<p>Filter Knowledge</p>

If you had an employee share plan or arrangement in the 2021/22 tax year, now is the time to start thinking about your annual reporting obligations.

In this case, the High Court rejected the defendant's application for its expert and factual witnesses, who were both based in Kenya, to give evidence via video link, or for there to be a hybrid trial which the witnesses could attend remotely. 

Following lengthy debate, the Government has published details of the way in which it will reform the UK competition law landscape. However, with many aspects requiring legislative change, it is as yet unclear when these will be given teeth. Our briefing discusses the key changes to the merger, markets and competition law regimes. We will comment separately on the overhaul of the consumer law regime.

At the end of March 2022, the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced the unconditional clearance at Phase 1 of Freshways group's (Freshways) acquisition of the Medina group (Medina).

A regular briefing for the alternative asset management industry. 

The Financial Conduct Authority ("FCA") has released its Annual Business Plan for 2022/2023, alongside a Strategy Document for 2022 to 2025. We discuss below what these two documents mean for its investigations and enforcement strategy going forward.

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.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine presents issues for pension scheme trustees to consider. Alongside clear implications regarding investments and the need to comply with sanctions, these may include questions about covenant, funding, cyber security and scam risks.

This briefing addresses the issues most likely to arise, some of which are also noted by the Pensions Regulator in its guidance.

The Court of Appeal's recent decision sheds significant light on banks' liability for failing to exercise reasonable skill and care in executing the instructions of their customers. Reversing the ruling of the High Court, the Court of Appeal made clear that the "Quincecare duty" arises not only when it is the customer's agent who fraudulently instructs the bank to transfer the customer's money, but can also arise when the customer themselves, as the victim of a fraud, instructs the bank to do so. The Court of Appeal overturned the summary judgment in the bank's favour, and remitted the case to the High Court for trial. The question of what measures the bank should have had in place to prevent a fraud of this kind can only be determined at trial.

Finance Partner, Ben Thompson, has authored a chapter titled, ‘Core-Plus Infrastructure and Leveraged Financing: The Continued Convergence of Terms’, in the latest edition of 'The International Comparative Legal Guide - Lending & Secured Finance 2022'.

A guide to future employment and immigration law.

A regular briefing for the alternative asset management industry. 

With real estate finance (REF) and real estate development finance markets increasingly looking to integrate sustainability within their financing offerings, the Loan Market Association has published a guide on the application of the Sustainability Linked Loan Principles (SLLP) to real estate finance (REF) and real estate development finance transactions.

Commercial contracts can often provide that all liability for loss of profits is excluded – and sometimes wasted expenditure may be excluded as well. But what is the impact of this in practice?

On 6 April 2022, the European Commission published the long-awaited final version of the detailed rules – the Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) – under the EU Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR). 

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

All employers must conduct right to work checks to ensure their employees have the right to work lawfully in the UK. Employers who fail to do so face potential fines and, in some cases, criminal liability. Checks must be conducted on recruitment for all employees before the individual starts work. Follow-up checks must also be conducted for employees on visas shortly before the visa is due to end.

Funds partners Sam Kay and Will Normand have featured in the latest edition of Private Equity International discussing the effect of regulatory change on the fundraising market. You can read the full keynote interview below.

The Solvency II capital regime (and, since Brexit, its onshored equivalent) affects trustee de-risking agendas both in the short, and longer, term.

The High Court has recently rejected an attempt by British Sugar to challenge aspects of the UK's post-Brexit sugar tariffs on the basis that they amounted to an illegal subsidy to its competitor, Tate & Lyle. In this briefing, we look at the wider implications of the ruling for the UK's post-Brexit state aid and tariff regimes.