Karen Collins

Working 9 to 5… Can you ask your workforce to return to the office full-time?

It has been reported that Manchester United minority shareholder, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, has told employees they need to return to the office full-time, citing a boost to productivity and reduction in email traffic as his reasons for the move. It is also reported that he told staff they should seek “alternative employment” if they were …
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Legal Update from the Public Law team: FDA Judicial Review challenge of the Rwanda Act 2024

The Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration Bill) has now been passed by both Houses of Parliament and received Royal Assent. The Government accepted only limited amendments to the legislation during its passage. Accordingly, the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Act 2024 (“the Act”) makes a statutory declaration that Rwanda is a “safe” country, which …
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The SLAPP Bill: is enough being done to protect campaigners?

In recent years, we have seen a rise in strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) being used to intimidate and silence journalists, charities, and campaigners (SLAPPS claims usually centre on privacy or defamation). These aggressive legal proceedings misuse the litigation process to suppress freedom of expression and discourage public criticism. The introduction of the Strategic …
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Bates Wells’ and Fair Game CIC’s goal to amend the Football Governance Bill

Bates Wells has been working with Fair Game CIC to amend and improve the Football Governance Bill, which will introduce the Independent Football Regulator. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to craft a regulatory regime which puts the interests of fans, people and the planet at the heart of footballing governance. The original Bill was lacking …
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Bates Wells Announces Partnership with Making the Leap to Support Aspiring Solicitor Apprentices

Bates Wells today announces that the firm has partnered with leading societal change charity, Making The Leap, on the provision of assessment centre preparation and support for aspiring solicitor apprentices. Candidates who have been invited to the firm’s competitive apprenticeship assessment centres have been offered the opportunity to join Making The Leap for two days …
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Ethics washing – top tips to help protect your charity

Ethics washing, greenwashing, bluewashing, ethical laundering, eco washing… the list of terms continues to grow, and with it grows the risk of charities coming under scrutiny if what they do doesn’t align with their stated values. Simple mistakes, inaccuracies or misleading claims can have big consequences, risking lasting reputational damage among key stakeholders, loss of …
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Climate change – it’s everyone’s fight

“Climate change” and “climate crisis” have become synonymous with young people and their futures. But climate change is happening right now. A problem with talking about climate change in terms of young people only, is that it gives energy companies, unscrupulous governments and others who wilfully contribute to climate change, a reason to kick the …
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Are you sleepwalking into significant liabilities in relation to UK based consultants?

Many US organisations appoint self-employed consultants to scope out the merits and practicalities of carrying out operations in the UK. While this often makes good sense, if a decision is subsequently taken to actively carry out those operations, the consultant is often the person who takes that on and so their role evolves. This evolution …
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Phasing out of Biometric Residence Permits (BRPs) and other paper-based residence documents: what you need to know

What is happening? For nearly a decade, migrants in the UK have been issued with a plastic ID card called a Biometric Residence Permit, which they can use to prove their residence rights – this is now all about to change. By the end of the year, the Home Office is seeking to phase-out physical …
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Has your organisation been affected by the FTX fallout?

If you’ve been following the news over the last few months, and in particular the last couple of weeks, you’ll have seen the headlines surrounding Sam Bankman-Fried – the co-founder of the failed cryptocurrency exchange platform, FTX, who oversaw the high profile failure of the business that was initially said to have cost its clients …
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Holiday pay for irregular workers (and some positive developments for employers)

The question of how to pay holiday pay to workers working irregular hours has for many years been a vexed one. Rolling up holiday pay has technically been unlawful (although as a matter of pragmatism it has remained a wide-spread practice). In 2022 the Supreme Court in Harpur Trust v Brazel cast doubt on the …
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What’s still to come in 2024? Upcoming immigration changes

2024 has already been a year of rapid change for the UK’s most-used immigration routes. The rest of the year looks set to be no less eventful and in particular, important changes to both the Skilled Worker and partner routes will be coming into force in early April.   Common themes of the new measures …
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