Graduate Visa Route launch: Information for employers
On 1 July 2021, the UK Graduate Visa Route opened for applications. This visa enables international students who have completed an eligible UK degree to stay in the UK to…
Hayley Ainsworth BA, MSc
Solicitor
“It’s too hot to work” - or is it?
If this is the cry you are hearing from your staff during the current heatwave, you may be interested to know that although health and safety laws say that working…
Matthew Clayton MA LLM (Cantab), CIPP/E
Partner
Flexible working: New government consultation planned
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the face of working life as we know it, from compulsory PPE in the workplace, socially distanced seating arrangements or the requirement to work from…
Hayley Ainsworth BA, MSc
Solicitor
Right to work checks and EEA citizens working in the UK – what’s changing from 1 July?
From today (1 July 2021), citizens from the European Economic Area (the EU plus Iceland, Liechenstein and Norway) (“EEA”) will no longer be able to rely on their passport or…
Hayley Ainsworth BA, MSc
Solicitor
New flexibility for commercial buildings as rules allow empty premises to be changed into homes
In a further relaxation of planning regulations, new rules allowing commercial premises to be converted into homes kicked in at the end of March this year. The government claims this…
Alasdair Garbutt LLB (Hons)
Partner
Lasting powers of attorney for business owners
Many people have heard of lasting powers of attorney (LPAs) for their health and personal affairs, but did you know you can put LPAs in place for your business, too?…
Helen Howes LLM
Solicitor
LEGO wins important intellectual property case
The General Court of the European Union (GCEU) has ruled in favour of the toy brick manufacturer LEGO in a recent intellectual property dispute. A patent gives the owner the…
Paul Gordon LLB
Partner
Ending a commercial lease: Key takeaways for tenants from our recent webinar
Your business’s property needs won’t always align perfectly with the expiry of your commercial lease, so it’s common for tenants to want to exit their lease early. In this scenario,…
Nick Southwell BA (Hons)
Partner
Lockdown business rent arrears are recoverable: High Court
Commercial landlords will welcome a recent High Court decision, in which an application for a judgment against a tenant in arrears was upheld. In the first judgment of its kind…
Nick Cox LLB (Hons)
Partner
Trusts: A useful tool to protect your family & business
People will come across trusts without even realising it. Mr. Bennett in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is desperately trying to find “suitable” husbands for his daughters because the family…
Simon Cook LLB (Hons), TEP
Partner
Willans supports Dementia Action Week 2021
We are pleased to help promote Dementia Action Week (formerly Dementia Awareness Week), which runs from 17-23 May this year. This national campaign week is supported by the Alzheimer’s Society,…
Simon Cook LLB (Hons), TEP
Partner
“I know we’ve had that conversation, but it isn’t logged anywhere…” | The importance of a lasting power of attorney
Good Morning Britain’s Kate Garraway has revealed the legal difficulties that she has faced on top of her husband’s battle with coronavirus, in a recent interview with The Times. The…
Simon Cook LLB (Hons), TEP
Partner
Prenuptial agreements | A complete guide
A prenuptial agreement is a bespoke document drawn up by a solicitor or lawyer. It is a sound and sensible way to protect the assets you have worked hard for,…
Sharon Giles LLB (Hons)
Partner
IR35 and the off-payroll working rules
IR35: The (delayed) new off-payroll working rules apply from 6 April 2021 Traditionally, contractors like being self-employed because they pay reduced National Insurance contributions, and are able to set various…
Matthew Clayton MA LLM (Cantab), CIPP/E
Partner
Asda – the Supreme Court’s landmark decision on ‘common terms’
A Supreme Court case involving supermarket ASDA has thrown equal pay claims into the spotlight. There has been much media coverage about the Supreme Court decision in the equal pay…
Jenny Hawrot LLB (Hons)
Senior associate, solicitor
Brexit and your intellectual property: the changes
The Intellectual Property Office has provided useful guidance on the key changes post-Brexit. The Brexit transition period, set out in the UK and EU’s Withdrawal Agreement, came to an end…
Paul Gordon LLB
Partner
Land access for digital infrastructure is subject of new consultation
The government has opened a consultation to help them understand whether changes to the Electronic Communications Code are required. A government consultation is underway to review the legal framework for…
Alasdair Garbutt LLB (Hons)
Partner
US $1.7 billion deal hangs in the balance as court examines validity of clause
A recent High Court decision has shone the spotlight on material adverse change (MAC) clauses and their effectiveness. What is a material adverse change clause? You will most likely come…
Helen Howes LLM
Solicitor
Pretty vacant: When stripping out goes too far
In an interesting case decided in December 2020, the High Court considered whether a tenant who exercised a break clause went too far in making sure that he gave vacant…
Nick Cox LLB (Hons)
Partner
Biden’s proposed personal tax plan explained
Democrats will now control the House and Senate for at least the next two years and, as a result, President Biden will likely be able to bring more of his…
Hannah Wall BA (Hons), MA
Senior associate, solicitor
The Inheritance Act (1975): What is it, and can you make a claim?
