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COVID-19 legal update – Your workforce: Could workers who can work from home (and their employers) break the law by returning to the workplace too soon?

Published on 20 May 2020. By Kelly Thomson, Partner, ESG strategy lead and Joanna Holford, Senior Associate

The government has stated that that those who can work from home should do so and those who cannot should go to work. Is it an offence to go to the place of work when it is possible to work from home?

COVID-19 HK: Employment Update

Published on 14 Apr 2020. By Beverly Yee, Senior Associate

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, it is anticipated that more and more businesses will need to make plans for cost-cutting measures.

COVID-19: Your workforce – furloughing - act to mitigate the risk of exposure to tax evasion offences as scheme could be open to abuse

Published on 09 Apr 2020.

Jim Harra, Chief Executive at HMRC, has informed a Treasury Committee meeting that he expects the government's multi-billion pound employee furlough scheme to be targeted by criminals seeking to exploit the £60 billion pledged in Chancellor Rishi Sunak's unprecedented Coronavirus protection package.

Hot off the Press: COVID-19 - Your workforce: a Q&A on claiming for wage costs through the Job Retention Scheme

Published on 27 Mar 2020. By Patrick Brodie, Partner and Kelly Thomson, Partner, ESG strategy lead

On 26th March, HMRC issued guidance on claiming for wage costs through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. We explore some answers to key questions and add some questions of our own.

COVID-19 Your workforce: a caution against putting equality on the backburner

Published on 27 Mar 2020. By Kelly Thomson, Partner, ESG strategy lead and Rachel Pears, Head of Responsible Business

UK business, like much of the rest of the world, is and will, for some time, remain firmly in the grip of COVID-19's tentacles.

COVID 19 Your workforce: What on earth is "furlough"?

Published on 24 Mar 2020. By Kelly Thomson, Partner, ESG strategy lead and Patrick Brodie, Partner

Meaning of furlough, especially in the context of companies dealing with the impact of COVID-19.

COVID-19 Your workforce: pay and costs - practical ideas our clients are exploring

Published on 24 Mar 2020. By Patrick Brodie, Partner and Kelly Thomson, Partner, ESG strategy lead

COVID-19 Your workforce: pay and costs - practical ideas our clients are exploring. These are extraordinary times that place extraordinary pressures on all of us, including dealing with your workforce. We set out below some ideas that we are hearing about from our clients and some areas you may wish to think about in terms of your employee costs.

COVID-19 Your workforce: supporting mental health when home working

Published on 24 Mar 2020. By Kelly Thomson, Partner, ESG strategy lead and Patrick Brodie, Partner

COVID-19 Your workforce: supporting mental health when home working. Many of us are working from home during this crisis and while this can be an effective way of working for some, it is less happy for others; loneliness, caring for vulnerable dependants and challenging home environments are all being experienced. There may be members of your teams who fall into these categories.

Sharpen your blue pencil: the doctrine of severance in employment cases

Published on 15 Aug 2019. By Kelly Thomson, Partner, ESG strategy lead and Patrick Brodie, Partner

In Tillman v Egon Zehnder Ltd [2019] UKSC 32, one such business asked the Supreme Court to reconsider the law and to change it to be fit for modern day purposes. In its landmark judgment handed down in July, the Supreme Court has done so. The core facts of the case are not unusual. Egon Zehnder (EZ) is a global specialist executive search and recruitment business. EZ recruited Mary-Caroline Tillman in 2004. As the High Court judge observed, the company regarded Ms Tillman as “a bit special”. She was recruited into a senior role on a salary of £120,000 and first year bonus of £100,000 and then rose steadily through the ranks of the organisation. By 2012, Ms Tillman was joint global head of the company’s financial services practice and a shareholder in the Swiss holding company.

Gender Pay Gap Reporting – are you ready?

Published on 27 Apr 2016.

Hear Patrick Brodie and Kelly Thomson discuss the requirements on businesses to comply with Gender Pay Gap Reporting legislation.

Some holiday pay reading

Published on 26 Feb 2016.

A new decision on holiday pay and commission.

Employment update, December 2015

Published on 09 Feb 2016.

Implied terms: when can a term be implied into a contract?

Employment update, November 2015

Published on 17 Dec 2015.

Penalty clauses: what is the test where a clause is claimed to be unenforceable?

Employment update, October 2015

Published on 23 Nov 2015.

Whistleblowing: A dispute about terms of employment can be a matter of “public interest”

Employment update, September 2015

Published on 07 Oct 2015.

HR assistance in disciplinary procedures: how much is too much?

Restrictive Covenant Clause Enforced Despite it Containing a Drafting Error

Published on 17 Apr 2014.

The High Court has just handed down its judgment in the case of Prophet Plc v Huggett.

Different Emails, Read Together, Can be a Qualifying Whistleblowing Disclosure

Published on 21 Mar 2014.

