Legal Insights

Lucy Kellaway recently  addressed an audience of bankers, none of whom appeared to be over 50! Currently in Ireland, the majority of...

The Cabinet Office is seeking views from businesses on whether they should collect data on the socio-economic background of their staff...

In his latest blog, Gary Direnfeld highlights some of the key points about how children experience their parents' separation and how,...

From July 2016 parents will be able to use arbitration as a way of sorting out disputes about children arrangements.

The legal framework in Ireland around trade secrets is fairly disjointed and companies and employers have had to rely on a mixture of the...

A large care home has recently been sentenced £400,000 plus costs for breaching the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations. This...

The occasional dispute in the workplace is inevitable. I tell employers that if they try to be considerate and fair, they will probably...

Have you ever asked an employee to lie for you and take responsibility for your mistakes? I hope not. This case is a good example of why...

As an entrepreneur or anyone in business, one of the best investments you'll ever make is the protection of what you create. And that's...

Another day, another reminder that the 'disrupt first, think later' approach taken by Uber and Airbnb won't work for fintech companies... 

Like a skunk at a garden party, the SEC has been moving in on the fun-loving Wall Street conference circuit in hopes of getting a better...

An interesting paper from ACAS on their conciliation services, reporting that a fifth of claimants withdrew their claims because tribunal...

Research from 114 councils shows referrals for over 115,000 children in a year.   Over 150,00 born between 2009-2010 were referred by the...

In the employment team here at Howard Kennedy we are often asked how ‘private’ Employment Tribunal claims are. The answer is that,...

Like many technologies in the early stages of development, blockchain seems to offer all things to all people. Take for example the...

The concept of digital disruption isn't new but are the "traditional" professions - the lawyers, accountants, engineers, architects &...

A recent independent review has identified that up to half of all children in custody have been in care at some point. 

It is hoped that...

Sir James Munby, President of the High Court Family Division, has made a very clear formal declaration that the UK law on surrogacy...

Personal information about a 15 year old boy which he shared with a social worker whilst in court proceedings could be withheld from his...

‘I can do things you cannot, you can do things I cannot; together we can go great things.’ Mother Teresa

Big business is increasingly...

Have you ever thought about the hours you spend in that unnecessary meeting or those emails that have taken far too long to write? Wasted...

'To be irreplaceable, one must always be different.' Coco Chanel.

It's a powerful statement. And it's true. But its simplicity masks the...

A key indicator of a well-run care service is the rate of staff turn-over. A stable workforce indicates a happy and settled working...

It is an interesting question - if I am able to sit down to eat, should I not be able to use a bathroom before doing so?  Not a question...

All food businesses need to provide information about the allergenic ingredients used in food sold or provided by them. This requirement...

During the implementation of AIFMD, many voices could be heard asking, "But what are they doing with all this data we're submitting?"....

“How dare they subvert my story this way!”

“You should thank them – yes, you’re story was great, but this version adds new layers, it’s a...

One of the prerequisites to the DeepMind acquisition was that Google would create an ethics board to monitor its internal AI developments. 

On 29 April both the Criminal Justice (Spent Convictions and Certain Disclosures) Act 2016 and National Vetting Bureau Acts 2012-2016...

Many organisations ask applicants to complete equal opportunities monitoring forms as part of the application process in order to monitor...

Should it be remarkable that the world's leading financial institutions are still failing to meet their regulatory and compliance...

The celebrity known as PJS in the UK, and by his real name everywhere else, will find out this morning whether the Supreme Court will...

Look, I'm not now and  I will never argue that emotional intelligence is not a vital skill set for lawyers; it is... fact.  But, those...

Is it excessive to dismiss a manager simply for refusing to take a drugs test?

Apparently it may not be. In the recent case of Andrew...

Jo Macauley-Weeks is a Brand Engagement Executive at Irwin Mitchell LLP. I couldn't resist asking her a few questions about B2B marketing...

What can you do when your landlord carries out work to a property and erects scaffolding that envelops almost the whole building,...

Investment trusts are almost uniquely affected by European (and domestic) regulation.  As well as funds regulation (AIFMD, NMPI, MiFID...

This article suggests that a high volume of legal business is derived from online searches. Whilst there are progressive law firms such as

In March 2016 Santander announced that it would extend its shared parental leave scheme to permit grandparents to share the entitlement.

Research has been carried out into the role that flexible working is playing in the UK employment market.  The research, which was...

Companies of all sizes are embracing artificial intelligence and technology to automate and streamline their internal processes. 

For...

We have a great line up planned for this year's consumer products conference - an economic update, brexit debate, plus discussions about...

It's not just something that is going to happen. It is happening. Ignoring developing technology and seeing if this is just a phase that...

The Modern Slavery Garden at the Chelsea Flower Show highlights the important and topical issue of modern slavery and human trafficking....

In an effort to give Asian and European FinTech companies access to each others' markets, the UK's FCA and Singapore's MAS announced the...

Humiliation is not humorous. But how many of us know the difference when it comes to what happens in the workplace? I’d like to think...

