News

Government publishes response to Law Commission report on Technical Issues in Charity Law

On 22 March, the government published its long-awaited response to the Law Commission’s September 2017 report, Technical Issues in Charity Law.  The Law Commission had made a number of recommendations for amendments to the Charities Act 2011, designed to make charity regulation more effective and the legal framework easier to navigate.  This was not a …
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Making money in your sleep? The Supreme Court rules on national minimum wage entitlement for carers working sleep-in shifts.

The Supreme Court has reached a decision in Royal Mencap Society v Tomlinson-Blake , which will have ramifications across the care sector and beyond. In a highly anticipated case, the Supreme Court has decided that care workers carrying out sleep-in shifts are only entitled to the National Minimum Wage (NMW) for the hours they are …
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To advertise or not advertise a role? What does the Home Office expect?

Find out what has changed in light of updated immigration guidance for employers, published by the Home Office. On 16 March 2021, the Home Office published updated guidance on what documents must be retained by employers sponsoring migrants under various categories of the points based system. The updated guidance will be well received by sponsors …
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Bates Wells provides “invaluable advice” throughout the sale of the RCOG’s world-class academic research journal

This transaction demonstrates Bates Wells’ growing expertise in the healthcare sector and the international reach of our M&A practice.  Bates Wells’ M&A team acted for long-standing client The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (“RCOG“) on the sale of its world-class academic research journal “BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology” (“Journal“) to the US-based …
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Bates Wells Impact Report 2021

The story so far – extraordinary times, amazing people. As a B Corp, we’re committed to reporting on our impact in each year that we don’t certify. However, our 2021 Impact Report doesn’t just meet that requirement. It helps us to stay accountable and be transparent with our environmental goals, our people and our community. It puts …
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Press covers Bates Wells’ Supreme Court win over Uber

Following the Supreme Court’s landmark decision that Uber drivers are workers, Paul Jennings and Rachel Mathieson have been speaking to the media about the impact of the judgment. In the week following the Supreme Court ruling, which is set to have major implications for workers across the gig economy, Paul Jennings and Rachel Mathieson were …
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NCVO launches its “Rebalancing the Relationship” report on charities and collaborative working

The report is a thought-provoking read for any charities and social enterprises who work in collaboration (or are thinking about it). In February, NCVO published its report on “Rebalancing the Relationship”. The report is the conclusion of a two year project looking at how charities can successfully work together in partnership to deliver greater impact …
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Employees working abroad: your complete guide

During the Covid-19 pandemic, a number of UK employers have permitted employees to work in other jurisdictions – but what are the legal and practical considerations for employers? In the “new normal”, many UK companies have being dealing with requests from employees to work abroad, in some cases because people have been stranded abroad due …
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Employment Insight: can employers require their employees to be vaccinated against Covid-19?

In the wake of the commencement of the government’s vaccination programme, aimed at immunising the majority of the UK population against the Covid-19 virus, several UK employers have stated that they will be setting up systems to track which of their staff have received the vaccine.  Others have gone a step further, and have announced …
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Bates Wells wins ground-breaking worker status case against Uber in the Supreme Court

The unanimous and emphatic victory for the drivers will have significant implications for an estimated 5.5 million individuals engaged in ‘gig’ work.   Following a five year legal battle, Bates Wells’ Paul Jennings and Rachel Mathieson successfully represented the lead claimants, James Farrar and Yaseen Aslam, in the first Supreme Court case concerning the status …
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Uber CoA case: Paul Jennings and Rachel Mathieson write for The Times

Paul Jennings and Rachel Mathieson from our Employment team have written an opinion piece for Times Law setting out why they believe workers’ rights should not be overlooked by gig employers. Paul and Rachel are representing Claimants James Farrar and Yaseen Aslam in their case against Uber before the Court of Appeal on the 30th …
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Bates Wells represent Uber drivers in landmark case in the Court of Appeal

Ground-breaking gig economy case set to have a significant impact on the rights of 2.8 million On 30 and 31 October London law firm, Bates Wells, will represent the lead Claimants in their landmark Court of Appeal (CoA) case against global transportation provider, Uber. The CoA hearing, follows last year’s ruling by the Employment Appeal …
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