With the Brexit/Withdrawal Agreement coming into effect, freedom of movement between the EU and UK has ended. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens entering the UK for work purposes may need to apply for a visa through the UK’s points-based immigration system....
This article aims to answer some questions about UK farm employers’ access to seasonal workers under the Government’s extended Seasonal Workers Pilot. The end of the Brexit transition period on 31 December 2020 marks the end of freedom of...
Following ten rounds of intense negotiations in the run-up to Christmas, the EU-UK Trade and Co-operation Agreement (the TCA) came into provisional effect at 11pm on 31 December 2020 when the European (Future Relationship) Act 2020 (the 2020 Act) came into...
This brief article aims to answer some questions about the certification, labelling and trading of organic food products following the provisional coming into force of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) on 1 January 2021. Can organic products...
A new tax on wealth is being considered and a report by The Wealth Tax Commission has been released this month making recommendations to the Government. To find out how such changes could affect you as a taxpayer and whether you should review your...
Our Personal Injury team recently took part in #SolicitorChat, a conversation on Twitter where solicitors answer questions on a set topic. A recent one covered personal injury claims in winter, and we thought our answers would provide a useful...
A medium-sized food processing factory which produces products such as donor kebabs for the national and international market was raided by Trading Standards and the National Food Crime Unit at the Food Standards Agency (“FSA”) and subsequently...
Cyclists: The ‘menaces’ that provoke fury amongst road users like no others. Cognitive Scientist Tom Stafford argues that motorists hate cyclists because they believe that they disrupt the moral order of the road. Contrary to popular belief,...
This week, the Office of Tax Simplification (OTS) released a report on Capital Gains Tax (CGT). These follow a request by Rishi Sunak, Chancellor of the Exchequer, to “identify opportunities relating to administrative and technical issues as well as...
The Commission has published a range of user-friendly guides for trustees. Launched in Trustees’ Week 2020, the five x 5-minute guides cover a ‘core syllabus’ of basic information that should help trustees run their charities effectively....
Businesses are reminded to ensure their systems and processes are as secure as possible following the Information Commissioner's latest fines against two organisations for data breaches. In October, British Airways was fined £20 million for...
Despite the horrors of the pandemic, it seems children and their parents may still be blowing blow the cobwebs off their costumes this Halloween ready to threaten unimaginable horrors if not rewarded with chocolate and sweets, so it is time to perhaps think...
The way your business must deal with individual debtors is changing. On 7 October 2020, the Treasury announced new rules for debt letters that are less intimidating and provide more support for people in debt. The law is expected to be officially changed in...
After several months of possession claims being stayed, the stay has now been lifted. The Master of the Rolls has set up a working group to address concerns about the consequences of the current stay on housing possession claims ending. The group...
On 28 August 2020, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) published an updated version of its "Statement on coronavirus (COVID-19), consumer contracts, cancellation and refunds" which was first published on 30 April 2020. The statement now...
There has been much talk recently within the media and industry of the impact on data protection rules since the announcement of the Schrems II judgment, but what is this case and how might it affect us? The position to date Data transfers to countries...
With the world in a very strange place and businesses struggling to pay invoices, there is every possibility that even if you have never fallen victim to a bad payer in the past, you may find yourself with a client who will not, or cannot pay you. If you...
COVID-19 and the lockdown brought about some tricky times for the enforcement of judgments. Whilst we have been able to instruct our High Court Enforcement Agents to attend commercial premises , there has been a blanket ban on attending residential...
The administration of a trust is becoming increasingly comparable to that of a company, with the Trust Registration Service (TRS) and the responsibilities of trustees respect that, comparable to those for Companies House. Trustees are required to record and...
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is currently reviewing its Privacy Shield and Standard Contractual Clauses guidance following the judgment issued by the ECJ in the case of Data Protection Commissioner v Facebook Ireland and Maximillian...
New guidance has been released by the Government on maintaining test-and-trace records of staff, customers and visitors during the COVID-19 pandemic. This guidance applies to establishments in the hospitality, tourism and leisure sectors, and close-contact...
The Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 came into force on 25 th June 2020, with the aim of “relieving the burden on businesses during the Coronavirus outbreak.” The Act: Provides companies with temporary easements on Companies House...
As you will be aware, this month the Government eased the lockdown measures in England. As of 15 June 2020, non-essential retail premises were permitted to open, as were drive-in cinemas, retail art galleries, betting shops, auction houses, aquariums, zoos...
One of the things we are often asked is Why should I use a lawyer to handle my personal injury claim? It’s a fair question and it is indeed possible to handle a claim yourself, but there are a number of benefits to taking the help of a...
Yes! Whilst we are asking our clients to take a ‘common-sense approach’ with their debtors at this time, we appreciate that cash flow is even more important now and in most situations, debt recovery action can still be taken. By common sense...
On Wednesday 20 May the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy introduced the new Corporate Insolvency and Governance Bill 2020, the measures are intended to relieve some of the financial burdens on businesses as a result of the Covid-19...
For farms with seasonal workers due to arrive from abroad on or after 8 June 2020, there is an extremely useful exemption from the general 14-day self-isolation rule. However, there is some small print that employers need to be aware of, and not all farms...
Multiple Dwellings Relief (MDR) is an important relief for Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT), where a purchaser acquires more than one dwelling as part of a transaction, or where there is a single dwelling purchase, but it is linked to at least one other...
The Government has announced the use of electric scooters could be trialled on our streets as early as June 2020. This was something that was always in the offing, but the fact this was announced as part of a Coronavirus update, and trials are taking place a...
A recent press release from the RAC revealed that pothole-related breakdowns for the first three months of 2020 were more than during the same period last year. Whilst the statistics relate to drivers only, they seem to support the ‘pothole...