Employment Rights Bill: Employees to benefit from guaranteed hours & rights relating to shifts
The Employment Rights Bill is shaking things up, with employees expected to benefit from guaranteed hours and rights relating to shifts. The government is committed to ending one-sided flexibility and…
Simon Pathé FCILEx
Partner, chartered legal executive
Supreme Court makes landmark decision on gender definitions
The Supreme Court has unanimously allowed the appeal for For Women Scotland Limited and has provided clarity on how ‘woman’, ‘man’ and ‘sex’ are to be defined. The decision acts…
Hifsa O'Kelly LLB (Hons)
Senior associate, solicitor
Employment Rights Bill: Changes to statutory sick pay
As part of the all new Employment Rights Bill, it’s likely that changes to statutory sick pay could significantly impact you and your business. When the Employment Rights Bill becomes…
Simon Pathé FCILEx
Partner, chartered legal executive
Investigating remote working: What are the benefits & challenges?
An investigation into the benefits and challenges of remote working is taking place. The House of Lords Select Committee on Home-Based Working (appointed on 30 January this year) is currently…
Achante Anson LLB (Hons)
Trainee solicitor
How will the latest changes to immigration rules affect my business?
Changes have been made to immigration rules, some of which with the potential to affect you and your business. On 12 March, the government released a statement of changes to…
Klára Grmelová MGR (LLM Czech)
Solicitor
Employees bring claims following changes to shift patterns & flexible working options
A number of employees have brought claims to the employment tribunal following changes to shift patterns and flexible working options. Following changes at British Airways to shift patterns and flexible…
Achante Anson LLB (Hons)
Trainee solicitor
Preparing for a management buyout
For owners looking to sell their business, a management buyout (MBO) is one of a multitude of possible options available. What do you need to consider when preparing for a…
Peter Raybould LLB (Hons)
Partner
Companies House identity verification requirements to come into force from autumn 2025
Under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (ECCTA), reforms have been introduced to Companies House concerning identity verification, which will become compulsory from autumn 2025. Our corporate solicitors…
Helen Howes LLM
Senior associate, solicitor
Why changes to Business Relief mean you should start succession planning now
In light of upcoming changes to Business Relief, it’s more important than ever to consider succession planning now. For generations, Business Relief (BR) has enabled business owners to pass on…
Rachel Sugden LLB (Hons), TEP
Partner
The latest increase to national living wage
At the end of last year, the government announced new rates for the national living wage. Employers should be mindful that the 2025 rates will come into force from 1…
Simon Pathé FCILEx
Partner, chartered legal executive
Discussing prenuptial agreements on BBC Radio Gloucestershire
In the event of a divorce, a prenuptial agreement can be useful to help smoothen the division of finances and assets between you and your partner. In March, our divorce…
Kristie Silsby LLB (Hons)
Associate, solicitor
Intestacy laws - why are reforms needed?
When a person dies without a will, it is intestacy laws that determine the distribution of their estate. However, these laws are increasingly outdated, failing to reflect modern relationships and…
Claire Cox LLB
Partner
Neurodiversity in the workplace: challenges strengths and legal considerations for employers
Neurodiversity celebration week, the worldwide initiative to celebrate individuals with neurological differences, takes place from 17 – 23 March 2025. This includes those diagnosed with conditions such as autism, ADHD,…
Hifsa O'Kelly LLB (Hons)
Senior associate, solicitor
Updates to the Renters’ Rights Bill: what do they mean for tenants and landlords?
The Renters’ Rights Bill is in the committee stage in the House of Lords and predicted to be enacted this year. As it nears approval, several key updates to the…
Bethen Abraham LLB (Hons), LLM
Solicitor
Inheritance disputes are on the rise: what are the most common causes and how can you avoid them?
It has recently been reported that a soaring number of inheritance disputes is leading to thousands of families becoming embroiled in lengthy and emotionally-taxing court cases. Here, our inheritance &…
Claire Cox LLB
Partner
How will the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 impact you?
