Karen Collins

The Data Protection and Digital Information Bill and the government’s legislative programme – lowering privacy standards

The government’s vision of developing a “world-leading data policy” and “unleashing the power of data” may be undermined by its own legislative agenda.  Together, the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill, the ‘Brexit Freedoms Bill’ and the Bill of Rights are likely to lower data protection standards in the UK by undermining the central underpinning …
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What ESG lessons can businesses learn from impact investing firms?

Nirav Patel, our new Corporate Partner, shares some thoughts on how businesses can learn Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”) best practice from impact investing firms. Nirav Patel is a corporate partner at Bates Wells and has experience advising on Corporate M&A (including with deals featuring international / cross-border elements), Corporate Real Estate M&A, corporate structuring …
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UK Covid-19 Inquiry: New documents uploaded to the website

The Inquiry’s website was updated late last week with several new documents. Among these were the Chair’s opening statement, the scope for the first element of the Inquiry’s investigations, and the core participant protocol. The opening statement sets out the Chair’s intention to address the breadth of the Terms of Reference by grouping different aspects …
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Volunteers – Top tips for creating a volunteer agreement  

Volunteers are a crucial resource for charities, and voluntary organisations often heavily rely on their volunteers to provide the assistance and services that they seek to deliver. Accordingly, organisations can find themselves in difficulties if those volunteers do not deliver what is expected of them and this has a knock-on effect on the charity’s services …
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Blog: Data Protection and Digital Information Bill introduced in Parliament

Our head of Data Privacy, Eleonor Duhs, considers the implication of a new Bill being introduced at this time, flouting the usual conventions. A Data Protection and Digital Information Bill is being introduced in Parliament today, 18 July 2022. This is surprising in terms of timing. Parliament rises on Thursday for summer recess. The Institute for Government …
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Employing shared staff

If you are thinking of collaborating by sharing employees with another organisation you need to understand the two options – secondments and joint employment contracts. Here we look at the differences between them.
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5 Top Tips on competition and collaboration

You want to collaborate with another organisation and create positive impact but are worried about falling foul of competition law? You shouldn’t be. In this mini guide we set out five competition law tips to follow when embarking on a collaboration. From understanding what competition law prohibits, through to what is likely to get a …
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Charities update: focus on governance

Read our charities update focusing on governance. The piece provides practical steps to achieving best practice in legal and structural governance – and avoiding pitfalls. It covers: DIY governance reviewRefreshing your constitution How and when to delegateThe chair and chief executiveManaging board disputes
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Bates Wells honoured as a Best for the World™ B Corp of 2022!

Bates Wells has been named a 2022 Best for the World™ B Corp, in recognition of its exceptional positive impact in the category of governance. The Best for the World award is a distinction granted by the B Lab to certified B Corps whose verified B Impact Scores in the five impact areas evaluated in …
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Does your company have a sole director? If so, you might need to modify your Articles of Association

If your company has a sole director and has adopted an unmodified version of the Model Articles of Association for private companies limited by shares, you may want to consider changing your articles of association or appoint another director as soon as possible. The recent High Court decision in the case of Hashmi v Lorimer-Wing …
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Boris Johnson’s resignation and data protection reform:  a moment of challenge for UK data adequacy?

Our head of Data and Privacy, Eleonor Duhs, considers what Johnson’s resignation could mean for upcoming legislative changes. Following Boris Johnson’s resignation as leader of the Conservative Party, the principle which applies (and which Boris Johnson has reportedly accepted) is that no new major policies should be brought forward until a successor is appointed.  The …
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Bates Wells recognises challenges faced by transgender employees when seeking to evidence a right to work

Our immigration team are working to persuade UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) to close a gap in their guidance for employers who wish to employ someone that recently changed gender. Introduction Transgender people often face challenges when documenting their gender identity. A specific barrier has been identified by our Immigration Team in that current UKVI …
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