Close
"Big Brother is watching you" - artificial intelligence and the retail sector
17 Jan 2019
"If you want to keep a secret, you must also hide it from yourself." George Orwell, 1984
We recognise that some legal developments need to be understood in detail.
Our publications and briefings provide an in-depth analysis of commercial and legal developments, as they happen.
The New Year brings good news for retail staff, but at a cost to retailers
16 Jan 2019
Amidst the gloom and uncertainty facing retailers following a difficult Christmas trading period, there is one good news story for their workforces. Automatic enrolment into workplace pensions, introduced to help individuals to save towards retirement, has become "business as usual" with the vast majority of staff across the UK now saving for their retirement. Some predicted that the increase in auto-enrolment contribution rates in April 2018 would cause greater numbers of staff to opt out of pension provision but this has not proved to be the case.
The government's deal was lost: but who won?
16 Jan 2019
In the immediate aftermath of defeat by a margin of 230 votes, Prime Minister Theresa May observed that while it was clear that the House of Commons did not want her Withdrawal Agreement, it was not clear what it did want. As attention shifts to the vote of no confidence in the government, scheduled for the evening of 16 January, the risk of a "no deal" Brexit remains live.
Violence at work - are you doing enough to safeguard your employees?
15 Jan 2019
Since 2016 there has been a 40% increase in instances of violence against shop workers, with one in six retail staff deciding not to report assaults and abuse from members of the public and others due to a perception that their employer will not take any meaningful measures to provide them with greater protection.
Age discrimination: does this old dog have some new tricks?
15 Jan 2019
On 20 December 2018, the Government suffered a huge loss when it was found to have discriminated directly against younger members of the judges' and firefighters' pension plans (and indirectly against ethnic minorities and women in these arrangements). The cases of McCloud and Sargeant related to transitional provisions implemented by the Government when it brought in the benefit design changes required by the Public Service Pensions Act 2013.
The death of the local housing company?
14 Jan 2019
In December 2017, University College London published a report on “Local authority direct provision of housing”. In it the authors noted that 44% of English local authorities had set up or were considering the setting up of a company wholly owned by them in order to develop or acquire housing and 65% of local authorities were directly engaged in housing delivery themselves.
Student insight: legal writing in practice
11 Jan 2019
We have worked with postgraduate students at the University of Southampton to consider the legal and practical implications of hot topics in commercial law.
An ABC of employment law 2019 – atypical workers, Brexit and cases
10 Jan 2019
2019 looks set to be a busy year for employment law professionals. In this article, we summarise the main developments.
A commitment to fix the system: The government's response to the Grenfell Tower Report
10 Jan 2019
We all recall the horrors of the Grenfell Tower tragedy on 14 June 2017 which resulted in the loss of 72 lives and many more being made homeless. The fire, which breached compartmentation of the block, represents the greatest loss of life in a residential fire in a century. Following on from the tragedy, the government commissioned an independent review of the building regulations and fire safety to be led by Dame Judith Hackitt, an engineer and civil servant.
Can Parliament avoid a "no deal" Brexit?
09 Jan 2019
As the House of Commons resumes its debate on the Withdrawal Agreement and Political Declaration (WA), there are strong signs of cross-party determination to avoid a "no deal" exit on 29 March 2019. On 8 January, Yvette Cooper MP and Nicky Morgan MP secured a majority of seven for their amendment to Finance (No 3) Bill. The amendment addresses a very narrow and technical set of provisions. Contrary to some media reports, it does not prevent a "no deal" Brexit, and it certainly does not raise the prospect of a Trump-style government shutdown. However, it does indicate that a significant number of MPs are prepared to employ detailed Parliamentary procedures to signal the House of Commons' opposition to a "no deal" Brexit.
