period of homeworking.
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Will sellers lose more than their liberty as a result of Covid-19?
02 April 2020Coronavirus has already wreaked havoc on the UK’s economy in the space of just a few weeks. The FTSE 100 has plunged by more than 26% since February and businesses in a range of sectors are likely to see a significant downturn this year.
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Sports Q&A – What are your top tips to sports organisations for surviving the Coronavirus crisis?
02 April 2020We truly hope you are all staying healthy and safe during this time. Here are our top tips for survival for sports organisations:
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Electrical Safety in the Residential Private Rented Sector
01 April 2020The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 (the “Regulations”) are coming into force on 1 June 2020 and will apply to all new specified tenancies commencing on or after 1 July 2020 and all existing specified tenancies from 1 April 2021 in England.
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Covid-19 relief for financially troubled suppliers with public contracts
01 April 2020On 20 March 2020 the Cabinet Office published guidance designed to ensure that all public bodies provide support under existing contracts to suppliers of “goods, services and works” who are financially “at risk” as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.
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Morrisons not liable for misuse of personal data by rogue employee
01 April 2020The Supreme Court has allowed an appeal by the supermarket chain Morrisons Supermarkets plc, overturning a finding that it was vicariously liable for a rogue employee's deliberate disclosure of payroll data related to some 100,000 co-workers, of whom 10,000 brought a group claim for damages. The ruling will come as a big relief for employers up and down the country.
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Implying terms into commercial contracts impacted by COVID-19
31 March 2020We live and work in unprecedented times. The health of the population is rightly the priority, but it is abundantly clear that steps taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19 are having a very significant impact on the ability of businesses to fulfil obligations in commercial contracts.
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Two’s company, three’s a crowd... and therefore banned with immediate effect
31 March 2020With the ongoing rapid spread of COVID-19, we’ve seen an ever-greater sense of urgency in the responses of governments from around the world.
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COVID-19: force majeure and frustration flowcharts
29 March 2020The Coronavirus situation may interfere with contractual performance for a variety of reasons. Download here our flowcharts of the issues for those considering whether it is possible to bring contracts to an end (or suspend performance of contractual obligations) without breaching the contract by relying on contractual force majeure clauses or the common law doctrine of frustration.
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Government announces financial support for self-employed during coronavirus outbreak
27 March 2020The government has announced measures to help the self-employed cope with the financial impact of coronavirus. Self-employed individuals with annual trading profits of less than £50,000 will be able to apply for a cash grant worth 80% of their average monthly profits (up to £2,500 a month) for at least three months.
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Blurred lines: The difference between a service communication and marketing communication
27 March 2020For years marketeers have grappled with the question of whether the customer communication they are sending is a service comm or a marketing comm. However, now more than ever, the lines are being blurred because businesses are trying to keep their customers up to date with the steps that they are taking to tackle Covid-19 whilst also encouraging customers to continue to purchase (albeit on line). This article is intended to help marketeers clarify where that line should be drawn….
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Expansion of HMRC’s “Time to Pay” Arrangements during the Covid-19 Outbreak
27 March 2020Due to the immediate and stark effect that the Covid-19 outbreak is having on a lot of businesses, the Government has reminded everyone that it often reaches arrangements with businesses in financial distress for deferred payment of their tax liabilities. While this facility is not new, the Government expects the demands on the service to increase dramatically and is therefore scaling up its capacity to deal with new enquiries.