Blog
From garage to unicorn – Employment law lessons for scaling tech teams
Catherine Bourne
6 September 2022
Hybrid working: how can firms manage the risks?
Julie Norris considers the problems presented by hybrid working
Hybrid working is now the new normal for many firms – and it offers significant advantages –
but we should also be prepared to manage the risks. Hybrid working is revolutionising the
way in which firms operate, as it is in so many other sectors. According to a survey by
Thomson Reuters, nearly nine out of ten (86 per cent) of UK lawyers would prefer hybrid
working, so that they can work remotely at least two days a week, while nearly two thirds (65
per cent) reported that remote working has had a positive impact on their well-being.
15 August 2022
Academic misconduct - the pressing issue for Universities and those accused
Being subjected to an academic integrity procedure is unnerving and bewildering. That’s why legal support from experienced disciplinary specialists is so important.
12 August 2022
Has the Supreme Court opened the gates to costs being awarded against regulators?
We previously covered this case, in which the Court of Appeal gave clear guidance as to circumstances in which a regulator can be ordered to pay costs. In short, the appeal arose from a decision by the CMA that Flynn Pharma and Pfizer had abused their dominant positions in the UK market by charging excessive prices for an epilepsy drug. Flynn Pharma and Pfizer appealed this decision to the Competition Appeals Tribunal (CAT), which found the CMA had erred in its assessment of abuse of dominant position. In respect of costs, the CAT adopted a starting point of “costs follow the event”, and decided that Flynn and Pfizer were entitled to recover some of their costs from the CMA.
15 July 2022
AML update for legal practitioners and law firms – July 2022
This update covers recent developments relating to the regulation of money laundering in the legal sector and implications for legal practitioners and law firms. Specifically, four updates are explored. The first relates the SRA’s AML information-gathering exercise, undertaken as part of its role as anti-money laundering supervisor under the Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017. Second, we look at HM Treasury’s response to its consultation on reform of the UK AML regime. Relevant changes emanating from this are expected to come into effect on 1 September 2022 by way of new secondary legislation entitled ‘The Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2022’. The third development concerns HM Treasury’s approval of the updated Legal Sector Affinity Group (LSAG) Guidance which was issued in 2021. Finally, and linked to this, two new LSAG Advisory Notes have been published which serve to clarify expectations of the Legal Sector Professional Body Supervisors, including those of the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), in relation to particular topical areas of risk.
28 June 2022
“Education, too?”: tips for investigating sexual allegations in schools and higher education settings
Worldwide the #MeToo movement continues to grow and shift. In the past 12 months alone, we have seen a marked rise in the number of reports being investigated by schools and tertiary education providers about allegations of sexual offences, harassment and abuse. It seems that these reports will only continue to grow as children and young adults become more equipped and confident to make reports of such conduct, with more platforms such as Everyone’s Invited (which reached its two-year anniversary this month) accessible for their voices to be heard.