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Olympic Trade Mark laws even tougher
Believe it or not, but the Olympic Games are just six months away.
Date: 2012-02-03

Village green time limits
A recent Court of Appeal case – Leeds Group plc v Leeds City Council – highlights the need for landowners to be extra vigilant where unauthorised third party recreational use of their land is concerned.
Date: 2012-02-03

Gay footballers: not such a beautiful game for them?
A recent BBC documentary asked why not one of the 5,000 professional footballers in Britain has come out publicly as gay?
Date: 2012-02-02

Red Tape Challenge to company law
A total of 120 pieces of legislation are under the spotlight as the Government focuses its Red Tape Challenge on company law.
Date: 2012-02-01

Redundancy consultation: administrators must follow the rules
An employment tribunal has awarded ex-Woolworths staff up to £67 million in compensation because the administrators of the business failed to comply with the legal obligation to consult collectively about redundancies.
Date: 2012-01-31

31 January publication deadline for equality information
The deadline for public bodies to publish equality information about their organisation, as required under the Equality Act 2010, is Tuesday 31 January 2012.
Date: 2012-01-30

Overhaul of European Data Protection Law backed by powers to impose substantial fines
The European Commission has published its proposals for the long awaited overhaul of European Data Protection law.
Date: 2012-01-30

If you're a charity buying a building, don't forget tax!
With a large number of empty commercial properties currently available, a charity can hope to purchase a building for its use at a competitive price.
Date: 2012-01-27

Planning for the Olympics: what should HR be doing?
The Olympic Games are six months away. While this will bring commercial opportunities for many businesses it could also create headaches for HR, and not just those teams dealing with staff in London.
Date: 2012-01-27

Recruiting in 2012: Competitive recruitment and post-termination restrictions
In the face of continued economic uncertainty and competitive recruitment, employers should be mindful of post-termination restrictions in prospective employees’ contracts of employment.
Date: 2012-01-26

Lease regearing
Against an uncertain economic backdrop, ‘regearing’ a lease offers a potentially win-win opportunity for a landlord and a tenant to restructure the lease arrangement.
Date: 2012-01-26

Winding-up companies: changes from 1 March 2012
Under current Revenue practices it is possible for a company to be dissolved and return its funds to its shareholders as capital, potentially saving shareholders significant amounts of tax.
Date: 2012-01-23

Without prejudice material in adjudication: Apparent bias
The Technology and Construction Court has reiterated the consequences of parties including 'without prejudice' letters in adjudication proceedings - which may even lead to unenforceable decisions.
Date: 2012-01-20

SOPA and PIPA: The long arm of US copyright law
Under proposed legislation from the US, content and copyright holders could restrict viewers' access to any website - whether hosted in the US or not - that they considered included infringing material.
Date: 2012-01-19

The High Pay Commission’s Final Report - Cheques with Balances: Why tackling high pay is in the national interest
The High Pay Commission was an independent inquiry established by Compass with the support of the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust to look into high pay and boardroom pay across the public and private sectors.
Date: 2012-01-19

Environmental issues for real estate in 2012
Environmental issues continue to move up the political agenda and there is no let up expected in 2012, with several key environmental developments anticipated.
Date: 2012-01-19

Copyright in construction projects
During the course of a construction project, contractors and consultants produce material that will be subject to copyright - documents, photographs, drawings, plans and models.
Date: 2012-01-19

Fixed price contracts and unknown development costs
Having to agree a fixed price for land in a contract when there are a number of unknown factors that affect value is a challenge for developers.
Date: 2012-01-19

Failure to offer overtime not a detriment
An employer was entitled to refuse overtime to a worker who had not signed a working time opt-out.
Date: 2012-01-16

How to interpret contracts: Use commercial common sense
When the terms of a commercial contract are ambiguous or unclear, the courts will often be given the tricky task of ascertaining how the contract should be correctly interpreted.
Date: 2012-01-13

Removal of VAT registration threshold for non-UK business
The Government has published draft legislation to be included in Finance Bill 2012, which would require non-UK businesses making supplies in the UK to register for UK VAT, irrespective of the value of supplies made.
Date: 2012-01-13

Pension schemes: Pension Protection Fund and contingent assets
The Pension Protection Fund has published its Levy Determination for the 2012-2013 levy year. The estimated levy is £550m, the lowest the PPF has set.
Date: 2012-01-13

Annual increase to employment tribunal awards from February 2012
The limits on awards in the employment tribunal will rise from 1 February in line with inflation.
Date: 2012-01-09

When is a dismissal automatically unfair under TUPE?
The Court of Appeal has clarified the case law relating to when a dismissal is automatically unfair under TUPE.
Date: 2012-01-09

TUPE: Service provision change round-up
The last month has seen a flurry of decisions from the higher courts on some important questions regarding the interpretation of the service change provisions in TUPE.
Date: 2012-01-09

Radical overhaul of workplace dispute framework in 2012
At the beginning of 2011, the Government launched a consultation, Resolving Workplace Disputes which set out detailed proposals on how workplace dispute resolution could be changed so that employment tribunals become the very last resort for parties.
Date: 2012-01-04

