Read our latest articles, news briefs and legal updates across all our different services.
Unpaid volunteers are not ‘employees’ as far as anti-discrimination law is concerned and so they do not have the same protection as paid workers. That was the ruling of the Court of Appeal in the case of a volunteer who worked for the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB). When the CAB told her it no longer
The maximum limits for redundancy payments and awards for various employment rights cases have risen in line with the annual index-linked formula. The limits are linked to the Retail Prices Index, which rose by 4.6% during the qualifying period from September 2009 to September 2010. The maximum compensation that can be awarded for unfair dismissal
Charities and the insolvency industry have welcomed proposals to reform Debt Relief Orders (DRO). Many people struggling with small debts have been unable to take advantage of the DRO scheme because they had pension arrangements, even though those pensions may have been of little value and not available for several years to come. The Government
The directors of a development company have been found guilty of wrongful trading after continuing with a project long after they should have known it was bound to fail. The case involved the directors of a company which was set up to acquire a plot of land worth £900,000 and build industrial trading units. They
New rights providing additional paternity leave and pay for fathers have now come into effect. The new rights apply to fathers whose partners gave birth on or after 3rd April this year. They allow fathers to take up to 26 weeks leave to care for their child providing they fulfil certain conditions. The additional paternity
The Government has announced new measures to reduce the burden of red tape for businesses. There will be a moratorium to exempt start-up businesses and firms with fewer than 10 employees from new domestic regulations for three years. There will also be a public audit of nearly 22,000 statutory instruments currently in existence to see
Employers now have new rights to take positive action when looking at candidates for recruitment and promotion. The aim is to help create a greater diversity in the workplace, but there are strict controls. The new rules, effective from 6th April, mean that if all else is equal, an employer can select a candidate who
A director has been banned from revealing confidential information that could damage his former company. The issue arose after the director became embroiled in a dispute with his company that involved court action. The judge found in favour of the company and referred the director as having an “”attitude of blatant disregard for the truth,
The new EU Consumer Credit Directive has now come into force giving more protection and power to consumers. The directive amends the Consumer Credit Act and builds upon existing protections to give extra rights and standardised information to consumers. The Consumer Minister, Edward Davey, said the directive is also designed to encourage lenders to act
Firms that use websites to promote their business are being urged not to fall foul of new EU legislation relating to consumer privacy. In future, firms will have to obtain permission before they are allowed to store files on a consumer’s computer. The new law is designed to control the use of small files such