Articles and Briefings | Womble Bond Dickinson

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.

Automated facial recognition: when does public interest override private rights?

12 Sep 2019

In the last week there have been two decisions, relating to the use of Facial Recognition (FR), with differing outcomes. So with the two decisions on FR providing two different outcomes, what sets them apart?

No more ink? Law Commission confirms the validity of electronic signatures in their final report

10 Sep 2019

Brexit: defaulting to "no deal"

09 Sep 2019

Even with royal assent, the emergency legislation that completed its House of Lords stages on 6 September cannot definitively rule out a "no deal" Brexit. Indeed, its terms simply provide a 19 October deadline for further steps to be taken in the House of Commons.

Public sector pensions: more flexibility to avoid pensions tax charges?

05 Sep 2019

Following concerns that pensions tax charges are forcing experienced staff out of the NHS Pension Scheme (NHSPS) and impacting services for patients, the Government has announced that it will be consulting on proposals to make pensions more flexible for NHS clinicians.

Brexit: election roulette?

05 Sep 2019

In the early hours of 5 September the government conceded that it will not use delaying tactics in the House of Lords to block the passage of the Bill designed to avert a "no deal" Brexit. The Bill completed its House of Commons stages on 4 September, and time has been reserved on 9 September for the House of Commons to consider any Lords' amendments. The House of Commons has then resolved to delay any adjournment up to 11 September until the Speaker has reported Royal Assent.

Brexit: beyond legal challenge?

30 Aug 2019

Future historians, and possibly even contemporary judges, may consider the House of Commons' voting record to be one of the more puzzling aspects of Brexit. Despite lengthy and increasingly fractious debates, a survey of voting figures would suggest that Parliamentarians on all sides were, at root, content with the prospect of a "no deal" Brexit.

Fewer disputes in the construction sector, good news for the industry... surely?

28 Aug 2019

A recent study into the construction industry has identified a decline in the number of disputes progressing to formal dispute resolution ( DR) processes by almost 50%. A drop in contentious matters may appear good news for the industry because it suggests the parties are getting on better. The reality however is that parties are simply not pursuing more formal DR mechanisms as a means to resolve their differences: instead they are adopting early dispute avoidance strategies.

Shared data environments in the defence industry: the challenge of collaboration

28 Aug 2019

There is an increasing requirement for collaboration on major aerospace & defence projects in order to realise innovation and efficiencies for customers. As a result, one of the biggest challenges facing the aerospace & defence industry is how to establish shared data environments ("SDEs") that enable truly collaborative working whilst protecting the security and integrity of the data they contain. This is especially true in relation to the servicing of large or complex platforms, such as ships and fast jets, where it is common for support work and capability upgrades to be modelled on a digital twin by one contractor before being delivered on the asset by another.

Building in safety

28 Aug 2019

In June 2019 the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) issued a consultation paper entitled Building a Safer Future: Proposals for Reform of the Building Safety Regulatory System. The consultation period closed at the end of July but it is very likely that we will see legislation arising from the recommendations made in the paper within the next 12 months depending of course upon certain other developments which are currently taking up a considerable amount of the Government's time.

A likely crisis for data transfers to the UK post no-deal Brexit

27 Aug 2019

Under EU data management laws, no one can send, grant access to, or otherwise transfer personal data to a country outside the European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) unless the EU has made a formal decision that its data protection measures are “adequate.” Adequacy for these purposes means treating data in a manner similar to the EU.

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WBD Insights 2019

Check out what insights we have coming up at WBD in 2019.