Countdown to new consumer laws

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text] Businesses have until 1st October to get ready for new consumer rights and dispute resolution procedures Consumers have new rights from October, including a 30-day period to claim a full refund on faulty goods and, for the first time, protections on digital content purchases. They can also challenge unfair or hidden trading terms. … Read more

Hot dates and hot data

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]Reports that an extramarital dating site has been hacked recently may have given its customers more than the usual worry that accompanies news of cyber-crime. Following on the heels of many other high profile hacking cases, such as Sony in the United States, organisations are being forced to look ever more carefully at their … Read more

Property owners win and lose in Osborne’s first fully Tory budget

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]Action towards a new living wage caught the headlines as Chancellor George Osborne delivered his first Budget statement under a Tory majority, alongside good news for families who want to pass on their property wealth to future generations.   The Chancellor announced that economic growth forecasts would be held for 2015 and 2016, but … Read more

Employers need fit practices to match new Fit for Work service

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]Employers should review their procedures and contracts of employment to match the new Government-funded initiative ‘Fit for Work’. A work-related health advice service designed to help employees stay in or return to work, the Fit for Work helpline is now up and running, with its referral services being rolled out across England, Wales and … Read more

When comments are advertisements…

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]Businesses must make sure they are not breaching advertising regulations when they update their social media feeds. The reminder follows the news that Diageo’s Guinness® UK brand has been cleared by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) of implying that alcohol could improve a person’s week, after a tweet on the brand’s social media account … Read more

Taking stock of UK and overseas property

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]Property valuations and holiday logs are top of the list for expats and owners of overseas holiday homes under new rules   British expats and people with foreign holiday homes must take stock to deal with the new tax regime that came into force this month.   Capital Gains Tax (CGT) has been extended … Read more

Nailing down agreements on divorce

A Supreme Court ruling will allow a former wife to make a claim for a share of the fortune amassed by her husband 30 years after they parted, as no binding consent order was made when they divorced. Kathleen Wyatt has been granted permission to lodge a belated claim against multi-millionaire Dale Vince, who made … Read more

Battle of forms highlights a hard truth for company contracts

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]Two companies who went to court in an argument over whose terms and conditions applied to a contract between them, have both lost out. The ruling from the High Court has said that neither company made enough efforts to deliver up their terms and conditions to the other side, leaving both without a leg … Read more

Osborne puts inheritance tax under the spotlight

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]The matter of inheritance is top of the agenda for Chancellor George Osborne in the countdown to the general election and the subject was also a hot topic in his Spring budget statement. The Chancellor announced that the UK economy grew 2.6% in 2014, faster than any other advanced economy but lower than the … Read more

More parents can ask for time off from next month

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text] New rules for parents wanting time off to look after their children will come into force in April, including the much debated option for parents of new babies to share 50 weeks of leave. And as the deadline looms, businesses are being warned to make sure they’re prepared, or risk claims for discrimination … Read more

Changes in law open door to off-limits creative work

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]Copyright holders of creative works are being urged to make their mark and claim their rights, following the launch of a new licensing scheme that will enable reproduction of so-called ‘orphan’ creative works and performances. Orphan works are copyright works where the right holder is unknown or cannot be traced and in the past … Read more

Tribunal Decision Shakes Up Personal Use Of Office Email

Employees who use their company account for personal email exchanges get a wake-up call after an employment tribunal ruling that the privacy of such messages is not protected.   An employee has failed in an attempt to have the content of personal messages he sent from his work email account excluded from a disciplinary investigation. … Read more

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