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Recent insights
WBD donates one tonne of food and drinks in national foodbank appeal
18 Sep 2018
Womble Bond Dickinson (WBD) has donated around one tonne of food and drinks to foodbanks across the UK as they faced one of their busiest periods over the summer school holidays.
WBD celebrates North East Insider Dealmakers Awards success
17 Sep 2018
Womble Bond Dickinson's (WBD) Newcastle-based corporate team was delighted to win two awards at the North East Insider Dealmakers Awards.
Brexit and… geographical indications
17 Sep 2018
Following publication of the 'agreed' text of the draft Withdrawal Agreement (the "Draft Text") between the United Kingdom ("UK") and the remainder of the European Union ("EU") on 19 March 2018, our intellectual property ("IP") team has produced a suite of briefings on key aspects of the likely implications of Brexit for IP rights and systems across the EU, to inform our clients what changes they will need to consider making to their existing IP strategies and protocols to continue dealing in post-Brexit UK and Europe. The topic of this note is how Brexit will impact the protection of geographical indications.
Public Service Pension Schemes: quadrennial valuation - good news for members but bad news for employers
14 Sep 2018
On 6 September 2018, Elizabeth Truss (Chief Secretary to the Treasury) released a statement providing an update on the 2016 valuation process for public sector pension schemes that are unfunded, such as the Teachers' Pension Scheme, the NHS Pension Scheme and the Civil Service Pension Scheme.
Initial indications from the ongoing valuation process indicate that:
Initial indications from the ongoing valuation process indicate that:
Brexit and the Port of Rotterdam
14 Sep 2018
While UK press coverage continues to focus on the Chequers paper, potential leadership challenges and increasingly gloomy "no deal" assessments, the Port of Rotterdam has issued an urgent warning to businesses about the need to prepare for the "imminent reality" of Brexit. With fewer than 200 days to go until Brexit Day, the Netherlands' Ministry of Economic Affairs estimates that only 18% of Dutch companies have begun to prepare for Brexit. Consequently, on 11 September the Port of Rotterdam Authority joined with the Dutch Food Authority (NVWA) and Stena Line to organise a press visit to the port to help engage and mobilise the remaining 82% of Dutch companies to address the practical impacts of Brexit.
Plymouth Community Homes appoints WBD
13 Sep 2018
WBD has been re-appointed to the legal panel for Plymouth Community Homes (PCH), Plymouth’s largest social housing landlord.
WBD, which has been working with PCH for the past eight years, has been appointed to provide legal expertise across a wide range of areas including governance, development, finance, procurement, housing and employment. The appointment will be for a period of four years.
WBD, which has been working with PCH for the past eight years, has been appointed to provide legal expertise across a wide range of areas including governance, development, finance, procurement, housing and employment. The appointment will be for a period of four years.
WBD Construction Disputes Series: adjudication materials
13 Sep 2018
We are experts in all forms of dispute resolution - but we know that not all of our clients and contacts are familiar with any or all of these forms
Clarity at last for the final salary link?
12 Sep 2018
Is a closed defined benefit (DB) scheme with a final salary link "open" or "frozen" for section 75 debt purposes? The recent decision in G4S plc v G4S Trustees and another [2018] EWHC 1749 (Ch) brings greater clarity for sponsoring employers and trustees of closed DB schemes as to the circumstances in which a section 75 debt could become due.
Racing ahead with disciplinary hearing led to unfair dismissal finding
12 Sep 2018
In Talon Engineering Ltd v Smith (UKEAT/0236/17) the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) concluded that an employment tribunal (ET) was entitled to find that Mrs Smith had been unfairly dismissed when her employer refused her request to postpone a disciplinary hearing to enable her union official to accompany her.
