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The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 – ID verification

Posted on 7 March 2025 and updated on 11 April 2025 In this blog, we continue our series on the reforms under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 and update you on the new identity verification regime. What is identity verification and who needs to do it? The Act requires the following people …
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Contemplating redundancies? Top tips for employers

In the wake of a number of well-known companies and charities announcing plans to cut jobs over the past few weeks, and the Guardian newspaper reporting that UK employers are preparing for the biggest redundancy round in a decade amid declining business confidence and tax increases coming into force in April 2025, it seems that …
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Navigating the expression of protected beliefs and social media use in the workplace: lessons from Higgs v Farmor’s School [2025] EWCA Civ 109

The question of how to navigate the expression of protected beliefs in the workplace, particularly where those beliefs may not be universally shared or agreed with by co-workers, remains a hot topic for employers; not least in the context of balancing “gender critical” beliefs and the rights of transgender individuals.  This issue has become all …
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Bates Wells advises Tearfund on innovative financing transaction

Bates Wells has advised the international charity Tearfund on a ground-breaking risk transfer transaction supporting their humanitarian relief activities in Nepal, Ethiopia, Malawi and Pakistan. The transaction involves the provision of a natural disaster risk transfer facility from Global Parametrics, part-funded by Humanity Insured. Global Parametrics is an organisation that structures parametric risk transfer solutions …
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Is your charity ready for the Online Safety Act?

The Online Safety Act (the “OSA”) imposes a range of duties on in-scope online services, aiming in particular to protect children from harmful content and to protect all users from illegal online content and activity. While the OSA received Royal Assent in 2023, the majority of its provisions will come into force in 2025 with …
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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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