Stress can be a tricky thing for employers to deal with. There is no specific legislation aimed at workplace stress, but employers do...

Our Energy team is hosting a breakfast seminar on the topic of “Brexit: Impact on the Renewables Sector” on Friday 27 May in our offices...

This is an interesting case report concerning a line manager who was dismissed for refusing to take workplace drug test.  The employment...

You have until 27 June 2016 to respond to the government consultation on hospitality tips, service charges and troncs and whether any new...

With train strikes recently announced, employers will want to think about their travel disruption policies and procedures. Some employees...

If you are a large organisation with an annual turnover of over £36m, there is a new legal requirement to publish a public statement on...

In times of rapid technology developments it is important not to be complacent. Look how the consumer market has been affected by...

It was 6 weeks ago today that the National Living Wage became compulsory. For those workers aged 25 or over who were paid the minimum...

Viva la revolution? With echoes of the 35-hour week, France is again considering legislation to enhance the work life balance of its...

This is a good summary of the recent Markit/REC job job report showing that demand for temporary workers is increasing at a higher rate...

Research has found that fathers in full-time employment earn 21% more than men without children.  This is an interesting statistic but...

Technological developments have made out of hours working from home easier, meaning it has probably become far more common. Whether you...

One of the big questions at present is the impact that post-termination restrictions in employment contracts are having on "innovation...

Tips have hit the headlines a lot recently. Last week, the Government began consultation on ways to end unfair tipping practices. The...

For those who need help with their workplace dress code policy ACAS has some good basic guidance as a starting point.

Beware a one size...

As you will see from this unfortunate situation, employers should keep potential issues of discrimination in mind when drafting their...

Thrilled to learn that the CMS Corporate team is shortlisted for Corporate Team of the Year in The Lawyer Awards!

Should it really matter what we wear to work? Shouldn't we be judged on our professionalism and competence rather than the height of our...

Recent Court of Appeal decision should be noted when considering boilerplate drafting around no amendment or variation clauses in most...

Terry M. Isner, President, Marketing and Business Development at Jaffe, was kind enough to answer a few questions about branding, and why...

What do you do if you think you’re a victim of credit card fraud? We get asked this question a lot by the businesses that we look after.

If you’re going to turn someone down for a job or withdraw a job offer, be aware that they may legitimately question your decision. They...

Around 2 million people in the UK suffer from food allergies, about 2% of adults and 8% of children.

Food allergies are widely accepted as...

How does anyone, large or small, preserve brand identity as they grow? At the heart of the success of any business is its communications...

Are we sure no more surprises ?? 

At the beginning of any business, it is...

It is no longer enough to be just a good technical lawyer. Although technical ability is important, that is not what makes you unique. If...

My first role in legal PR was for the long forgotten Wilde Sapte - a banking and finance firm.  It is perhaps now best remembered for...

“Airbnb helps make sharing easy, enjoyable, and safe” says their website; but can you share something which isn’t yours?

Unapproved...

It is so inspiring to see the the priorities of the business community shift towards gender equality, diversity and inclusion. And there...

'Never be too busy to meet someone new'. That's the advice of the award winning Tweet Jukebox's CEO, Tim Fargo.

It's the advice I'd give...

China is home to multiple fintech giants, from Ant Financial to Lufax, and yet the Chinese government appears to have mixed views on how...

Get to know and create your own 'Mike' in this really valuable infographic attached to the article below.

It's essentially advice that we...

Following in the footsteps of the UK and US, François Villeroy de Galhau, governor of the Banque de France, announced that its prudential...

China is home to multiple fintech giants, from Ant Financial to Lufax, and yet the Chinese government appears to have mixed views on how...

Many small businesses struggle to cope when an employee becomes pregnant. By their very nature small business rely on a few employees to...

Please take a look at an article I have recently written for InsuranceTechIT.com.

Employers often have to deal with employees on sick leave. The phrase: “ Contact from you is making me more ill and I do not want to be...

Working for larger organisations poses a challenge in getting content churned out at the speed of digital. A three-month approval process...

We all want to do well at work, but it is very common to get stuck in rut or become unmotivated if every day feels like the same.

Living like this has the added benefit of reducing your chances of a nasty neighbour dispute...  For everyone else however there's Dutton...

A report looking at children in foster care in the UK has identified that almost half have a diagnosable mental health condition.  Many...

Biographies. 

We all (I assume) love writing them as much as going to the dentist's. Unless you're one of those teeth-overachievers. No...

There is a lot of guff written about branding, particularly in the legal space.  

Yes, we all understand the power of a strong brand, and...

It is, sadly, not unusual to find parents re-entering care proceedings in respect of subsequent children. However, in this case it...

What a fantastic statement. In previous blog posts I have talked about technology putting the power in the hands of the customer. 

Last...

Avoid costly mistakes, trained to ask the right questions at the right time. The benefits to having lawyers in a business from start up....

One important, but often overlooked, issue when a marriage breaks down is what will happen to your assets on your death. If you die after...