Brexit Q&A: How will Brexit affect data protection for businesses?
After Brexit, a UK company may find itself subject to both the GDPR and the parallel Applied GDPR regime. Consequently, a data breach might well fall within the competence of…
Kym Fletcher LLB (Hons) Euro
Consultant, solicitor
Brexit Q&A: How will the new immigration rules implemented after Brexit affect my business?
Businesses who are reliant on skills of EU citizens and who expect to be employing EU citizens arriving in the UK post-Brexit will need to consider the implications of the…
Helen Howes LLM
Senior associate, solicitor
Brexit Q&A: How will the EU settlement scheme affect my business?
The government has confirmed that the EU settlement scheme will apply in the event of a deal or no deal, however in the event of a no deal the deadline…
Helen Howes LLM
Senior associate, solicitor
Sanctions and the sickie: What to do if you think your ‘ill’ employee is not actually unwell
As statistics have it, the first Monday in February is ‘National Sickie Day’ – the most likely day for employees to pretend to be unwell for a day off work.…
Jenny Hawrot LLB (Hons)
Partner
Is it ever too cold to work?
With temperatures across the UK having plummeted again and forecasters suggesting colder weather could be on its way, many workplaces have become far colder than usual this week. Inevitably, the…
Matthew Clayton MA LLM (Cantab), CIPP/E
Partner
Break options and vacant possession: a cautionary tale
A provision in a lease which enables the tenant, landlord or both to end the lease early is called a break option. If any conditions attached to a break option…
Emma Thompson LLB (Hons)
Senior associate, solicitor
Immigration rules post-Brexit
The government has just published details of proposed new immigration rules, which will be phased in from 2021. As anticipated, workers arriving from outside of the UK (including workers from…
Helen Howes LLM
Senior associate, solicitor
Government proposes workplace reform
The government has announced its intention to introduce a number of legislative changes designed to implement many of the recommendations made by the Taylor Review; the report into employment and…
Matthew Clayton MA LLM (Cantab), CIPP/E
Partner
Using your own name as a business brand
Karen Millen is a well-known fashion designer, who had founded the business Karen Millen Fashions Limited. She subsequently sold out, and in doing so, agreed to restrictions for use of…
Paul Gordon LLB
Partner
Winter illnesses: a headache for employers
As winter closes in, there is a set of new problems facing employers. No longer are businesses plagued by employees asking ‘is it too hot to work?’, but rather, they…
Jenny Hawrot LLB (Hons)
Partner
Smart contracts: how ‘smart’ are they really?
The term ‘smart contract’ was created in 1996 by computer scientist and lawyer Nick Szabo during his research into digital currency. In a nutshell, they are contracts in which terms…
Chris Wills LLB (Hons)
Partner
The EU settlement scheme: steps employers can take now
Despite there continuing to be a lot of uncertainty surrounding the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union, the Home Office has reportedly indicated (albeit verbally) that in the event of…
Helen Howes LLM
Senior associate, solicitor
Recruitment roulette? Don’t take the risk
It may come as a surprise to some, but a person who has not even applied for a job can theoretically bring a discrimination claim in respect of the employer’s…
Matthew Clayton MA LLM (Cantab), CIPP/E
Partner
Is it OK to check a job candidate’s social media profile?
