Updates

When AI becomes a management tool: what are the employment law implications?

AI is fast becoming embedded in day-to-day people management. Employers are experimenting with algorithmic tools to shortlist candidates, score interviews, allocate shifts, forecast demand, monitor productivity, flag performance issues, support redundancy exercises and even trigger investigations and dismissal processes. Whilst in recent years, the adoption and integration of AI has been concentrated in large tech …
Read more

Fixed-term contracts: when does expiry mean redundancy?

Fixed-term contracts are a familiar part of workforce planning. They can be useful when an employer needs cover for a project, a temporary funding stream, maternity leave, or a defined piece of work with a clear end point. But their apparent simplicity can be misleading. When a fixed-term contract reaches its end date and is …
Read more

Navigating the refreshed Charity Governance Code: key takeaways from our panel event

On 10 September, we hosted a discussion on the refreshed Charity Governance Code, bringing together Radojka Miljevic, Independent Chair of the Code Steering Group, Mo Wiltshire, Senior Governance Consultant at NCVO, and Mark Abbott, Partner at Bates Wells. The session was chaired by Bates Wells Partner Simon Steeden. As Radojka Miljevic explained, this is the …
Read more

People and Workplace round-up | 17 September

Welcome to our 5-minute round-up of people and workplace updates, hand-picked to help HR teams. Catch up on: EAT clarifies material factor defence in equal pay dispute: market-driven warehouse pay can be justified HR teams should take note of fresh guidance from the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) on how to frame and evidence market-related pay …
Read more

Article 10: A new key to unlock access information held by public authorities

The Upper Tribunal’s recent decision in Cruelty Free International v Information Commissioner and Home Office [2026] UKUT 328 is one of the most important freedom of information judgments in recent years. The specially convened three-judge panel finally recognised that UK law includes a right (under Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights) to …
Read more

FAQs: Restricted funds and endowments

What are restricted funds and endowments? A charity doesn’t always have the freedom to use its funds for its general purposes. Sometimes donors impose restrictions which limit the charity’s scope to use the donation freely. There are two main restrictions. Restrictions on purposes A restricted fund is a fund which must be used for a …
Read more

Right to Work checks are changing – is your organisation ready? Download our checklist

From 1 October 2026, the Right to Work (RtW) regime expands beyond traditional employment to include worker contracts, individual sub contractors, and online matching services. This critical shift means civil penalties of up to £60,000 per illegal worker may extend beyond the direct employer and, in some circumstances, up the supply chain. The new provisions …
Read more

Understanding and unlocking restricted legacies

Legacies to charities usually fall into one of the categories below: Legacies falling into the second category are ‘restricted legacies’. What does this mean for your charity? Can those restrictions be lifted? And how should legacies in category 3 be treated? What is a restricted legacy? A restricted legacy is subject to binding legal restrictions …
Read more

The year in education: Looking back and looking ahead

As schools, colleges and academy trusts prepare for the start of the new academic year, we reflect on the last 12 months and consider what lies ahead for the education sector. The coming years are expected to bring one of the most significant periods of policy reform in recent memory. In November 2025, the Department …
Read more

Breaking down cookies: a guide

One of the main practical changes introduced by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 (the “DUAA”) relates to cookies and similar technologies (which we refer to collectively in this blog as “cookies”). With this in mind, we wanted to take the opportunity to demystify the rules around cookies under UK data protection law, and …
Read more

Climate clauses in real estate: why they matter more than ever

Across the property industry, climate and ESG ambitions should no longer be considered as optional. Inefficient, high-carbon buildings are becoming harder to let, insure and finance; there is increasing investor pressure, and organisations are publicly committing to doing better. Real estate is particularly exposed to the risks of climate change. Leases, funding agreements and construction …
Read more

Mandatory MFA for all SMS users: what sponsors need to know now

Update: The Home Office released a step by step guide to sponsors on Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) on 28 August 2026 which you can find here. The Home Office is introducing mandatory Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for all Sponsorship Management System (SMS) users. MFA adds a one-time passcode (OTP) step to the existing username and password login. …
Read more