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 ...
On March 26th, 2024, the President of the Republic enacted the Framework Law on Cybersecurity and Critical Information Infrastructure (the "Law"), after having been generally approved by the Chamber of Deputies, and the preventive control of constitutionality carried out by the Constitutional Court was concluded ...
In a move aimed at protecting Americans’ data security, President Joe Biden signed Executive Order 14117 on “Preventing Access to Americans’ Bulk Sensitive Data and United States Government-Related Data by Countries of Concern” (the “Order”) ...
Pension-Linked Emergency Savings Accounts (“PLESAs”) are a special retirement plan feature created under SECURE ACT 2.0. PLESAs were first permitted to be made available to participants as of January 1, 2024. PLESAs, which provide a flexible savings opportunity for non-highly compensated employees, can be added to certain defined contribution plans. New guidance regarding this option has been released, which may be of interest to employers and plan sponsors ...
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 ...
On December 4, 2023, New York City Mayor Eric Adams signed into law the New York City Council’s bill, Int 0569-2022 (the “City Law”). The bill, known as the “Workers’ Bill of Rights,” will require New York City employers to abide by certain notice and distribution requirements by July 1, 2024. The notice and distribution requirements will inform employees and independent contractors of their rights under federal, state, and local law ...
April 2, 2024 By: Leah Lively and Alexandra Shulman On June 6, 2024, new amendments to Washington State’s noncompetition statute (RCW 49.62) will go into effect, which place further limitations on the use of noncompetition agreements in Washington. Substitute Senate Bill 5935 introduces several modifications to RCW 49.62 that Washington employers (and employers with Washington employees) should be aware of: Broader definition of “noncompetition covenant ...
Thailand’s government is on the process of launching a groundbreaking multiple-entry Medical Treatment visa (“non-MT visa“) with a generous one-year validity period, aiming to solidify its position as a premier international medical hub. The Subcommittee on Developing Thailand into a Medical Service Hub, authorized by the Ministry of Public Health, recently convened to craft the framework for this visionary visa program ...
Another year, another mandate for California employers. By July 1, 2024, nearly all employers in the Golden State must have in place a workplace violence prevention plan. While the compliance deadline may be three months away, employers need to immediately take action to ensure completion and training by July 1. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), workplace violence is the second leading cause of fatal occupational injuries in the U.S ...
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 ...
Shoosmiths’ mobility partner, Ben Gardner, was a speaker at SMMT Connected 2024, hosted in London. Ben moderated a panel discussion focused on the remaining challenges to a safe and responsible commercial rollout of automated vehicles. The summit was aimed at addressing the latest advancements in connected and automated vehicle technology. The UK’s automotive sector leads the charge in this transformative revolution, making substantial investments in cutting-edge technologies ...
On January 10, 2024, the Wage and Hour Division of the United States Department of Labor (“DOL”) published a final rule (the “Final Rule”), which became effective on March 11, 2024, modifying the DOL’s guidance on how to analyze who qualifies as an employee or an independent contractor under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) ...
April is traditionally a month when employment law changes are made and this year is no exception. We provide a summary of the key changes employers need to be aware of and what steps they should take as a result of the changes. National Minimum Wage From 1 April 2024, the hourly National Living (NLW) and Minimum Wages (NMW) will increase to £11.44 (for workers aged 21 and over), £8.60 (for workers aged 18-20), £6.40 (for workers aged 16-17) and £6 ...
The Ohio Supreme Court upheld a temporary Ohio law providing that income earned by remote workers would be taxed by the municipality that was their principal place of work, rather than the municipality where they actually performed remote work during the COVID-19 emergency period. The 5-2 decision in Schaad v. Alder, Slip Opinion No. 2024-Ohio-525, came on February 14, 2024 ...
Norwich Pharmacal applications against BVI registered agents: BVI Commercial Court provides new guidance In its recent judgment, the BVI Commercial Court has provided clarification and guidance on Norwich Pharmacal applications against BVI registered agents ...
Succession of digital assets in Guernsey What are digital assets? The term "digital assets" does not yet have a legal definition in Guernsey but it can broadly be understood to mean any asset that is represented digitally or electronically.[1] Digital assets include: cryptocurrencies; NFTs; social media accounts; photos, audio files and video stored in the cloud; reward cards/loyalty programmes; online bank accounts; email accounts; eBooks; websites ...
On March 8, 2024, just days before it was set to take effect, U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker of the Eastern District of Texas vacated the National Labor Relations Board’s (“NLRB’s”) recent rule on determining the standard for joint-employer status. The NLRB issued the rule on October 26, 2023. It established a seven-factor analysis, under a two-step test, for determining joint employer status ...