It is understandable that businesses want to check whether or not candidates pose a threat to their organisation, or to try to identify exaggerated claims of experience, skills or qualifications.…
Matthew Clayton MA LLM (Cantab), CIPP/E
Partner
Report warns of impending ‘incapacity crisis’
A recent report published by Solicitors for the Elderly (SFE) and the Centre for Future Studies (CFS) has warned that the nation is facing an ‘incapacity crisis’, with millions leaving…
Simon Cook LLB (Hons), TEP
Partner
Employment law and family businesses
Nearly half of the private sector workforce works for a family business of some sort, making these businesses a vital cog in our economy. But family businesses sometimes suffer from…
Willans
Solicitors
Top tips for improving wellbeing in the workplace
Stress, anxiety and depression are the cause of over 51% of all work related illness. Statistics from the ONS show that, in 2021/2022, 1.8 million workers suffered from work related…
Jenny Hawrot LLB (Hons)
Partner
Joint ventures: Fail to plan, plan to fail
The term ‘joint venture’ does not have a specific meaning in English law. It is commonly used to describe a commercial arrangement between two or more entities, that falls within…
Chris Wills LLB (Hons)
Partner
When there really are no perfect answers, try mediation
When problems arise in a business or close relationship, reaching a compromise whilst preserving goodwill is no simple task. But resolutions are possible without court action. Far from being the…
Nick Cox LLB (Hons)
Consultant, solicitor
The crucial role of due diligence
Buying a business or company can be a legal minefield and no element of the process is more important than due diligence. This is effectively a legal audit of the…
Chris Wills LLB (Hons)
Partner
“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
Shareholder disputes in family businesses
Shareholders of a business can fall out for a number of reasons, ranging from general disagreements over the governance of the business through to breaches of fiduciary duty. If the…
Nick Southwell BA (Hons)
Partner
Dealing with domain name disputes
Domain names are used to identify one or more IP addresses. For example, willans.co.uk is the domain name that is used for our website and related webpages. If you are…
Paul Gordon LLB
Partner
Japanese knotweed found to cause ‘loss of amenity’ for homeowners in landmark ruling
The Court of Appeal recently ruled on a claim brought by two South Wales’ homeowners against Network Rail because the company had allowed Japanese knotweed to invade their properties. The…
Nick Cox LLB (Hons)
Consultant, solicitor
Owning property in joint names – what you should know
When buying property with someone to whom you’re not married or in a civil partnership with, it’s sensible to consider how the proceeds of the property sale should be divided…
Jonathan Eager FCILEx
Partner, chartered legal executive
Life after GDPR…
If you’re still hurriedly working towards compliance, don’t worry, says partner Matthew Clayton. Now the deadline of 25 May has passed, for many the panic is over. However, if you are…
Matthew Clayton MA LLM (Cantab), CIPP/E
Partner
Employment status back in the spotlight after Supreme Court ruling
The Supreme Court has ruled that a freelance plumber was entitled to workers’ rights, following a lengthy dispute over employment status with Pimlico Plumbers. Gary Smith, who was VAT-registered and…
Jenny Hawrot LLB (Hons)
Partner
Five-strong promotions announced
Well-known faces in residential property law Suzanne O’Riordan and Steve Diamond have been promoted to senior associates, after 19 years and 29 years at the firm respectively. Also a part…
Willans
Solicitors
Grandparents’ rights in the spotlight as MPs campaign for amendment to Children Act
MPs are calling for the right for children to keep in touch with extended family members (including grandparents) after a family break-up, according to BBC News. Under current rules, if…
Jonathan Eager FCILEx
Partner, chartered legal executive
Our corporate & commercial team act for leading Gloucestershire clinic in business sale
Cheltenham’s Regency Clinic has joined The Medical group of primary healthcare clinics, in a deal on which our corporate & commercial team advised. Legal 500-rated corporate & commercial partner, Paul…
Chris Wills LLB (Hons)
Partner
It pays to be efficient
As of 1 April 2018, almost anyone seeking to let a commercial property now has to consider an additional complication: whether the property has a suitable Energy Performance Certificate (EPC).…
Nick Cox LLB (Hons)
Consultant, solicitor
No ‘Taylor’-made employment law changes on the horizon
July 2017 saw the release of the much anticipated ‘Taylor Review of Modern Working Practices’, otherwise known by its catchier name, the ‘Good Work Report’. It paid particular attention to…
Matthew Clayton MA LLM (Cantab), CIPP/E
Partner
Buying a business is a two-way street
A good solicitor will understand their client’s commercial objectives, and align the legal approach to these. Here are some of the key points that you might need to consider as…
Chris Wills LLB (Hons)
Partner
Risky business? Take care when serving a statutory demand
If an individual or a business owes you money, there are two ways to start court proceedings; you can issue a claim, or you can issue a petition for the…
Paul Gordon LLB
Partner
Don’t get strung up on PILONs
Until 6 April 2018, PILONs are subject to income tax and national insurance deductions if they are paid pursuant to a contractual right (e.g. a clause in the employee’s employment…
Matthew Clayton MA LLM (Cantab), CIPP/E
Partner
A run-down of changes in employment law this April
This April will see a number of developments in the world of employment law. Not only will we see the usual increases to various statutory rates in line with inflation,…
Matthew Clayton MA LLM (Cantab), CIPP/E
Partner
