<p>Filter Knowledge</p>

Our regular round-up of recent and forthcoming developments in law and practice for in-house counsel.

2021 has seen the UK Government and regulators engage in a blizzard of consultations and draft legislation, proposing reforms across a wide range of areas. The sheer volume makes it difficult for businesses to keep on top of changes that might affect them.

Travers Smith LLP is pleased to announce today the launch of its new Tax Client Portal, an online repository of insightful tax-related content including briefings, video content and training materials.

As working practices change and the shape of business adjusts to the events of the past 18 months, enquiries and appetite for relocating offices have picked up pace. 

An industry-led Project has been launched with the publication of a standardised set of ESG metrics and a mechanism for comparative reporting.

Since our previous briefing there have been a number of developments in the area of tax investigations and disputes. This briefing summarises some key ones and what they mean for taxpayers.

Since this article was written, there have been some changes to the tax breaks discussed, including the periods over which they are available;  for more information, please speak to any of the Tax contacts listed at the end of the briefing.

In a judgment handed down on 18 August 2021, the Supreme Court has confirmed the existence of the doctrine of lawful act economic duress in English law, but has emphasised the narrowness of its scope, citing just two specific sets of circumstances in which the doctrine may apply.

A guide to future employment and immigration law.

Travers Smith LLP represents the joint nominees in relation to a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) that had been proposed by the directors of Caffè Nero's operating company, Nero Holdings Limited (the Company), on 12 November 2020. 

Travers Smith LLP has advised long-standing client Livingbridge EP LLP (Livingbridge) on its investment in Venatus Media Limited (Venatus).

Travers Smith LLP is delighted to announce that its Funds team has won the Legal: Fund Formation Award at the 2021 The Drawdown Awards.

A regular briefing for the alternative asset management industry. 

This briefing addresses the impact of Brexit, and the end of the transition period, on cross-border disputes.

The UK Government argues that freeports will provide significant customs benefits for businesses - but not everyone agrees. In this briefing, part of a series on UK freeports, we look at the types of business that might benefit from freeport customs arrangements and whether the critics are right to be sceptical.

On 7 September 2021 the government announced the introduction of a new UK-wide Health and Social Care Levy, which will be used to pay for adult social care reforms and enable the NHS to tackle the COVID-19 backlog.

"Sustainable finance" continues to dominate the legal and financial agenda for many asset managers at the moment, driven by multiple factors, including an emphasis on the climate crisis and an influx of legislation, particularly from the European Union, mandating financial organisations to demonstrate their sustainability credentials.

The UK Government has been keen to talk up the potential benefits from a planning perspective of being based in a freeport. But what exactly are these benefits and how significant could they be?

The environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance of a business is both a financial matter and an ethical one. As a result, responsible investment is right at the heart of the private equity investment agenda.