Earlier this month, the UK Joint Taskforce (UKJT) formally launched the Legal Statement on Digital Assets and English Insolvency Law. The statement aims to provide clarity to critical legal questions regarding how digital assets are treated in any insolvency. Shoosmiths contributed towards the consultation for this legal statement through the Crypto Fraud and Asset Recovery network ...
A local planning authority (“LPA”) can take enforcement action in respect of planning breaches where it considers it to be expedient to do so. However, breaches of planning control can become lawful and immune from enforcement action after a period of time ...
From 2 May 2024 Companies House is set to receive new powers to impose financial penalties for non-compliance with company legislation. Currently, the Registrar of Companies operates a civil penalty regime only for late filing of accounts. Under the new regulations (The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (Financial Penalty) Regulations 2024) the Registrar will be able to impose direct financial penalties for a wider range of offences under the Companies Act 2006 (CA 2006) ...
Do social media users have a fair choice between giving up their privacy and paying a subscription fee? The European Data Protection Board has given its opinion on what’s fair for large platforms in the latest shake up of personalised online advertising. When it comes to justifying processing personal data for targeted advertising under EU data protection laws, Meta (along with other online platforms) has been feeling the squeeze ...
The EU published a report on 18 April 2024, ‘Much More than a Market’.1 The reasons behind the call for the report are the EU’s concerns that just over 30 years after its creation there are important aspects of the Single Market that are not complete, and that the world is very different to what it was 30 years ago ...
In On Tower UK Limited v British Telecommunications Plc [2024] UKUT 51 LC, the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) was asked to address key aspects of the Electronic Communications Code ...
A podcast series that explores privacy themes within some of the most well-known movies. In this episode, William Moore and Max Schrems discuss “The Social Network”. Whether you are a film buff, a privacy advocate, or simply curious about the intersection of storytelling and privacy, take a journey with us as we explore how the big screen tackles privacy ...
Following the recent High Court decision in R (Dennis) v LB Southwark [2024] EWHC 57 (Admin), Shoosmiths’ planning practice has received a raft of queries over the issue of ‘drop in’ consents, and the future-proofing of planning permissions for large multi-phased developments. There has been much debate on the issue ...
18 – 24 March 2024 marked Neurodiversity Celebration Week, a week held annually which aims to challenge misconceptions regarding neurological differences. We look at what employers can do to improve neurodiversity support in the workplace going forward. Neurodiversity is an umbrella term which is used to describe alternative ways of thinking and learning and it includes conditions such as autism, dyslexia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) ...
The Sexism in the City inquiry was set up to establish what progress has been made in tackling sexism in the financial services sector. We discuss the findings and offer advice for those in the sector trying to navigate the current regulatory landscape. The financial services industry is crucial to the UK economy. It employs more than 2 ...
It’s hard to keep up with the twists and turns of AI regulation at the best of times, but the suggestion this week that the UK Government may be looking again at its opposition to statutory AI regulation poses as many questions as it answers. It’s hard to keep up with the twists and turns of AI regulation at the best of times, but the suggestion this week that the UK Government may be looking again at its opposition to statutory AI regulation poses as many questions as it answers ...
The Online Safety Act 2023 (the "OSA") became law on 26 October 2023 and will affect over 100,000 organisations. Here, we focus specifically on the overlaps between the OSA and data protection legislation, outlining the synergies (and differences) in key areas, together with some practical tips. This firm has been a consistent source of commentary and practical guidance on the new Online Safety Act 2023 (the ‘OSA’) ...
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has launched a campaign highlighting the risks of food labelled as vegan to people with allergies. Research from the FSA has shown that 62% of consumers with an animal-based allergy were confident that products labelled as ‘vegan’ were safe to eat. The FSA says this confidence is incorrect and is putting people at risk ...
Shoosmiths litigation team recently hosted a roundtable discussion with senior inhouse lawyers with clients in financial services, technology and the automotive sectors. In this discussion, each participant discussed their key takeaways from our recent Litigation risk 2024 report, their biggest concerns for the year ahead and identified some areas that need further exploration in 2025 and beyond. AI continues to create uncertainty making it a key litigation risk ...
The Bitcoin ‘halving’ event is rapidly approaching, anticipated to occur around the 19th or 20th of April. Currently, there’s an unprecedented level of attention on Bitcoin due to this event. So, what exactly does ‘halving’ entail, and why is there such a buzz surrounding it? The term itself evokes the intrigue of a suspenseful horror film, one that could be straight out of a Stephen King story ...
Watch the webinar video and study our key takeaway points from our latest webinar focused on avoiding illegal working and managing risk. Our 2024 webinar programme is focused on supporting HR teams to protect the employee brand proposition of the organisations they work for. Presented by our leading team of employment lawyers these sessions will equip you on how best to handle key risks that could undermine the organisation’s employee brand ...
The Government is consulting on legislative changes to introduce greater flexibility to access surplus funds in defined benefit pension schemes. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) opened consultation further to publishing a paper entitled “Options for defined benefit schemes” on 23 February 2024 ...
Krogerus Disputes Day was held on 19 March at Little Finlandia. The popular event gathered dispute resolution and compliance experts to discuss about business disputes with distressed parties. We would like to thank all our speakers and guests for a great Disputes Day and interesting discussions! This year, Disputes Day's theme was Disputes and Distressed parties ...
Our third article in the series focusing on discrimination in the workplace, covers the protected characteristic of sex (gender). We discuss the current legal position, planned changes and suggested best practice for employers. What is sex discrimination? Sex discrimination occurs when someone is treated unfairly due to their gender. In the UK, it has been illegal for some time (subject to certain exceptions) with the law now incorporated into the Equality Act 2010 ...
Serco Leisure have been issued with an enforcement notice by the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for unlawfully processing their employees’ biometric data through facial recognition technology and fingerprint scanning. What can we learn from this? With a rise in remote working as the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic continues, there has been a proliferation of workplace monitoring ...
The deadline of the of 6 April is fast approaching for private sector businesses carrying out building control work in England and Wales to register with the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) as registered building control approvers (RBCAs). The move from Approved Inspectors to RBCAs is one of the changes the Building Safety Act 2022 seeks to make to raise competence levels in building control and increase accountability ...
The Government have now published the Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules which confirm the changes being made to the Skilled Worker route as part of the ‘five-point plan’ to reduce net migration. We summarise the main points for employers to take note of ahead of the changes taking effect on 4 April ...
The conference, hosted by the International Bar Association, which took place in Barcelona earlier this month, looked at insights into the most important issues and developments in tech Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) and technology law. Corporate partners Aleks Bosch and Steve Barnett attended the conference, which is one of the largest and most prestigious networking events for international lawyers, attracting over 400 delegates ...
Shoosmiths has submitted a comprehensive response for the proposed Automated Vehicles Bill (AV Bill) to the House of Commons. It outlines crucial insights from the firm into the expanding connected and automated mobility sector, to support with new legislation ...
As has been widely reported, Companies House has recently suffered a disruptive attack by an individual who made over 800 incorrect filings stating that charges created by around 190 different companies had been discharged. These filings were made without the knowledge of the companies concerned or the lenders who held the charges ...
