Archived News from 2020

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Employment & HR

December

Legal Article

CJRS Update 1 December 2020: Holiday Pay

02/12/20

Holiday pay over the festive period You will be aware that furloughed employees continue to accrue leave as per their employment contract. However, please note that businesses can only place employees on furlough in circumstances where coronavirus (COVID-19) is affecting your operations.…

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November

Legal Article

New time limits for furlough claims

20/11/20

The Government has changed the deadlines for employers lodging furlough claims with HMRC. Claims from 1 November 2020 must be submitted by 11.59pm 14 calendar days after the month you are claiming for. Claim for furlough days in Claim must be submitted by…

Legal Article

The Importance of Policies

17/11/20

CASE UPDATE: The Board of Governors of IQRA Community Primary School (Respondent) Ms F Mansur (Claimant) Background Ms Mansur was a Teaching Assistant at the Respondent school. The Claimants initial claim was direct sex/race discrimination, and unfair dismissal. There were…

Forbes News

Forbes Solicitors Launches Business 'Sounding Board'

10/11/20

Forbes Solicitors Launches Business 'Sounding Board' In collaboration with business leaders and advisers across the region, Forbes Solicitors is launching its latest initiative, the Sounding Board. This will provide the opportunity for businesses to access a complimentary one-hour…

Forbes News

Forbes Solicitors launches inaugural Reinvention and Resilience Top 50

03/11/20

Forbes Solicitors has launched its inaugural Reinvention and Resilience Top 50 - an insightful report featuring North West businesses that have innovated and diversified during the Coronavirus pandemic. The regional law firm compiled the research - including nominations from small-to-medium-sized…

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October

Legal Article

Job Support Scheme Update 22 October 2020

22/10/20

Big changes have just been announced by Rishi Sunak to the Job Support Scheme (JSS). The JSS is due to come into force in less than 2 weeks on 1 November 2020. As before, the JSS will be open to all small business and larger business who can show an impact on revenues and financial difficulty.…

Legal Article

Could potential changes to Modern Slavery Legislation affect Public Bodies?

21/10/20

The government has set out proposed changes to the requirements for transparency in supply chains under the Modern Slavery Act 2015. At present, certain commercial organisations must publish an annual statement setting out the steps they take to prevent modern slavery in their business and supply…

Legal Article

CJRS update: Job Retention Bonus

06/10/20

The Job Retention Bonus aims to reduce the scope for compulsory redundancies by rewarding employers who retain their furloughed employees. The bonus is a fixed £1,000 one-off taxable payment, payable to the employer, for each eligible employee that was furloughed and kept continuously employed…

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September

Legal Article

"Job Support Scheme" - The Winter Economy Plan

24/09/20

Rishi Sunak has today unveiled the Government's plan to protect jobs and support businesses over the coming months following the announcement earlier this week, which warned Britons that restrictions could be in place for the next 6 months. The Chancellor confirmed that the current Coronavirus…

Legal Article

Changes to the Employment Tribunal Rules & tips for attending hearings

23/09/20

The Government has announced new reforms to the Employment Tribunal Rules of Procedure 2013, with the aim of increasing the employment tribunals' capacity to hear claims and ensure a speedier resolution of cases for businesses and employees. The main driving force behind the reforms is the…

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August

Legal Article

Employment case law updates you may have missed in July and August 2020

24/08/20

Below are a number of interesting and recent case law updates, on the issue of unfair dismissal, disability discrimination and equal pay, which you may find relevant to your organisation. Unfair dismissal 23 July 2020: Evans v London Borough of Brent UKEAT/0290/19 Update: The…

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July

Legal Article

Jobs, jobs, Jobs measures proposed by Rishi Sunak

08/07/20

Rishi Sunak has today addressed the House of Commons with his plan to kickstart the UK economy again and protect the jobs of workers. The measures proposed by Rishi Sunak include the following: Bonuses for businesses that bring back furloughed workers The Chancellor announced that the…

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June

Legal Article

Reopening guidance for the Hospitality Sector

25/06/20

Following the long-awaited announcement that businesses in the hospitality sector can prepare to reopen from 4 July 2020, the government has published lengthy guidance to address safe working within the 'visitor economy' during coronavirus. In terms of what is meant by 'visitor economy…

Forbes News

Forbes Solicitors Announces 35 Promotions

24/06/20

Leading law firm Forbes Solicitors has made 35 promotions as it continues to strengthen its commitment to people development and recognise outstanding client service. There have been seven promotions to Partner across a number of the firm's specialisms and offices throughout Lancashire and…

Legal Article

Covid-19 and furlough: Chancellor confirms the final phases of the CJRS

01/06/20

On 12 May 2020, the Chancellor announced that the CJRS (the Scheme) was extended until the end of October 2020, but that the Scheme would continue in the normal way up until 31 July 2020. The Chancellor proposed that from August 2020, employers would be required to share the proportion of the wage…

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May

Legal Article

Safe Return to Work for the Construction Sector - what does this look like?

14/05/20

Following the announcement made by Boris Johnson on Sunday, employers across the construction sector are being faced with the difficult task of determining what in practical terms a safe return to work looks like. The message is clear that construction should continue if it cannot be reasonably done…

Legal Article

Holiday entitlement and pay during coronavirus

14/05/20

The Government has recently produced guidance regarding holiday entitlement and the pay during coronavirus. The guidance has perhaps come slightly later than most employers would have hoped but thankfully there are no real surprises and is primarily clarifying issues that were already known. In…

Legal Article

Considerations for reopening the workplace following the easing of lockdown

11/05/20

How do you keep your workforce safe from a virus which has spread the globe on pandemic scales, leaving death and destruction in its wake? It is fair to say that last night's announcement has left those Britons desperately seeking respite from lockdown considerably underwhelmed but, now there…

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April

Legal Article

What does emergency volunteer leave mean for employers?

