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In the news: Chetal Patel comments on new UK migrant rules

Following Home Secretary James Cleverly’s announcement on the 4th December of the government’s intention to cut migration numbers with a 5 step plan, Chetal Patel spoke with various news outlets to discuss the consequences of these changes. One of the planned actions is to increase the earning threshold for overseas skilled workers from its current …
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Driving purpose AND driving economic recovery….read on to find out more

Last week saw the launch of a new report produced in collaboration by leading think tank Demos and B Lab UK – The Purpose Dividend – exploring the economic impact of being a purpose-driven business. The journey to become a truly purpose-led business isn’t always an easy one and we understand the key stakeholder pressures …
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Data Protection and Digital Information Bill

Summary Ministers have set out a vision for the UK’s technology strategy.  The UK is to become a “tech superpower” by 2030.  This will be achieved by creating “world-leading pro-innovation regulation” and influencing global technical standards.[1]  However, the former Information Commissioner has pointed out that this kind of “digital growth” will only be possible if …
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ClientEarth v Shell: The ‘End of the Road’ may be just the beginning

Summary On 14 November 2023,[1] the Court of Appeal refused environmental NGO, ClientEarth (CE) permission to appeal the High Court’s July 2023 judgment that CE had failed to make out a prima facie case enabling the court to grant permission under the Companies Act 2006  (CA 2006) for it to continue a derivative claim against …
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Compulsory mediation: a sign of things to come

In July this year, the Ministry of Justice announced that mediation will soon be compulsory for money claims worth up to £10,000. The change, which follows a year-long consultation on increasing the use of mediation in the civil justice system, is the clearest sign yet of a decisive shift in approaches to mediation: from encouragement …
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New spending limits for non-party campaigners – what you need to know

Organisations and individuals that campaign ahead of an election (but are not standing candidates themselves) are known as ‘non-party campaigners’. Their activities can be subject to financial restrictions and transparency requirements – particularly during a regulated period. The regulated period is usually 365 days before a general election for ‘general campaigns’ (see below) – so, …
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Spotlight 2023: Real Estate law update

Daniel Farrow, a solicitor in our Real Estate team, shares practical advice on aligning your property strategy with your operational strategy as well as an update on recent real estate law developments including changes to the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) for landlords and tenants. Extra resources: Take a look at our Stay vs go …
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Spotlight 2023: Charity campaigning law update

Suhan Rajkumar, senior associate in our Politics, Elections and Campaigning team, provides practical commentary on campaigning law for charities including an overview and practical examples of the application of CC9, the Lobbying Act and PPERA. If you enjoyed this mini-webinar, catch up on our elections and campaigning resources below: Election ’24 factsheet series This series …
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Trustees’ Week 2023 – celebrating trustees across the UK

It’s Trustees’ Week and we are joining charities around the UK to celebrate the work that trustees do. There are currently over 1 million trustees in the UK working to make a positive impact and support their charities. They bring expertise and guidance to their organisation, from protecting the charities’ objectives to facilitating change and …
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Advised emissions: Towards a climate-aware advisory ecosystem

What are advised emissions and why do they matter? ‘Financed emissions’ refers to the emissions that arise from projects funded by investment. ‘Advertised emissions’ describes emissions that are generated by encouraging increased consumption, particularly of high-emissions products. For lawyers, ‘advised emissions’ are the emissions that we support our clients to generate by providing advice to …
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Creating impact: Bates Wells recognised by The Times Best Law Firms 2024

We’ve been commended by The Times Best Law Firms 2024 for our work for administrative and public law, charities, employment and immigration. The piece acknowledges the sad passing of Andrew Phillips earlier this year, commemorating his contribution to the legal world, and highlighting how Bates Wells continues to use the law as a force for …
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Electronic Travel Authorisation scheme: What you need to know when travelling to the UK

What is an ETA? An Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme has been launched as part of the UK government’s plans to strengthen the UK border through digitisation. The scheme will apply to most visitors to the UK who do not need a visa for stays of less than six months, and who do not have …
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