Employment Rights Act 2025: Key Changes and What Employers Need to Know as Reforms Take Effect
The Employment Rights Act 2025 (ERA 2025) received Royal Assent on 18 December 2025. It amends the law relating to employment rights to enhance employee protections, bringing major changes throughout 2026 and 2027. With key provisions now in force and further reforms due to take effect throughout 2026 and 2027, our Employment Lawyers outline the...
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Caveats: Warning & Appearances – What Are They?
When somebody dies their property and finances, known as their ‘Estate’, need to be dealt with. The people that deal with the estate are known as the Personal Representatives or “PR’s”. To be able to act in this role they must send certain documents, including the deceased Will (if they have one), to the Probate Registry. If the probate registry...
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What Trusts Must Be Registered?
What trusts must be registered? If you are a trustee of an existing trust or if you are creating a new trust, then you need to be aware of wide-ranging changes to the requirements to register a trust with HMRC. It used to be the case that only trusts incurring a tax liability had to be registered with HMRC, but the changes mean that most trusts...
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New Legislation to Combat Redundancy and Notice Pay “Loophole” and what is the Job Retention Bonus?
On 30 July 2020, the Government announced that it would be introducing new legislation intended to remove a “loophole” that allowed employers to pay employees’ redundancy and notice pay based on employees’ furlough wages. This legislation came into force on 31 st July 2020. The legislation applies to employees that have been furloughed, it does...
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Ten Top Tips for Going Through Probate
Here are Ten Top Tips for Going Through Probate: 1. You need a good list. A list will help you manage the estate. For each asset of the estate, you need to confirm its value as at the date of death, include it in the Inheritance Tax return and ultimately you will need to sell it or transfer it to a beneficiary. All liabilities need to be...
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Defendant’s Guide to Design Right Infringement
What are design rights? Design rights protect the appearance, shape and configuration of a product and can be registered or unregistered. Design owners can apply for a UK Registered Design mark or a Community Registered Design mark. A registered design must meet certain criteria and must be: Novel; Of individual character; and Not excluded by...
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Claimant’s Guide to Design Right Infringement
What are design rights? Design rights protect the appearance, shape and configuration of a product and can be registered or unregistered. Design owners can apply for a UK Registered Design mark or a Community Registered Design mark. A registered design must meet certain criteria and must be: Novel; Of individual character; and Not excluded by...
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Contentious Probate and Time Limits
It is strongly recommended to seek advice regarding any civil claim as swiftly as possible to avoid disappointment. In cases being brought against the estate of somebody who has died (commonly referred to as “contentious probate claims”) it is particularly relevant For the most common types of claims, the following time limits exist: Type of...
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RC v JC: a landmark case in relationship generated disadvantage
A wife has been awarded £400,000 in compensation for sacrificing her career as a solicitor during her marriage. The judge in the divorce case of RC v JC [2020] EWHC 466 (Fam) found that there was sufficient ‘relationship generated disadvantage’ to justify awarding the wife the compensation. Mr Justice Moor made it clear that this case is not a...
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Video Witnessing of Wills
The Government is to legalise witnessing of wills via a video link to help make the process easier during the coronavirus pandemic. Currently, the law states that a Wil must be made in the presence of at least two witnesses. This has prompted much debate about whether two people are technically present if they watch someone sign a Will via a...
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Changes to the Retail Price Index (RPI)
What is the Retail Price Index (RPI)? RPI is the headline rate of inflation which is announced by the Government each month. In the March 2020 budget, proposals were published to address the shortcomings of RPI which, it is thought, often overestimates or underestimates the rates of inflation. This change was originally proposed to take place in...
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Be aware: Empty properties are at an increased risk of property fraud
Empty properties are at a much higher risk of being susceptible to property fraud. Fraudsters will often take advantage of the fact that a property is unoccupied and may use forged identity documents to alter the ownership of the property and to take control of the ownership of it. The occurrence of this type of fraud has been rising. In a recent...
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Trademark Infringement: Red Bull v Big Horn
In the recent trademark infringement case between Red Bull v Big Horn UK Ltd and others; His Honour Judge Kelyn Bacon QC held that Big Horn had infringed several EU trademark registrations owned by Red Bull. This was because Big Horn had advertised and sold energy drinks and bottled water under various Big Horn signs in the UK and elsewhere in...
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