27/04/20

In the midst of a global crisis, with the health of hundreds of thousands of people at risk, many losing their loved ones, job losses, business closures, families and friends separated for an uncertain amount of time, it is easy to feel overwhelmed by the seemingly endless negative aspects of the…

Legal Article

Key Employment Law Changes: April 2020

09/04/20

As a reminder there are several employment law changes that came into force on 6 April 2020 - we summarise these below. The Government's Good Work Plan · Written statement of terms: workers rather than just employees now have the right to a written statement of particulars, which…

Legal Article

COVID-19 - Updated Guidance on Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme

06/04/20

HMRC has, over the weekend, updated its guidance on the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS). The updated guidance has provided some clarity to previously uncertain areas and has also confirmed a number of issues that were otherwise assumed to be the case. It has however changed some of the…

Legal Article

What employment lessons can you take away from the Tiger King

03/04/20

Hey you cool cats and kittens, its James Barron from Forbes Solicitors here to give you an update on what employment law issues you can take away from the Netflix sensation Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness. If you have not seen Tiger King it primarily follows Joe Exotic, the Tiger King…

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March

Forbes News

Forbes Solicitors to Support Blackburn SMEs with Legal Advice

30/03/20

Award-winning law firm, Forbes Solicitors has entered an agreement to provide legal advice to Blackburn town centre BID members who are facing challenges as a result of the impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). Along with two other firms based in the region, Forbes will offer an initial free legal…

Legal Article

Coronavirus Act 2020: Emergency Volunteer Leave

26/03/20

What is it? The Coronavirus Act 2020, which received Royal Assent on 25 March 2020 introduces the concept of an "emergency volunteer". The Prime Minister's address on 25 March 2020 praised the reaction of the British public after it was announced that in excess of 500,000 people…

Legal Article

COVID-19 and Apprenticeships

26/03/20

COVID-19 is resulting in difficult times for apprentices, employers and providers of apprenticeship training, creating unprecedented and unique challenges to the usual quality and delivery of apprenticeships. The government is continuing to provide support and assistance, seeing the Education and Skills…

Legal Article

Same Rules - Different Game: Procurement Policy During The Coronavirus Outbreak

25/03/20

The coronavirus outbreak has produced a lot of government action targeted at keeping infections down and that has in turn affected a lot of organisations, their contracts with each other and their plans for future procurement. For buyers subject to the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (PCR) or the…

Forbes News

Coronavirus News Update

23/03/20

Coronavirus News Update As of 20 March 2020, the government has ordered all leisure facilities such as restaurants (unless they can offer takeaways), pubs, cafes, theatres, gyms to close. Large chain restaurants such as McDonalds, Costa Coffee and Nando's have taken the decision to close by the…

Forbes News

Newsflash - Isolation Notes

20/03/20

To date, due to the practical difficulties for employees in obtaining fit notes from their GP and delays in the system, employers have needed to take a pragmatic approach to the evidence requirements they require from their staff who are off sick or are in self-isolation. From a legal standpoint,…

Legal Article

Coronavirus Bill - Emergency Volunteer Leave

19/03/20

The coronavirus bill has implemented emergency laws to contain the spread of COVID-19. The legislation covers areas such as the NHS, social care, schools, police, border force, local councils, funerals and courts. Today, 19 March 2020, the government have published the Emergency Coronavirus Bill to…

Legal Article

COVID-19 and the Justice System

19/03/20

The present circumstances On 18 March 2020, the Lord Chancellor affirmed that "the rule of law is vital to a functioning democracy and even at times like these, it is essential that our independent courts are able to administer justice." Whilst many public places have either been…

Legal Article

Proposed Extension of IR35 to be Delayed

18/03/20

In response to the ongoing spread of COVID-19 the Government has announced that the roll out of IR35 to the private sector shall be delayed until the spring of 2021 On 17 March 2020 the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Steve Barclay, announced to Parliament that "the government is postponing…

Forbes News

Covid-19 Update

18/03/20

At Forbes Solicitors, we are keen to reassure clients that we have robust business continuity measures in place to protect and maintain service levels so we can continue to support our clients. The health and welfare of our colleagues and clients is paramount. We will continue to monitor the most…

Forbes News

Forbes Solicitors Joins LawPact® As It Targets Further Growth

04/03/20

Leading law firm Forbes Solicitors has joined LawPact® - the international association of independent business law firms - as it expands its national and global reach. Having grown its team with 89 new appointments in 2019 and taken on the largest cohort of trainee solicitors to date, Forbes is…

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February

Forbes News

Forbes secure acquittal of defendant charged with assaulting Duty Manager

25/02/20

Craig Mackenzie, a Criminal Defence and Regulatory solicitor at Forbes, recently secured the acquittal of a defendant charged with assaulting a Duty Manager at Iceland stores. He argued during the trial that the actions of the Duty Manager who had detained the defendant as a suspected shoplifter…

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January

Legal Article

Employment Changes coming up in 2020!

13/01/20

April tends to be a busy and stressful time of the year for many businesses who have the end of their financial year around this time, multiple employees on annual leave over the Easter holidays, together with changes to make in line with new legislation - particularly in respect of your employees…

Legal Article

The Dangers Of Veganuary

06/01/20

As the Christmas blues settle in on 1 January 2020 and we all reflect on the amount of food and drink consumed over the festive period, now is the time to take on the first challenge of 2020 in what has become widely known as 'Veganuary'. This is a challenge that entails eating an entirely plant…

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