Legal Insights

I'm not exactly an experienced networker (having only ever been to maybe 3 events), though I'd consider myself as somebody who isn't shy...

With the looming spectre of uncertain political climates around the world, it's more important than ever for globally minded business...

A campaign group has said that cuts to IVF provision by many local NHS clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) have left people seeking...

My last blog on FCA priorities focused on three important speeches, made within the space of a week, that together shone a light on the...

Student workers make up a significant portion of the UK’s labour market. According to the Office of National Statistics bulletin of...

Staff poached to kick off Grant Thornton India digital technology arm. 

Having personally visited and worked with Grant Thornton...

The Law Commission have previously recommended that Government review the law in relation to formation of marriages as it had highlighted...

New research published today by the Nuffield Foundation shows that current divorce laws increase conflict and suffering for couples.  

The Securities and Exchange Commission announced on 25 September the creation of a new Cyber Unit to investigate initial coin offering...

The Court and Tribunal Service (HMCTS) is now entering into 'phase 2' of its digital transformation process.

While many lawyers remain...

An article setting out the risks of a lethal synthetic drug that has already lead to thousands of deaths in America, and now in the...

Social workers face difficult decisions every day when deciding whether a child need protection by being removed from his/her parents. 

Councils have now been found liable for abuse suffered by foster children; whether recent or historic. 

The Bingham Report on the failure of BCCI - caused by financial fraud on a global scale - was published 25 years ago last Sunday. 

It...

On 29 October 2017, the clocks go back at 2am. For staff who are working a night shift, what does this mean? Should they be paid for...

In a bid to eradicate exploitation of individuals from the UK business supply chain, the Government introduced into UK law, the Modern...

We look at the decision by the Supreme Court in R (on the application of Unison) v Lord Chancellor.

The Employment Tribunals and the...

The claimant, a school teacher, was immediately suspended following allegations that she used excessive force against pupils in her...

The employees in this case worked for the Council in a variety of roles and each had set contractual hours. They also volunteered to...

We look at the Court of Appeal’s decision on Chesterton Global Limited v Nurmohamed.

The Public Interest Disclosure Act 1996, grants...

No, held the Employment Appeals Tribunal (EAT) in Trayhorn v The Secretary of State for Justice.

The claimant was employed as a...

In this month's newsbytes, our employment law experts look at a range of cases, from tribunal fees being ruled unlawful to whether a...

The House of Lords Science and Technology Committee's inquiry into "Life Sciences and the Industrial Strategy" is fascinating.  Last...

Last week, Theresa May published an open letter to EU citizens living in the UK reinforcing her message that citizens’ rights are her...

As the bot technology advances, isn't using them to automate tasks which don't require 24/7 human input just the best use of...

A recent report commissioned by the government has estimated that approximately 300,000 people lose their jobs every year because...

The Justice Secretary, quoted below, recently told a Select Committee that it was government policy to reintroduce ET fees. It appears...

Our Employment law Partner, Richard Thomas, is featured in Lawyer Monthly's recent article discussing what a 'no deal' for Brexit would...

The Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt, has recently announced that he plans to introduce a mobile app through the NHS in which...

Insider's annual rankings of the North West's best performing small and medium sized enterprises sees law firm Brabners at the top of the...

Interesting commentry

Bike couriers, pizza deliverers, car valeters, taxi drivers and plumbers - what have these jobs got in common?  As those keeping up...

In April 2014, the government removed the scheme which enabled employers to claim a refund for statutory sick payments made to employees....

Online retailing is proving to be an difficult area to control for HMRC and although it has opened investigations into more than 2,500...

The much publicised decision of the Court of Appeal confirming that the practice of segregating boys and girls at a co-educational school...

This is already causing concearn for alot of firms. There will be clients who buy on price and others on value and service. The latter...

Technology often develops faster than the regulations which govern it (think the internet, drones, or driverless cars).

If it wasn’t...

Employment law Associate, Esyllt Green, shares her view on the recent Brexit news, and its potential impact on the retail sector.

The...

Uber, Deliveroo, Hermes...

The list goes on in terms of those cases which have been in the spotlight of wanting to have their...

A couple of days ago, Grant Thornton launched our 16th annual Corporate Governance Review, in conjunction with ICSA, 25 years after the...

Broadly yes.

It will always be useful to look at any agreement/policy which spells out what is to happen to such material once someone’s...

The National Practitioner Data Bank ("NPDB") recently issued clarification as to when a privilege restriction is considered to "adversely...

The ONS have published their latest statistics into divorce rates in the UK, which have increased by 5.8% from 2015. 

Couples facing...

Official figures have shown that there was a 5.8% increase in divorces between opposite-sex couples in England and Wales in 2016 compared...

Legislation to completely outlaw physical chastisement of children is likely to pass through the Scottish parliament in the coming...

Data is a key commodity for businesses, so it’s not surprising that it’s vulnerable to theft by employees, as Leicester City Council...

Linked below is an insightful article from our Kirsten Hayne, commenting on the recent Hollywood sexual harassment scandal and the...

