23 March 2020
COVID-19 & The Bar: Do barristers have to go to court?
The outbreak of COVID-19 in the UK has caused unprecedented disruption and uncertainty across all aspects of our society. Workers are being encouraged to work from home where they can, to play their vital part in social distancing to prevent the spread of the infection, with self-isolation required if you, or a member of your household, are displaying symptoms of the virus.
23 March 2020
COVID-19 and self-isolation: what to do when the danger is at home
For many of us, home is a place of safety in times of difficulty, stress and uncertainty. But for those who experience domestic violence, home is often a place of violence, danger and fear. According to government figures, an estimated 1.6 million women and 786,000 men in England and Wales experienced domestic abuse last year, which is a staggering figure. Whilst highly sensible and necessary advice given the on-going coronavirus crisis, the government’s latest ‘social distancing’ rules, which are rapidly moving towards mass self-isolation, are at odds with its own figures illustrating just how prevalent the risk of domestic violence is.
23 March 2020
COVID-19 economic chaos – how can audit deadlines still be met?
We are living in unprecedented times. Boris Johnson’s announcements each day, whilst aimed at slowing the growth of the global pandemic which is COVID-19 (Coronavirus), will undoubtedly have a drastic effect on businesses in all sectors.
23 March 2020
Coronavirus, disruption and legal liability
The impact of the coronavirus pandemic is being felt throughout the economy from supply chain disruption to venue hire cancellations, travel bans and more. Inevitably as the pandemic continues there will be a surge in questions about legal liability for delayed performance, requests for refunds and contract termination enquiries. In this blog, we focus on the implications of force majeure clauses for exceptional circumstances and the key legal principles for business owners to bear in mind during these challenging times.
23 March 2020
Covid 19 - a reminder for solicitors and law firms about their regulatory obligations
Towards the end of last year I commented, as part of our Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) Standards and Regulations (StaRs) blog series, that the introduction of the StaRs on 25 November 2019 was an opportunity to take stock and introduce steps to ensure compliance going forward; it was a time to prioritise, not panic.