The Inheritance (Provision for Family & Dependents) Act 1975 can be a lifeline for those who have been overlooked when it comes to inheritance. Unlike some jurisdictions, under the law…
Jessica Whooley LLB (Hons)
Solicitor
Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme guidance & updates
Employment lawyers Matthew Clayton and Jenny Hawrot summarise the latest developments on the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to emerge. Thursday 1 July 2021 The furlough scheme is due to close at…
Matthew Clayton MA LLM (Cantab), CIPP/E
Partner
Land Registry’s proposed Safe Harbour scheme
Some aspects of the conveyancing process can seem archaic, but the Land Registry has suggested a way to revolutionise one aspect – identity checks. Prior to COVID-19, we routinely invited…
Héloïse Brittain LLB (Hons), FCILEx
Chartered legal executive
Residential possession claim delays: an end in sight?
Private residential landlords have faced a tough couple of years with changes to the tax regime, increasing obligations, issues with recovery of unpaid rent and recently the outright ban on…
James Melvin-Bath LLB (Hons)
Solicitor-advocate
Warning for remarried ‘baby boomers’: Check that your will is up to date
Remarried couples with complex family arrangements have been urged to ensure their wills are up to date, by a professional association that specialises in succession planning. The calls come from…
Sharon Giles LLB (Hons)
Partner
Legal protection for cohabiting couples: Top tips
The Office of National Statistics reports that just over half (50.4%) of the population in England and Wales opt for marriage or civil partnerships, but cohabiting couples continue to make…
Kristie Silsby LLB (Hons)
Solicitor
COVID-19: a commercial property update for landlords & tenants
As you will be aware from some of our previous updates, a number of measures have been put in place to give businesses the breathing space and tools they need…
Emma Thompson LLB (Hons)
Solicitor
Discrimination: The latest developments in employment law
A recent case has highlighted how important it is for employers to regularly refresh their staff equality and diversity training. In Allay v Gehlen, the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) had…
Matthew Clayton MA LLM (Cantab), CIPP/E
Partner
The rise of the management buyout
Despite the chief economist of the Bank of England’s reassurances that the post-COVID economy is “poised like a coiled spring”, current market conditions are undoubtedly making traditional mergers and acquisitions…
Chris Wills LLB (Hons)
Partner
Legal perspectives on the Budget 2021
In the Chancellor’s first Budget speech last year, made as COVID-19 started to take hold in the UK, Rishi Sunak promised to do “whatever it takes to support the economy”.…
Willans
Solicitors
No jab, no job: Can employers require workers to get the COVID-19 vaccine?
COVID-19 has created many challenges for employers. Between the sudden need to accommodate homeworking and the introduction of furlough, most employers have had to make changes to their working practices.…
Jenny Hawrot LLB (Hons)
Senior associate, solicitor
The rules around income tax - what executors should know
Income tax is something we think about regularly during our lifetime. We constantly ask questions such as “have we paid enough?” and “does HMRC owe us a refund?”, yet the…
Miranda Hawkes FCILEx, TEP
Associate, chartered legal executive
Why making a will is so important: Q&A
Put simply, creating a will ensures that your loved ones will be properly provided for and do not unexpectedly find themselves dependent on others. While many think their home and…
Simon Cook LLB (Hons), TEP
Partner
Trusts in wills: A good way to ring-fence your assets for beneficiaries
An oft-quoted statement we hear is “I only need a simple will”. Upon further discussions with clients, it may transpire that they have been married more than once or have…
Siân Devereux-Renny BA (Hons), GCILEx
Private client executive
Top tips for improving wellbeing in the workplace
The mental health charity Mind has developed a website, Mental Health at Work, offering a range of resources for employers and employees to help with issues such as work-related stress.…
Jenny Hawrot LLB (Hons)
Senior associate, solicitor
Making a lasting power of attorney | The complete guide
This guide runs through some of the common questions asked about lasting powers of attorney; the different types, when they are used, and why they are used. We also discuss…
Willans
Solicitors
