Updates

Independent Football Regulator: getting ready

The Bill introducing the Independent Football Regulator is currently making its way through the legislative system. It will be operational later this year. Under the new regulatory framework, all professional football clubs will be required to obtain a licence to participate in English men’s football competitions. The Bill is subject to change, but there are …
Read more

Our Response to the Law Commission’s Consultation on Co-operatives and Community Benefit Societies

December 2024 saw the submission of our firm’s response to the Law Commission’s consultation on the Co-operatives and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014. In preparing our response we worked alongside the Charity Law Association and a group of lawyers from other leading firms in this sector. The consultation covers a range of issues, from fundamental …
Read more

Lord Briggs defends fixed recoverable costs regime for professional negligence cases

In a speech for the Professional Negligence Lawyers Association, Lord Briggs championed voluntary adjudication and gave qualified support to the use of fixed costs and one way costs-shifting to promote access to justice. On 11 November 2024, Bates Wells was pleased to host an event to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the PNLA’s formation. In …
Read more

It’s beginning to sound a lot like Christmas…

The arrival of the festive season is usually a time for merriment but for employers it brings with it the challenges involved with sourcing additional staff. It’s important that you don’t let practices slip, otherwise, you may find yourselves in tricky situations. Here are our top tips for HR directors this festive season to help …
Read more

Faith-based Organisations: 2024 and 2025 update

Welcome to our annual faith-based update. In this packed edition, we cover a range of issues that commonly present challenges for faith-based organisations and explore recent developments that will impact faith-based charities. In this edition, we explore: Read the update here or download a copy here. We hope you enjoy this update and find it …
Read more

The Football Governance Bill – does Rugby Union need its own independent regulator?

English sport has traditionally followed a model of self-governance. However, times are changing. The Independent Football Regulator is being introduced imminently, and the England and Wales Cricket Board has opted to create its own arms-length regulator. In this series, Clara Hutter and Ben Thomas look at rugby union and ask whether a similar approach to …
Read more

Strategic litigation and the water crisis

A few weeks ago, the March for Clean Water swept through London, with thousands demanding action on water pollution. The scale of the crisis is undeniable; only 14% of English rivers are ranked as having “good” or better ecological status, and over 10% of our freshwater and wetland species are threatened with extinction.[1] The Labour …
Read more

Changing seasons heralding changes to private rented sector

This month we saw a test case brought in the High Court by a group of registered social landlords in Wales who sought clarification on whether contract-holders were required to pay rent whilst a landlord was in breach of their obligation to provide them with electrical condition reports.   The Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 …
Read more

The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 – an update on the timetable of changes

Our first blog in this series gave an overview of the main reforms being brought in under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023.  Our second blog explained the initial raft of changes that came into force on 4 March 2024.  These included new procedures for companies, as well as new powers for Companies …
Read more

Managing member disputes: what’s changed for social and private members’ clubs?

In the recent case of Gina Mok v The Lansdowne Club, Mr Justice Ritchie dismissed Gina Mok’s claim against The Lansdowne Club in its entirety. Bates Wells Leticia Jennings  and Katy Sawyer and David Reade KC acted for the Club throughout, and our statement about the judgment can be found here. A significant case for social and private members’ …
Read more

Impact investing: key trends for 2024 and beyond

With increased awareness about the need for impactful decision-making, business operations and investments (both on a personal and corporate level), it is unsurprising that the rise in impact investing continues. The Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN) estimates that over 3,907 organizations currently manage $1.571 trillion USD in impact investing AUM worldwide, representing 21% compound annual …
Read more

How corporate foundations can help give life to a purpose-driven business’ impact goals

Do you want to create greater positive impact that goes beyond your business? If you do, you might want to think about setting up a corporate foundation. In the UK, corporate foundations are usually registered charities set up by a commercial company. A corporate foundation works in long-term partnership with the business, maintaining a level …
Read more