Our Employment law associate, Mary Goldsbrough, is featured in Wales Online's article about workplace sexual harassment. Here, she looks...

Following the recent serious allegations against Hollywood titan Harvey Weinstein, thousands of women (and men) have spoken out about...

Today the Government launched a new consultation paper titled:

Protecting consumers in the letting and managing agent market.

The...

The ONS has published it's annual data report on divorce trends in England and Wales which can be found here: 

Interesting research paper on insider trading and geographic distance to the authorities. Not surprisingly, the SEC is more likely to...

An article outlining the views that more should be done to ensure the voice of children in the Family Court. 

In particular, Oscar,...

We're delighted to see our Commercial Disputes Associate, Helen Rowland, and our Corporate Associate, Laura Herdman, featured in this...

Yesterday I went to the launch of the FCA's excellent paper on the "Ageing population". There is a certain symmetry that the same day...

An article outlining the increasing number of children being removed into care and the demand this places on the professionals...

This will have a significant impact on HMRC's continuing identification of " mass marketed avoidance  schemes" and therefore tax...

I recently wrote about Uber's appeal against a tribunal decision concerning the employment status of its drivers.  The drivers...

It strikes me as odd to be writing about modern slavery here in the UK in 2017 and yet it is so real.

With Anti-Slavery day this Wednesday...

Mr Justice Bodey has used his valedictory speech to highlight the extent to which legal aid cuts made in 2013 have impacted many people's...

At present there is no legal right for grieving parents to take paid time off (other than reasonable upaid leave to deal with...

The media have published articles stating that Petra Ecclestone and James Stunt have been granted their divorce, having now agreed how...

Matthew Taylor, Chief Executive of the RSA, and lead of the review into "modern working practices" which was published this summer...

Hot on London being voted the top global city for attracting individuals and enterprises (Global Power City Index (GPCI) 2017), the UK...

The government has recently appointed a Small Business Commissioner for the first time and the newly established post should be...

Startup businesses who employ staff for the first time from 1 October 2017 are now subject to the pensions auto-enrolment regime....

When carrying out an investigation into alleged misconduct by an employee, the temptation may be to find as much evidence as possible. A...

A dog might be your best friend and they will almost certainly be a loved member of the family, but are they considered to be close...

Taken together with the likely rise in interest rates, new money for Help to Buy, and the UK's overall (longstanding) housing problem,...

An employee in Italy took two days off work, not as holiday but to care for her dog which was unwell after an operation. The employer...

There are more and more applications coming before the courts in regards to parents wishing to re- locate to another country with the...

An interesting and important case concerning the reversal of the burden of proof in discrimination cases. Please see the link below. 

A Report is being published which suggests that divorce may be genetic insofar as if parents have been divorced, it is more likely that...

The whole issue of worker status is becoming almost like a game of “guess who”. The judges have made their enquiries, applied legal tests...

If people thought “open banking” rules could be taken lightly, they should think again. Last Friday, the EU Commission confirmed it had...

It seems that we are never far from an equality and diversity statistic which indicates that the life reality for minority groups is...

Proposed new building consisting of 18 courtrooms to focus on fraud, economic crime and cyber crime to be based on Fleet Street....

Now we all from time to time are in positions where, for one reason or another, we are unable to use up all of our annual leave within...

This an increasing area of scam fraud, with victims being deceived that the third parties are HMRC. it is heartening that HMRC are doing...

An excellent question and one which the Court of Appeal has had to consider in the recent case of M Tillman v Egon Zehnder Limited (July...

In the last 10 days or so there have been 3 important speeches from the FCA that, taken together and interpreting what might lie behind...

Trov, an on demand insurance platform has announced that it has been approved to offer insurance in California, bringing the company one...

A businessman's attempt to sue an IVF clinic over his former partner forging his signature on consent paperwork for IVF treatment has...

Pleased to be presenting to School Divisions across the province, with our Brownlee Education Law Team, at our Emerging Trends in...

The possibilities for RegTech to transform the regulation of the U.S. financial sector are staggering. The sector spends billions per...

When can you lawfully suspend an employee?

An employee should only be suspended from work in limited circumstances. 

There are certain...

I want to share some reflections from my colleague Alex Ellerton - Regulatory Partner at Grant Thornton - on the FCA's recent...

Conservative former Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith has described unmarried men as "a problem for society" and implicitly...

Series two of Doctor Foster has had viewers gripped as the feud between Gemma and Simon escalated. 

Throughout the series, their son...

This demonstrates some of the problems tobacco smuggling poses for HMRC. With no need for permanent business addresses, it's somewhat...

The gig economy has grown over the years and for many the system of working offered by this phenomenon, has been beneficial. Individuals...

This week is National Work Life Week, which provides an opportunity for both employers and employees to address the work-life balance. 

This demonstrates the lengths fraudsters will go to, with just a snippet of personal information given via social media. 

For the first time, the US securities regulator has issued fraud charges in connection with the practice of initial coin offerings, or ICOs.

As ever, Kathy Phelps' excellent roundup of Ponzi schemes makes interesting and rather depressing reading.  The case of Larry Bates'...