Change of law on squatters
The Government has bowed to pressure to make squatting at residential premises a criminal offence.
Date: 2012-01-04

All I want for Christmas is Summary Judgment
The decision to litigate is not one that is generally taken lightly. The financial commitment, risks and management time involved in running a claim is often a sobering combination.
Date: 2012-01-03

An intended delivery?
In the recent case of Bibby Financial Services Ltd and others v Magson and others, the High Court had to determine whether a document in the form of a deed had been properly delivered by individuals.
Date: 2011-12-16

Renewable Heat Incentive
The Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) provides a financial incentive to install renewable heating systems instead of those using fossil fuels.
Date: 2011-12-16

Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme
The Finance Bill 2012 introduced a junior version of the Enterprise Investment Scheme, known as the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS).
Date: 2011-12-13

Intern alert: Tax man looking to raid fashion designers
According to reports in the UK media, HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is planning a crack down on the fashion industry ahead of Spring fashion week.
Date: 2011-12-12

Public procurement: Revised thresholds
On 2 December 2011, the European Commission announced (Regulation 1251/2011) that it would be raising the advertising thresholds under the public procurement rules, with effect from 1 January 2012.
Date: 2011-12-12

Purchasers and the Crichel Down Rules
The Crichel Down Rules govern the sale of surplus government land which has been acquired through, or under the threat of, compulsory purchase powers.
Date: 2011-12-09

Management of shared ownership lease repossessions and buy-backs/making shared ownership repossession work
Shared ownership leases occupy a special status with lenders.
Date: 2011-12-09

The Green Deal
The Green Deal provides a mechanism to help fund energy efficient refits of properties and is due to be available from autumn 2012. It is designed to improve the energy efficiency of buildings and reduce carbon emissions.
Date: 2011-12-07

The Doctrine of Frustration
We live in a time of economic and political instability, ratcheting fuel costs, commodity price volatility and industrial action. In addition, “exceptional” weather events seem to be becoming the norm.
Date: 2011-12-06

Swift result for noting a charge at the Land Registry
The recent case of Swift 1st Limited v Colin [2011] has clarified the position for lenders whose legal charges have not been substantively registered at the Land Registry.
Date: 2011-12-06

One man’s best endeavour is another man’s idleness?
Every commercial contract imposes obligations on the parties involved, which are often agreed by detailed negotiations.
Date: 2011-12-05

Localism Act 2011
The Localism Act 2011 received Royal Assent on 15 November 2011, with the Government hopeful that the majority of its provisions will be in force by April 2012.
Date: 2011-11-29

Autumn Statement 2011: Tax summary
The Chancellor delivered the Autumn Statement 2011 today (29 November).
Date: 2011-11-29

Pension auto-enrolment delayed for small businesses
In a statement to the House of Commons in advance of today’s Autumn Statement, Pensions Minister Steve Webb has confirmed that the requirement to auto-enrol employees into a pension scheme is to be delayed for small businesses.
Date: 2011-11-29

Salary Sacrifice Arrangements and VAT: Part 2
Our previous article dated 22 August 2011 reported on the change being made to the VAT treatment of salary sacrifice arrangements.
Date: 2011-11-24

Pensions: Fixed Protection
HMRC has published a newsletter setting out the detail of the new Fixed Protection regime.
Date: 2011-11-24

Directors’ Remuneration: The Company Remuneration Bill
This autumn Lord Gavron presented The Company Remuneration Bill (the Bill) to the House of Lords where it received its first reading. It follows a similar bill introduced in 2008 (also by Lord Gavron), which was never enacted.
Date: 2011-11-22

Law Commissions react to EU Common European Sales Law proposal
On 10 November 2011, the Law Commissions of England & Wales and Scotland published their joint response to the European Commission proposal for an optional Common European Sales Law.
Date: 2011-11-22

The future of narrative reporting: a further consultation
The government has begun consulting on the future of narrative reporting - in particular on ways to improve the transparency and quality of information reported in the annual reports of companies, especially in relation to executive remuneration.
Date: 2011-11-22

Public sector strike: Will it lead to change in the law?
As yet another trade union confirms its members have voted for strike action, it is looking increasingly likely that there will be significant disruption to public services on 30 November as workers protest over changes to their pension.
Date: 2011-11-22

Consumer Rights Directive: Enhanced consumer protection on its way
The Consumer Rights Directive, which aims to harmonise consumer protection legislation across the EU, has been adopted by the Council of the European Union, and is expected to be implemented in the UK in 2013.
Date: 2011-11-22

Directors’ remuneration: a roadmap to future changes
The government is considering changes to the corporate governance framework to promote proportionate and justified remuneration structures for the senior directors of quoted companies.
Date: 2011-11-22

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Karen Carter

Director of Business Development and Marketing
T: 03700 86 4086
I: +44 (0)121 625 4086
E: karen.carter@shoosmiths.co.uk