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Early Neutral Evaluation: A game-changer for resolving sports disputes

Early Neutral Evaluation (ENE) is becoming an increasingly valuable tool in UK dispute resolution. While commonly used in business and contractual disagreements, ENE is also gaining traction in the world of professional sports, where legal conflicts often involve sponsorship deals, regulatory issues, and financial disputes between clubs, players, and governing bodies. Recent high-profile sports disputes, …
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The Procurement Act 2023: new regime goes live

The Procurement Act 2023 is now in force. Explore our Procurement teams’ top takeaways on the Government’s strategic priorities following publication of the new National Procurement Policy Statement. On 13 February 2025, the Cabinet Office published the long-awaited National Procurement Policy Statement (NPPS), reinvigorating a focus on public bodies using procurement to achieve public benefit. …
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Is it worth appealing against a Charity Commission trustee disqualification order?

In February 2025 we saw the first successful overturning of a Charity Commission trustee disqualification order. The Commission had disqualified Mr Mond, a former trustee, for two and a half years, based on some social media activity while Mr Mond was a trustee. Mr Mond appealed the order to the First Tier Tribunal.  The Tribunal found that …
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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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The Charities Act 2022, explained: revisiting the key changes to the rules relating to charity land

Now that the majority of the changes to the rules on disposals of charity land introduced by the Charities Act 2022 have been implemented on a phased basis, we revisit the various key amendments which could save charities time and money when disposing of property. What do you need to know? Part 7 of the …
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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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New company guide empowers UK company directors to embed sustainability information in financial reporting

Bates Wells has contributed to a new guide, issued by the True & Fair Project, to support UK company directors who have decided that information relating to sustainability issues is necessary for their accounts to give a true and fair view. ‘Are Your Financial Statements True and Fair?’ underscores directors’ legal obligation to consider sustainability …
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Government considers a range of cost protection options for claimants bringing discrimination claims

Most organisations will, at some point, have to respond to a claim (meritorious or not) alleging discrimination under the Equality Act 2010. The usual rule for most litigation before the courts in England and Wales is that the loser pays the winner’s costs (or at least pays a proportion of them). The government is considering …
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How does the VAT fundraising exemption apply to your charity’s events?

On 9 January 2025 the Upper Tribunal released its decision in the Yorkshire Agricultural Society case [2025] UKUT 00004 (TCC). The outcome of this case clarifies the application of the VAT fundraising exemption for charities. The Tribunal concluded that fundraising events, even when intertwined with furthering the charity’s primary objectives, can benefit from VAT exemption. …
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Bates Wells advises ICAPE Holding on the acquisition of ALR Services

Bates Wells has advised ICAPE Holding on its acquisition of ALR Services Limited, a UK based company specialising in the procurement 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 global network of 39 subsidiaries, the Group …
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What’s next for UK environmental protection?

On 24 January, the Climate and Nature (CAN) Bill was ‘adjourned’ to 11 July after politicians were denied the opportunity for a ‘free vote’ to advance the Bill to its next stage. Instead, the government has promised that next steps will include binding commitments to advance the CAN Bill’s objectives, including for legislation. We considered …
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Too good to be true? New legislation cracks down on fake consumer reviews.

The new Digital Markets Competition and Consumers Act came into force on 1 January 2025, bringing in a raft of changes to competition law for organisations in the UK. In this series we’ll be looking at key sections of the Act, and what this means in practice for businesses and charities.   With more and …
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