In August 2013, UK Home Office officials, with British police officers in tow, conducted a series of checks, mainly at railway stations, as they sought to find immigrants illegally living in the UK. As well as the spot checks at transport hubs there were raids on workplaces, targeting employers who offer work to illegal immigrants. …
Continue reading “Controlling immigration: an Asian perspective”
Much has been made about the European Commission’s proposals to extend the scope of the EU Merger Regulation1 to apply to the acquisition of non-controlling minority interests. As explained in previous articles in this publication, these proposals were motivated largely by the Commission’s frustration at not being able to regulate the minority shareholding that Ryanair …
The Water Bill (the Bill) has been long awaited. While it is not as ambitious as some may have hoped, the proposals set out in the Bill will have implications for current water and sewerage companies, current and potential licensees and customers. The proposals are at their core intended both to drive efficiency and increase …
Exclusion clauses are a key mechanism for managing risk in contractual arrangements. In particular, exclusion clauses are commonly used to exclude liability for breaches of the contract, or other contractual claims arising out of it, although they may also seek to exclude liability more widely.
As readers of this magazine will know, legal professional privilege (LPP) is a shorthand expression for the main category of information that a court may not compel a party to produce, even if it would be relevant to a matter before the court. This article summarises the status of LPP in Scots law (including the …
Continue reading “Legal professional privilege in Scotland and elsewhere”
Life for those who look after children can feel like one long risk assessment. When purchasing products designed specifically for children, parents expect the highest safety standards. Sarah Croft, of Shook, Hardy & Bacon International, assesses product liability issues and the regulatory environment for children’s products in Europe and the UK.
The recent decision of the Supreme Court in Vestergaard Frandsen A/S (now known as MVF 3 ApS) & ors v Bestnet Europe Ltd & ors[2013] provides a helpful discussion of the circumstances in which an employee can or cannot be held liable for a breach of confidential information. The Supreme Court said that, ultimately, liability …
Continue reading “Former employee slips through the net in breach of confidence claim”
The UK government launched a consultation on the prevention of illegal working on 9 July 2013. The proposed changes to the civil penalty regime signal a tougher approach to dealing with businesses that employ illegal workers and those who have overstayed their visas.
On 11 June 2013, the European Commission published a package of measures aimed at making it easier for victims of illegal cartels and other violations of European law to recover damages before national courts throughout the European Union.
A combination of government policy and consumer and shareholder pressure over recent years has led to many UK companies developing and implementing corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes, which for some are becoming an integral part of their brand. A common aspect of many CSR programmes is a commitment to reduce energy usage, increase energy efficiency …