Read our latest articles, news briefs and legal updates across all our different services.
Grandparents may be granted stronger legal rights to see their grandchildren under proposals being considered by Prime Minister Theresa May and the Ministry of Justice. Justice Minister Lucy Frazer said her department was considering changing the law so there is a “presumption” that grandparents should be able to see their grandchildren unless there are reasons
The government is making it easier for developers to convert agricultural buildings into family homes. Currently developers are permitted to create a maximum of three homes from agricultural buildings on farmland. This is set to rise to five. It’s part of the government’s plan to meet local housing needs more efficiently. The new measures will
A father has successfully appealed against a ruling that would have allowed his former partner to take their son to live in Colombia. The case involved a British father and Colombian mother who had a three-year-old son from a relationship that ended before the child was born. The child regularly saw his father and paternal
The Court of Appeal has provided useful guidance on when an employee can claim constructive unfair dismissal based on a “final straw” event following a series of related grievances. The issue arose in the case of Harpreet Kaur who worked for Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. There was an altercation between Ms Kaur and another
A cycle courier with a taxi firm was a ‘worker’ rather than a self-employed contractor and so was entitled to holiday pay. That was the decision of the Employment Appeal Tribunal in a case involving Addison Lee Ltd and one of its riders, Mr C Gascoigne. Addison provided a taxi and courier service. Mr Gascoigne’s
HMRC is continuing to clamp down on firms that fail to pay the National Minimum Wage and is urging underpaid workers to come forward and complain. The latest figures show that the number of workers getting the money they’re owed has doubled over the last year. In 2017 to 2018, HMRC investigators identified £15.6m in
A police force discriminated against a male officer by paying him less while he was on shared parental leave than a woman would have received while on maternity leave. That was the decision of the Employment Appeal Tribunal in a case involving Leicestershire Constabulary and one of its officers. The officer’s claim relied on the
A meat company has been granted an injunction preventing a former employee misusing its confidential information about customers and product prices. The court heard that the company supplied fresh meat to commercial catering customers. One of its employees resigned after working as a sales executive for two-and-a-half years. During his employment, he had direct contact
A sole trader has won a long running battle against a bankruptcy order after his business got into difficulties due to a cash flow crisis. The trader, Mr Rafferty, bought and sold packaging machinery. Some his customers were late settling invoices, so he was unable to pay £14,000 to a company called Sealants International Ltd.
The Government Equalities Office has published new guidance for employers on how to avoid sex discrimination when implementing workplace dress codes. The document, entitled Dress codes and sex discrimination – what you need to know, stresses that while policies on clothes can be a legitimate part of an employer’s terms and conditions of employment, the