In the case of Norbrook Laboratories (2B) Limited v Shaw the EAT considered whether emails sent to different recipients could be taken as a whole to amount to a qualifying disclosure for the purposes of a whistleblowing claim.

British National Working Overseas Has No Right to Bring a Claim in the Employment Tribunals

Published on 07 Feb 2014.

For employers who engage staff to work overseas, determining whether the can bring a claim in the Employment Tribunals is becoming increasing difficult.

Collective Redundancy Consultation: Expiry of Fixed Term Contract Does Not Count Towards 20+ Headcount

Published on 07 Feb 2014. By Patrick Brodie, Partner

University College v University of Stirling [2014] CSIH 5.

Report Card

Published on 28 Jan 2013.

We're casting our critical eye over the Government's employment law proposals and writing its school report.

Faith and Freedom

Published on 27 Jan 2013.

In a debate that has lasted several years, one of my colleagues and I have been at odds on the case of Lillian Ladele, the Islington registrar who refused to conduct civil partnership ceremonies.

The Times recognises RPC among Best Law Firms 2024

Published on 30 Oct 2023.

International law firm, RPC, has been recognised by The Times in its Best Law Firms 2024 report, an annual ranking of the top 250 law firms in England and Wales.

Drones: don't fly out of bounds (legally)

Published on 27 Jul 2016.

Various commercial industries have already woken up to the myriad opportunities offered by drone technologies. Whilst the regulatory regime evolves, it is important that companies don’t fall foul of the law.

Whistle-blowing on illegal cartels drops 70% in 5 years

Published on 18 Sep 2023. By Chris Ross, Partner and Arash Rajai, Partner

Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) recently increased award to £250,000 Calls to the CMA hotline have plummeted from 1,442 in 2017 to 427 in 2022

EU AI ACT-ion stations

Published on 29 Sep 2023. By Helen Armstrong, Partner and Charles Buckworth, Partner

The EU is forging ahead with its vision for AI. With wrapping up talks on the EU AI Act between the EU governments, the Commission and the parliamentary negotiators imminent, we bring you up to date on the EU's risk based approach, the scope of the Act, a timeline, key points that will form the basis of the discussions and next steps.

What To Know About AI Fraudsters Before Facing Disputes

Published on 29 Aug 2023. By Dan Wyatt, Partner and Christopher Whitehouse, Senior Associate

Fraudsters are quick to weaponise new technological developments and artificial intelligence is proving no exception, with AI-assisted scams increasingly being reported in the news, including most recently one using a likeness of a BBC broadcaster.

ICO publishes guidance on AI decision making

Published on 02 Nov 2020. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner

How can companies comply with data regulation when using AI to make decisions affecting individuals?

RPC @ London Tech Week 2024

12 Jun 2024

We are delighted to announce that we will once again be hosting several in-person official fringe events around London Tech Week in June 2024.

Penalty saved by CAS with a little help from English Courts

Published on 06 Jun 2016. By Joshua Charalambous, Partner

UK authorities seize £179m from suspected criminals – up 16% in a year

Published on 16 Oct 2023. By Adam Craggs, Partner and Michelle Sloane, Partner

UK authorities, including the SFO, HMRC and police, seized £179m last year[1] from criminals using draconian Confiscation Orders – an increase of 16% on £154m a year earlier, according to analysis of new data by international law firm RPC.

Code of Conduct for Leasing of Retail Premises to take effect from 1 February 2024

Published on 11 Dec 2023. By Bonnie Wong, Of Counsel

Following from the passing of the Lease Agreements for Retail Premises Bill which mandates compliance with the Code of Conduct for Leasing of Retail Premises in Singapore ("Code") for qualifying leases of retail premises earlier this year, the Lease Agreements for Retail Premises Act ("Act') is expected to take effect from 1 February 2024.

Could I mitigate my losses by using my premises for other purposes?

Published on 14 Apr 2020.

With the inevitable impact of the coronavirus on retail businesses, many will be looking to mitigate their losses. One obvious way of doing this would be to use their premises, often their single largest overhead, for other uses. But is this possible and what must you consider?

Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act becomes law

Published on 04 Jun 2024. By David Cran, Partner, Head of IP & Tech and Chris Ross, Partner and Leonia Chesterfield, Of Counsel and Melanie Musgrave, Of Counsel

Following the announcement of a date for the general election, the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act (DMCC) rapidly sped through the final stages of parliamentary processes to become law on 24 May 2024

Ofcom's 'Roadmap to Regulation' underway with its consultation on illegal harms duties under the Online Safety Act

Published on 12 Jan 2024. By Jessica Kingsbury, Associate

In November, Ofcom, as new online safety regulator, published the first of four major consultations under the Online Safety Act ("OSA"), which sets out its proposals for how "user-to-user" ("U2U") services (essentially any online website or app that allows users to interact with each other) and online search services (i.e. Google, Bing and similar) should approach their illegal content duties under the new legislation. The consultation provides guidance in a number of areas including governance, content moderation, reporting and complaints mechanisms, terms of service, supporting child users, and user empowerment.

