Additional Holiday Entitlement for Workers - Employment Law News Autumn 2007

The Working Time (Amendment) Regulations 2007 are to be implemented on 1 October 2007. Read Full Article

Age Discrimination: One Year On - Employment Law News Autumn 2007

On 1 October 2006, legislation outlawing age-based discrimination was implemented for the first time in the UK. The Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006, which implemented a European Directive, were hailed by many as the most significant upheaval in employment law for 30 years. Read Full Article

Data Protection Warning! - Employment Law News Autumn 2007

The Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) is enforced by the Information Commissioner?s Office which released its annual report in July 2007. It reported that a horrifying number of companies, government departments and other public bodies have reached data protection rules in the past year. Read Full Article

Where Are We With Agency Workers? - Employment Law News Autumn 2007

A series of recent legal cases has once again placed the status of agency workers under the legal spotlight. Read Full Article

Investing in Stock Markets - Financial News Autumn 2007

It is accepted that over the longer term, investing in the stock market should provide better returns than most other asset classes. Read Full Article

Is Your Firm At Risk? - Financial News Autumn 2007

If you are a partner in a firm, have you considered the implications to your business if one of your partners dies? Read Full Article

Mitigation of Inheritance Tax - Financial News Autumn 2007

Inheritance tax (IHT) is fast becoming an issue for many due to the rise in the value of property and other assets. Despite recent changes in IHT legislation which will allow the transfer of Nil Rate Band available between husband and wife; beneficiaries may still be hit by large tax bills on inheritances from parents or grandparents. Fortunately, IHT is something that can be mitigated if careful planning is put in place at an early stage. Read Full Article

The Importance of Investment Strategies for Pensions - Financial News Autumn 2007

The investments held within your pension scheme are probably the most important investment you will make in your lifetime, after the purchase of your home. Read Full Article

You & Pension Simplification - Financial News Autumn 2007

At a time when the major news in the financial services industry relates to pensions, I make no apology in dedicating this newsletter to the subject. While a number of publications are detailing the legislation changes, few are focusing on who actually needs to do something before the key date of 6th April 2006. Read Full Article

Finance Act 2006 - Impact on Trusts - Everyday Law Autumn 2007

Are you a Trustee or beneficiary of a trust? You must be prepared for the new tax rules. Read Full Article

Time is Running Out to Sign an Enduring Power of Attorney - Everyday Law Autumn 2007

If you have not signed an Enduring Power of Attorney (EPA) and you become mentally incapable of managing your financial affairs currently an application would have to be made to the Court of Protection to appoint a receiver for you. Read Full Article

Finance Act 2006 - Impact on Trusts - Everyday Law Summer 2007

Are you a Trustee or beneficiary of a trust? You must be prepared for the new tax rules. Read Full Article

Time is Running Out to Sign an Enduring Power of Attorney - Everyday Law Summer 2007

If you have not signed an Enduring Power of Attorney (EPA) and you become mentally incapable of managing your financial affairs currently an application would have to be made to the Court of Protection to appoint a receiver for you. Read Full Article

A New Legal Entity of a European Private Company - Spring 2007

Since 1958 Europe has worked towards creating a single European Market with fewer barriers to trade and more opportunities. Read Full Article

Can an E-mail Signature be Legally Binding? - Spring 2007

The case is the latest development in the law surrounding whether the insertion of a person?s name in an email can constitute a legally binding signature. Read Full Article

Company Identity Theft and Fraud - Spring 2007

At the risk of stating the obvious, a company is a person in the eyes of the law; it bears liability for ?its? actions which are-separate from that of its owners. The liability of the owners is limited to the money they have spent (or promised to spend in the case of partly paid shares) in acquiring their shares. Read Full Article

House in Multiple Occupations (HMO's) - Spring 2007

As from 6 April 2006 certain Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) must be licensed by the Local Authority under the new national mandatory licensing scheme. The purpose is to raise the standard of accommodation for this type of property and to ensure higher standards of management. Read Full Article

Housing Act 2004 Tenancy Deposit Schemes - Spring 2007

The Housing Act 2004 has introduced a Tenancy Deposit Scheme. The scheme was to come into effect on 1st October 2006 but has been postponed to 6th April 2007. It is a mandatory scheme and all landlords granting an assured shorthold tenancy after 6th April 2007 and requesting a deposit from the tenant will have to participate. Read Full Article

Uninvited Guests: Home Visits Under New DTI Powers? - Spring 2007

The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has for some time had extensive powers to investigate companies and their affairs. Read Full Article

A Brief Round Up Of Recent and Future Employment Developments - Employment Law News Spring 2007

New compensation limits On 1 February 2007, there was an increase in the limits applying to certain awards of employment tribunals and other amounts payable under employment legislation. Read Full Article

Additional Rights for 'bullied' Employees - Employment Law News Spring 2007

The Protection From Harassment Act 1997 (the Act) was introduced initially to deal with domestic scenarios such as stalking. In July 2006, the House of Lords ruled in the case of Majrowski v. Guys and St Thomas NHS Trust that employers can be held liable under the Act for acts of harassment committed by their employees against other employees. The effect of this has been to widen the scope of the Act to cover many workplace bullying and harassment situations. Read Full Article

Dispute Resolution: Spotting an Employee's 'Grievance' - Employment Law News Spring 2007

With effect from 1 October 2004, the Employment Act 2002 (Dispute Resolution) Regulations 2004 introduced new statutory grievance procedures (GPs) and dismissal and disciplinary procedures (DDPs), to apply to every employee regardless of the size of the employer. Dispute resolution: spotting an employee?s ?grievance? The stated aim of the statutory dispute resolution procedures was to encouraging employees and employers to resolve workplace disputes without recourse to legal action. In this feature we focus on the GP aspects of the statutory procedures. Read Full Article

More Employment Law Developments - Employment law News Spring 2007

Family friendly changes Recent years have seen the implementation of a number of domestic employment measures aimed at enhancing flexibility and the work life balance in the UK economy. Further changes came into force in April 2007 under the Work and Families Act 2006. Read Full Article

Enduring Powers of Attorney - Catch Them While You Can -

Setting up suitable assistance for when you may be unable to deal with your own affairs should always be considered as early as possible. An EPA as it is known, gives you the ability to delegate the job of dealing with your financial and administrative affairs to one or more other people. It can be considered a bit like an insurance policy ? you sign it in the hope that you will never need it but if you do, it becomes extremely useful. Read Full Article

Finance Act 2006 - Everyday Law Spring 2007

22 March 2006 marks a very important moment in the history of Inheritance Tax (IHT). From this date, a new and widereaching taxation system for IHT applies to many trusts. The new legislation is found in the Finance Act 2006. Read Full Article

Joint Ownership of Land and Inheritance Tax - Everyday Law Spring 2007

We have noticed that, more and more, we are asked about joint ownership of land and in particular whether a change to joint ownership as 'tenants in common' will save Inheritance Tax. Read Full Article