Although many businesses are contemplating downsizing, owing to the worsening economic situation, if you are recruiting staff, it is important to remember that the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006 make it unlawful to discriminate on grounds of age, including when advertising to fill a...
The general rule regarding a person’s funeral is that the executor of the estate has the right to make any necessary arrangements. Where there is no will, the person granted the letters of administration of the estate has the right.
That seems straightforward and it usually is, but...
Although all workers are entitled to receive the National Minimum Wage (NMW), bars and restaurants currently operate a wide variety of practices when it comes to dealing with tips and it depends how these are paid as to whether they are taken into account as remuneration contributing to the NMW....
The Health and Safety (Offences) Act 2008, which alters the penalty framework set out in Section 33 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, has received Royal Assent. The Act introduces harsher penalties for businesses that commit certain health and safety offences.
Although many businesses are contemplating downsizing, owing to the worsening economic situation, if you are recruiting staff, it is important to remember that the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006 make it unlawful to discriminate on grounds of age, including when advertising to fill a...
Trusts still have a role in saving tax and preserving family wealth
Since the changes in inheritance tax brought about but the Finance Act 2006, trusts have been the subject of many debates. Many claimed that the changes would spell the end of trusts but our view is that trusts still...
Since the changes in inheritance tax brought about by the Finance Act 2006, trusts have been the subject of much debate. Many claimed that the changes would spell the end of trusts but our view is that trusts still have much to offer, particularly in relation to succession planning and the saving...
We have all been reading about the credit crunch and the effect this is having on commercial activity throughout the Midlands and the country. Despite mixed messages emanating from various public and media sources, it is fair to say that the outlook is looking fairly...
The Court of Appeal has overturned the High Court's ruling that a boy who suffered brain damage after he was kicked in the head while playing on a bouncy castle should be awarded compensation that could have amounted to £1 million.
Sam Harris, who was 11 years old at the time of...
Two further cases involving breaches of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 have highlighted the need for those with health and safety responsibilities to be vigilant in ensuring that day-to-day tasks are carried out in a way that does not...
HM Revenue and Customs have published a new set of tables setting out benchmark scales for the claiming of accommodation and subsistence expenses for employees travelling abroad.
Letters of intent are widely used in the building trade, because it is normal for both developer and contractor to wish to make progress on a building project without having to wait until the formal contractual arrangements have been fully agreed. However, letters of intent are fraught with...
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have professional partnerships in their sights as the rules relating to the valuation of work in progress for such firms begin to be fully implemented.
Companies can now execute documents under deed without having to have the document signed by two officers (directors or the company secretary) or affixing the company's seal.
Now, provided it is allowed under the company's articles of association, all that is required is the signature of...
The Insolvency Act 1986 requires that the books and records of an insolvent company must be handed over by the company's officers to the insolvency practitioner appointed to deal with the insolvent company's affairs. Failure to do so is an offence, but there is a statutory defence to the charge,...
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has been given the power to impose substantial fines on organisations that deliberately or recklessly commit serious breaches of the Data Protection Act (DPA). The new power is granted under the Criminal...
A recent decision by the Court of Appeal has established that a partnership can be held liable in criminal proceedings as a separate entity from its individual partners. The individual partners' assets are protected unless complicity or...
The Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006 make direct and indirect age discrimination illegal in an employment context, unless the treatment can be objectively justified. The legislation applies to discrimination against young as well as older workers.
It is when times get tough that problems which might have been easy to gloss over in better times start to make themselves visible. When serious problems that have remained undiscovered for a substantial period come to light, a company's auditors may well find themselves facing a writ.
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