News

Updated Services Code laid before Parliament

The long-awaited draft Equality and Human Rights Commission’s ‘Code of Practice for services, public functions and associations’ has now been published and laid before Parliament. Read the full guidance here. This updated Services Code will provide guidance on the application of the Equality Act 2010 in light of the Supreme Court’s landmark judgment For Women Scotland, …
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Chetal Patel and Smruti Jeyanandhan contribute to call for evidence on how the UK’s immigration system could best be used to attract global talent

The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) is currently reviewing how the UK’s immigration system could best be used to attract global talent. Their consultation included a call for evidence which our Immigration Partners submitted last week, Chetal Patel commenting on the Global Talent visa route and Smruti Jeyanandhan providing commentary on the Innovator Founder route. On …
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Bates Wells appointed to Crescent Purchasing Consortium (CPC) legal services panel

Bates Wells has been appointed to the Crescent Purchasing Consortium (CPC) legal services panel, enabling education organisations across the UK to access the firm’s specialist legal advice through a compliant and streamlined procurement route. CPC is a national procurement framework supporting the education sector and wider public sector, including maintained schools, academies, multi‑academy trusts (MATs), …
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Mindy Jhittay & Natalia Brownlie discuss how the For Women Scotland judgment affects pupils in Independent Schools Magazine

Mindy Jhittay and Natalia Brownlie have been featured in the December issue of the Independent School of Management, providing their guidance in light of the For Women Scotland Ltd vs The Scottish Ministers (2025) judgment in April. Their article covers aspects of school life that may be affected by the judgment, including lavatories & changing …
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Bates Wells recognised in The Times Best Law Firms 2026

Bates Wells has been named in The Times Best Law Firms 2026, commended for its work in administrative & public law, charities, employment, and immigration. The Times highlighted our work on the Football Governance Act, our advice to the ONE Campaign on challenging the government’s overseas aid cuts; and our groundbreaking work for House of …
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Bates Wells Impact Report 2025

We are united as a firm in our values and in our purpose. We want to use the law as a force for good, helping charities and purposeful businesses to be better and bolder in their choices. We also want to be the best type of business that we can be, and to bring others …
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Scott Leonard discusses key considerations when drafting a chambers constitution in COUNSEL magazine

Scott Leonard, alongside 5 Pump Court Chambers Director, Clare Kelly, considered the key elements of a well-drafted chambers constitution in a recent article “Making Your Chambers Constitution Fit For Purpose” published by COUNSEL. The quality of a chamber’s constitution is often neglected until disputes arise, causing wasted time and rushed amendments that could have been …
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Bates Wells advises ThinkSono on its £4.5m fundraise

Bates Wells has advised pioneering ultrasound AI company, ThinkSono, on its £4.5m fundraise from a mix of institutional funds, PE and private wealth. ThinkSono has built the world’s first AI software for deep vein thrombosis (DVT) detection which can improve the clinical pathway significantly. A ThinkSono Guidance exam typically takes less than 15 minutes using …
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Bates Wells discusses Charitable Funds with Independent Schools Management Magazine

Laura Soley and Alice Faure Walker have published an article in the Independent Schools Management Magazine, April 2025 edition. Their article, “Unlock your funds” gives top tips for independent schools on unlocking charitable restricted and endowment funds for broader use, including changing purposes of funds and accessing capital of endowments.This article should be timely, as we’ve …
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Chetal Patel urges cultural sector to support international creatives seeking moves to UK and boost film and television sector growth

While immigration remains a hot topic in the UK, Bates Wells is calling for the creative sector to lead in championing initiatives that increase the film and TV industry’s diversity. The UK’s film and television industry brings in more than £18 billion to the UK economy and supports almost 300,000 jobs. It is a fast-growing …
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Two thirds of architect practices cannot pay new rates to sponsor overseas skilled workers

Law firms Bates Wells and Kingsley Napley are urging Home Secretary Yvette Cooper to respond to their letter, sent 16 December 2024 (see here), which highlighted the concerns of clients in the architect sector about the impact of minimum salary threshold changes on their ability to recruit and retain the right talent. The architect industry …
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Bates Wells advises ICAPE Holding on the acquisition of Kingfisher PCBS Ltd

Bates Wells has advised ICAPE Holding on their second acquisition in as many months, of Kingfisher PCBS Ltd, a company which is at the forefront of the supply of printed circuit boards (PCBs). Founded in 1999, the ICAPE Group acts as a key technological expert in the PCB and technical parts supply chain. With a …
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