Criminal Liability for Senior Managers under the Online Safety Act

Published on 05 Oct 2023. By Jessica Kingsbury, Associate

Under the Online Safety Act (OSA), senior managers of in-scope services could be held personally liable in certain circumstances for the company's non-compliance with obligations within the legislation.

The Online Safety Bill is set to become law

Published on 21 Sep 2023. By Rupert Cowper-Coles , Partner, Media and Nadia Tymkiw, Senior Associate and Jessica Kingsbury, Associate

The Online Safety Bill will shortly become law in the UK as soon as it receives Royal Assent. The legislation will introduce a new regulatory regime for online platforms and search engines which target the UK, imposing wide-ranging obligations on in-scope services with serious consequences for non-compliance.

RPC Insurtech in brief - July 2023

Published on 12 Jul 2023. By Neil Brown, Partner and William Hogarth, Partner and Lauren Murphy, Senior Associate

Welcome to the July 2023 edition of Insurtech in Brief - a selection of the latest insurtech news and developments from across the globe.

RPC Insurtech in brief - March 2023

Published on 15 Mar 2023. By Neil Brown, Partner and William Hogarth, Partner and Lauren Murphy, Senior Associate

Welcome to the March 2023 edition of Insurtech in Brief - a selection of the latest insurtech news and developments from across the globe.

RPC Insurtech in brief - February 2023

Published on 06 Feb 2023. By Neil Brown, Partner and William Hogarth, Partner and Lauren Murphy, Senior Associate

Welcome to the February 2023 edition of Insurtech in Brief - a selection of the latest insurtech news and developments from across the globe.

New Digital Regulators on the 2023 Horizon: the Digital Markets Unit and the European Centre for Algorithmic Transparency

Published on 02 Dec 2022. By David Cran, Partner, Head of IP & Tech and Chris Ross, Partner and Leonia Chesterfield, Of Counsel

For a number of years, the UK Government has been laying the groundwork to bring in a digital markets regime to regulate digital firms designated as having ‘strategic market status’ (SMS). To be designated as having SMS, a firm must have 'substantial and entrenched market power' in at least one activity. Companies having SMS are likely to include the largest tech firms such as Amazon, Apple, Google, Microsoft and Meta (the so called 'GAMMA' firms).

RPC Insurtech in brief - November 2022

Published on 17 Nov 2022. By Neil Brown, Partner and William Hogarth, Partner and Lauren Murphy, Senior Associate

Welcome to the November 2022 edition of Insurtech in Brief - a selection of the latest insurtech news and developments from across the globe.

Digital services providers—Commission to focus on implementation phase of EU consumer protection legislation

Published on 31 Oct 2022. By David Cran, Partner, Head of IP & Tech and Leonia Chesterfield, Of Counsel and Ellie Chakarto, Associate

The Digital Services Act (DSA) and the Digital Markets Act (DMA) are published in the Official Journal and the plenary vote of the European Parliament on the proposed text of the AI Act is expected once amendments are agreed by negotiators. The Commission is now turning its focus to the implementation phase of these landmark regimes. So, what does the future hold for the European tech sector and how might it differ for the UK?

RPC Insurtech in brief - October 2022

Published on 12 Oct 2022. By Neil Brown, Partner and William Hogarth, Partner and Lauren Murphy, Senior Associate

Welcome to the October 2022 edition of Insurtech in brief - a selection of the latest insurtech news and developments from across the globe.

The EU Digital Markets Act - a focus on gatekeeper obligations and sanctions

Published on 12 Oct 2022. By David Cran, Partner, Head of IP & Tech and Leonia Chesterfield, Of Counsel and Joshy Thomas, Knowledge Lawyer

What key obligations will the Digital Markets Act (DMA) impose on online platforms designated as gatekeepers?

Hong Kong's enhanced e-reporting system for internet fraud

Published on 06 Oct 2022. By Jonathan Crompton, Partner

On 19 September 2022, the Hong Kong Police Force announced its upgraded e-reporting system for internet crimes and frauds, which aims to improve the processing and analysing of cyber crimes.

European Parliament formally adopts Digital Services Act

Published on 16 Aug 2022. By David Cran, Partner, Head of IP & Tech and Sophie Tuson, Senior Associate and Joshy Thomas, Knowledge Lawyer

Following provision political agreement by the Council and the European Parliament in April 2022, on 5 July 2022 the European Parliament formally adopted the Digital Services Act (DSA). The DSA has yet to be adopted by the Council.