Seyfarth Shaw LLP (JD Supra United Kingdom)

As of midnight on 5 January 2021, England has been placed under a national lockdown, its third in 10 months. This followed the COVID-19 alert level for the whole of the United Kingdom being elevated to 5, the highest level, which indicates that without further action there would be “a material risk of healthcare services being overwhelmed”...

Seyfarth Synopsis: The UK government has published a policy statement outlining the new Points Based System that will come into effect in January 2021 after the post-Brexit transition period ends.

We are now less than two months away from the new IR35 regime: important changes to the way companies engage contractors via third party companies are coming into force on April 6. Following up on our recent webinar, below we recap new rules and set out the steps companies should be taking to prepare.

Seyfarth Synopsis: The UK’s departure from the European Union has now been delayed for the third time. Although an agreement between the UK and EU had been reached in relation to the form of an ultimate Withdrawal Agreement, there was insufficient time for the bill to be ratified by the UK Parliament before the stated political deadline of October 31st.

The following alert is directed to organizations with a presence in the UK or who anticipate the need to place talent at a UK worksite.

The Supreme Court in the UK, the highest court in the country, last week ruled on a restrictive covenant case for the first time in 100 years [Tillman v Egon Zehnder Ltd [2019] UKSC 32 (3 July 2019)]. It has clarified important points on interpretation, the key takeaway being it will now be easier for employers to enforce covenants against departing employees.

The following alert is directed to organizations with a presence in the UK or who anticipate the need to place talent at a UK work site.

Seyfarth Synopsis: On March 29th, the day the UK was scheduled to exit the EU, Parliament rejected the Withdrawal Agreement for the third time. Following prior negotiations with the EU, the departure date is now set for April 12, 2019.

The following alert is directed to organizations with a presence in the UK or who anticipate the need to place talent at a UK work site. Seyfarth Synopsis: On March 14th, the UK Parliament voted in favor of an extension to Article 50, which is the legal mechanism to enable the UK’s exit from the EU.

Seyfarth Synopsis: On January 28, 2019, the UK government issued guidance in relation to the rights of EU nationals in the event of a no-deal Brexit. The proposals, subject to parliamentary approval, allow for a transition period, introduce a new European Temporary Leave to Remain status and clarify the right to work check compliance requirements.

Seyfarth Synopsis: Given Parliament’s resounding rejection of the Withdrawal Agreement on Tuesday, and the growing political discord in the UK, the likelihood of a “no-deal” Brexit is increasing.

The replacement of the London Inter-bank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) in contracts evidencing loan, derivative and other transactions with maturities extending beyond 2021 is a massive undertaking involving legal and compliance teams within companies operating in virtually every industry throughout the world.

As a special feature of our blog—guest postings by experts, clients, and other professionals—please enjoy this blog entry from Jeremy Morton, Partner at Harbottle & Lewis LLP, London, UK.

As you likely know by now, in July 2017 the U.K.’s Financial Conduct Authority announced that LIBOR will be phased out by 2021.

The UK government has finally launched a consultation on its proposed “Trade Secrets (Enforcement, etc) Regulations 2018,” in advance of the June 9, 2018, deadline to implement the EU Trade Secrets Directive of 2016. Responses to the consultation are due by March 16.

Last week the UK Government published its formal response paper on UK corporate governance reform, describing the proposals as "world-leading." The proposals follow an earlier green paper published by the Government in November 2016 that aimed to identify changes to the UK corporate governance regime to create "an economy that works for everyone." The unions and sections of the media have...

The regime by which claimants in the UK bring employment-related claims is set for radical change after the UK’s highest court ruled that the current fee system is unlawful. With immediate effect, claimants no longer have to pay fees to bring claims in the Employment Tribunals. A spike in claims is expected.

In April last year, the UK Government introduced changes to the Companies Act 2006 requiring most companies and LLPs to produce, keep and maintain a register of any people or relevant legal entities that have significant control over that company or LLP (broadly through holding over 25% of shares or voting rights, or otherwise having the right to exercise significant control).

On 6 April 2017, a new form of limited partnership came into existence with the introduction of a ‘private fund limited partnership’ (PFLP) under the Legislative Reform (Private Fund Limited Partnership) Order 2017 (LRO). The PFLP is intended to make the limited partnership structure more attractive for asset managers and investors by reducing some of the administrative and financial burdens of...

The following alert is directed to organizations with a presence in the UK or who anticipate the need to place talent at a UK work site. Seyfarth Synopsis: Yesterday, British Prime Minister Theresa May invoked Article 50, formally starting the two-year negotiation process for the United Kingdom to withdraw from the European Union.

The following alert is directed to organizations with a presence in the UK or who anticipate the need to place talent at a UK work site. Seyfarth Synopsis: On March 29, 2017, British Prime Minister Theresa May will invoke Article 50, initiating the formal two-year negotiation process for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union.

The following alert is directed to organizations with a presence in the UK or who anticipate the need to place talent at a UK work site. Seyfarth Synopsis: The UK Parliament has passed the EU Withdrawal Bill, paving the way for the Government to invoke Article 50, the mechanism for leaving the European Union, by the end of March 2017.

Seyfarth Synopsis: The UK government will introduce an “Immigration Skills Charge” in April 2017 that will substantially increase the cost for companies to sponsor Tier 2 workers in the UK. The following alert is directed to organizations with a presence in the UK or who anticipate the need to place talent at a UK work site.

‘Gig’ economy: Latest developments - In a further challenge by a worker in the ‘gig’ economy, an Employment Tribunal has ruled that a cycle courier was a ‘worker’ and qualified for various employment protections. The Tribunal was not convinced by the contractual arrangements which positioned the courier as a self-employed operator and the courier company as their “customer”.

The final version of the draft Gender Pay Gap Regulations have now been published and are expected to come into force on 6 April 2017. The latest version of the Regulations set out a number of changes from the previous version which we reported on in our December alert. We have highlighted the key differences below, and recapped the new rules.

The Supreme Court, the UK’s highest court, has today handed down its judgment that the outcome of the Brexit referendum does not give the government the unilateral right to trigger the process for the UK to leave the European Union. The Supreme Court also decided that the other nations that make up the UK, including Scotland, are not entitled to a separate vote on whether the UK leaves.

New legislation due to come into force in April 2017 requiring employers to publish details of their average pay for men and women - New Gender Pay Gap Reporting obligations are expected to come into force in April 2017. The regulations apply to employers with 250 or more UK employees (which is assessed by each employing entity, so affiliates in a group are not aggregated). The Regulations...

New rules on whistleblowing have come into effect which impact certain Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Prudential Regulatory Authority (PRA) regulated financial services firms. The aim of these rules is to promote a change in workplace culture to encourage workers to raise concerns and challenge poor practices or behaviours.

To the shock of corporate Britain the UK voted last week, by 52% to 48%, to leave the European Union. Within hours of the referendum result the British Prime Minister David Cameron announced that he would be standing down some time before October. The British Pound slumped, and stock markets around the world saw billions wiped off their value.

Seyfarth Synopsis: Employers should assess the potential impact on their workforce throughout the European Union. The following alert is directed to organizations with a presence in the UK or who anticipate the need to place talent at a UK work site.