Close
Recent insights
Wrestling with an octopus: changes to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
04 Jun 2020
Getting to grips with the furlough scheme is like wrestling with an octopus – every time you think you have it under control, another tentacle in the form of a new piece of HMRC guidance appears and you have to start again. The changes avoid a cliff edge scenario, which employers and employees alike were fearing. If the scheme had ended completely on 1 July then it was feared that this would have generated mass redundancies. However, employers are going to have to make an increasing contribution towards the costs of furlough leave, as this article describes. There is genuine concern that this may be enough to tip some employers over the edge and generate redundancies anyway.
How changes to the furlough scheme and other issues will affect the charity sector
04 Jun 2020
With lockdown now starting to ease and the Government hoping to kick-start the economy, we turn our attention this week to supporting and helping you to prepare for the next stage of the new normal.
Winding-up petitions in the COVID-19 era: where are we now?
04 Jun 2020
The decision of Mr Justice Morgan in A Company (Injunction To Restrain Presentation of Petition) [2020] EWHC 1406 (Ch) (judgment anonymised) which was handed down on 2 June 2020 will be of interest to tenants and landlords alike in the current climate. The judgment, which follows the decision in Travelodge Ltd v Prime Aesthetics Ltd [2020] EWHC 1217 (Ch) will be of huge precedent value to commercial tenants that have been impacted by coronavirus and have been unable to meet their rent obligations as a result. The decision also sets an interesting precedent in another respect, namely the ability of a debtor to seek an injunction on the presentation of a winding up petition, not on the usual basis of a disputed debt but on the basis of measures to be implemented under pending legislation, in this case the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Bill.
FAQs - Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
02 Jun 2020
On 20 March 2020 the government announced the launch of its Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (the Scheme), which is intended to pay employees who would otherwise be redundant or subject to a requirement to remain away from work without pay and are instead designated as "furloughed".
WBD boosts technology offering with senior hire
02 Jun 2020
Womble Bond Dickinson (WBD) has strengthened its technology practice with the appointment of Sheilah Mackie who joins as a legal director in the Southampton office.
FCA updates on Business Interruption Test Case
02 Jun 2020
We previously reported on FCA's intentions to bring a test case to obtain court declarations that would help resolve contractual uncertainty in several business interruption policies, stemming from claims relating to COVID-19. On 1 June, it confirmed the results of its enquiries to date, and its next steps.
WBD partner recognised as top 100 trust litigator in leading industry guide
02 Jun 2020
WBD private wealth partner Neil Long has been featured in the prestigious Citywealth TOP 100 Trust Litigators List 2020, a guide which recognises individuals who have excelled in litigation and showed great skill in lateral thinking and in negotiating with opponents.
Hotel management agreements post COVID-19: a new world?
02 Jun 2020
A hotel management agreement (HMA) is the core document governing the relationship between hotel owners and operators/managers. In a subsector of the commercial real estate industry particularly hard hit by COVID-19 disruptions, this relationship is being tested in unique ways.
WBD advises on partnership agreement to deliver first ever rent-to-buy scheme in Hampshire
01 Jun 2020
Womble Bond Dickinson (WBD) has advised longstanding client Rentplus-UK Ltd, the leading provider of affordable rent-to-buy homes, on its collaboration agreement with Winchester Housing Trust.