If you own a leasehold and wish to extend your term, how will the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 impact you? Here, our freehold and lease extension expert explains…
Dorcas Guillebaud BA (Hons), MA (Hons)
Associate, solicitor
Domestic abuse and settling finances on divorce
There are calls for a shift across the family justice system to more effectively address the needs of victim-survivors of domestic abuse who are seeking to settle finances on divorce.…
Kristie Silsby LLB (Hons)
Associate, solicitor
Max George and the importance of making a valid will
A recent case reported in the media sheds light on the importance of making a valid will, as well as raises the question: should the government make electronic wills legally…
Leah Vincent LLB (Hons), LLM, TEP
Solicitor
When landowners become land-defenders: how to protect your land from new public rights of way
How can you protect your land from the implementation of new public rights of way? Our agriculture, land & development expert explains what landowners should do. A public right of…
Sophie Oakes LLB (Hons)
Solicitor
The power of Gas Safety Certificates when recovering possession of a property
Why are Gas Safety Certificates significant when recovering possession of a property through a Section 21 notice? Our property litigation specialist explains more. Landlords are required to have a valid…
Tom Gordon LLB
Trainee solicitor
Case law update (February 2025): Dismissals, religious beliefs & racial harassment
Our employment law & business immigration experts delve into some recent case law that could prove relevant to you and your business. In our February edition of Dispatches, we look…
Simon Pathé FCILEx
Partner, chartered legal executive
Popular fast-food chain continues to face abuse & harassment claims
Popular fast-food chain, McDonald’s, continues to face more employment tribunal harassment claims from its employees. McDonald’s is once again in the news in relation to employees bringing harassment claims. It…
Hifsa O'Kelly LLB (Hons)
Senior associate, solicitor
Business immigration: The latest changes to UKVI guidance
Our business immigration experts highlight the latest changes to UKVI guidance. The last day of 2024 brought further changes to immigration policy. These changes were introduced by the Home Office…
Klára Grmelová MGR (LLM Czech)
Solicitor
When to put a prenuptial agreement in place
With wedding season on the horizon, newly-engaged couples may wish to consider putting a prenuptial agreement in place sooner rather than later. If you are in the early stages of…
Kristie Silsby LLB (Hons)
Associate, solicitor
How do companies become GDPR compliant?
It is nearly seven years since the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into force. However, it is as important as ever that data protection compliance doesn’t fall off the…
Matthew Clayton MA LLM (Cantab), CIPP/E
Partner
Employment status – the importance of getting it right
When an individual provides services to a business, it is important for all concerned to understand the nature of that relationship. The individual could be one of three things: an…
Simon Pathé FCILEx
Partner, chartered legal executive
Helping Joedan on their journey
For almost three decades, Willans has advised a nationally renowned specialist in trade supply and home and commercial improvements. Here, in the first of a series of articles, we reflect…
Willans
Solicitors
Unfair prejudice petitions: Recent shareholder dispute case overturns 40-year precedent
In a recent shareholder dispute, it’s been found that unfair prejudice petitions are subject to statutory limitation periods. This landmark judgment – in Thg Plc v Zedra Trust Company (Jersey)…
Katie Charlton LLB (Hons), MSc
Trainee solicitor
Equal pay claim: Thandi and others v Next Retail Limited
Over 3,500 predominantly female retail consultants employed by Next Retail Limited (Next) collectively brought an equal pay claim against their employer. The claim was on the basis that the work…
Hifsa O'Kelly LLB (Hons)
Senior associate, solicitor
The treatment of a business on divorce
Among a lot of other things, it’s important to consider what happens to your business when going through a divorce. For the average divorcing couple, the former matrimonial home is…
Joeli Boxall LLB (Hons), LLM
Solicitor
Fertility treatment & the workplace: Understanding employee rights
In recent years, there has been a significant increase in individuals seeking fertility treatment. This trend includes not only heterosexual couples but also same-sex couples, single mothers, and those opting…
Klára Grmelová MGR (LLM Czech)
Solicitor
Battery storage systems: Why are they important to our energy infrastructure?
A combination of the UK’s increasingly unreliable climate and a fluctuation in energy prices has given rise to a need for Battery Energy Storage Facilities – or BESFs – in…
Adam Hale BA (Hons), TEP, FALA
Partner
Wagatha Christie defamation trial
The facts surrounding the “Wagatha Christie” defamation trial have been widely publicised, particularly following Coleen Rooney’s recent appearance on popular reality TV show “I’m a celebrity… Get me out of…
Bethen Abraham LLB (Hons), LLM
Solicitor
The residence nil rate band & business relievable assets
The residence nil rate band (RNRB) is an additional inheritance tax allowance that can be claimed alongside the usual nil rate band allowance. The RNRB allowance is currently a maximum…
Jennifer Cockett LLB (Hons)
Senior associate, solicitor
Do I need a financial order on divorce?
When should you apply for a financial order on divorce and do you actually need one? Following the introduction of no-fault divorce in April 2022, many couples have found themselves…
Kristie Silsby LLB (Hons)
Associate, solicitor
Autumn budget 2024: insights on inheritance tax, farming relief and business ownership
The autumn budget has brought about a number of changes, some of which relate to inheritance tax and agricultural and business property relief, as well as employers’ national insurance contributions…
Willans
Solicitors
