Walker Morris names first female boss as Simpson retires
Walker Morris has named its first female managing partner as Malcolm Simpson retires after a six-year tenure. The firm’s head of regulatory and compliance Jeanette Burgess will take the reins from 1 May 2024. Burgess joined the firm in 2006 and has served on the Walker Morris board since 2015. In her new role, Burgess will focus on the delivery of the firm’s next three-year strategy, kicking off at the start of the 2024/25 financial year. Burgess also plans to […]
Everton FC docked 10 points as Blackstone quartet square off
Everton Football Club has been docked 10 points in the Premier League for breaches of Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules following an arbitration argued by four Blackstone Chambers members. The case was heard before an independent panel last month, chaired by Wilberforce Chambers silk David Phillips KC, alongside judge Alan Greenwood and chartered accountant and football finance expert Nick Igoe. Football’s Financial Fair Play rules, now known as profitability and sustainability rules, limit the amount of money football clubs can […]
No carpool, no parking space: Walker Morris gets tough on emissions
Any member of staff at Walker Morris can now use its onsite car park, provided they carpool with at least one other employee from the firm. The Leeds-based outfit introduced the car sharing scheme in August as just one initiative to help the firm achieve its target of reaching net zero by 2040. Prior to Covid-19, the 30 car spaces available at Walker Morris were reserved for partners and other senior staff. The firm then switched its policy during the […]
Walker Morris adds two new metrics to revamped bonus scheme
Leeds-based Walker Morris has added new metrics to its year-end bonus structure and increased the bonus pot in a bid to improve the firm’s financial hygiene. The firm has had a year-end bonus in place for several years now linked to chargeable hours, but during the last financial year it added elements linked to firmwide rate recovery and business development contribution. Malcolm Simpson, managing partner at Walker Morris, told The Lawyer: “We agreed with our guys that if they helped […]
Newsflash: Covid-related possession arrangements coming to an end
What do residential landlords and lenders need to know?
Protecting members from pension scheme scams
New regulations have come into force which give transferring pension trustees more power to intervene where the requested transfer gives cause for concern, by allowing a transferring scheme to prevent a transfer where there are doubts regarding the legitimacy of the receiving scheme.
New UK foreign direct investment review regime to commence in January 2022
On 20 July 2021, the UK Government announced that the National Security & Investment Act 2021 will come into effect on 4 January 2022.
Government consults on new competition regime for digital markets
On 20 July 2021, the UK Government published proposals for a new competition regime for digital markets “to make it fairer for smaller businesses, entrepreneurs, and the British public”. These proposals include significant new powers for the Digital Markets Unit which was recently established within the CMA and an enforceable code of conduct for firms with so-called Strategic Market Status (SMS). The Government is also considering new merger control rules for firms with SMS. The proposals are now open for public consultation until 1 October 2021.
Vacant possession and lease breaks: Court of Appeal clarification
Lease termination and real estate litigation experts Martin McKeague and David Manda provide an essential update on a Court of Appeal case in connection with delivery-up of vacant possession and effective lease breaks.
Immigration and workforce management in an increasingly remote but globalised world of work
Practical advice on recent and upcoming changes to UK immigration requirements, many of which are significant when it comes to the employment of EU nationals post-Brexit.
Record £90m fine for Southern Water following EA prosecution
Southern Water has been hit with the largest ever fine for environmental offences after pleading guilty to 51 charges relating to unauthorised sewage discharges between 2010 and 2015.
Is planning permission required for the keeping of horses on agricultural land?
Whether or not you need to obtain planning permission to change the use of land which is currently an agricultural use to allow equestrian activities depends on whether the equestrian activity falls within the statutory definition of “agriculture”.
Capital Markets Update – July 2021
In June, a consultation was launched into new powers to prevent listings, Primary Market Bulletin 34 and a new edition of the Takeover Code were published, and we look ahead at July’s developments.
The UK subsidy control regime – familiar but different
Although hyped as “the most important bit of post-Brexit legislation yet”, the Subsidy Control Bill published by the UK Government on 30 June 2021 largely builds on commitments made by the UK under the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, which have had effect since the end of the Brexit transition period. The draft legislation nevertheless provides some useful clarity on key aspects of the proposed regime that is expected to come into force in 2022.
Podcast: Transitioning back to the office
Afshan Iqbal, Doctoral Researcher at Leeds University Business School, and Lucy Gordon, Director in the Employment Team at Walker Morris, discuss working from home during the pandemic, and what employers need to think about when transitioning back to the office.
International data transfers: UK adequacy, SCCs and the future for UK business
On 4 June 2021, the European Commission adopted a set of new and improved standard contractual clauses (SCCs) for personal data transfers from controllers or processors in the EEA to controllers or processors established outside the EEA. The EEA comprises the EU countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. Then just a couple of weeks later on 28 June 2021, the European Commission approved two final adequacy decisions in favour of the UK, one under the EU General Data Protection Regulation and another under the Law Enforcement Directive, securing the UK’s status as an adequate destination for the export of EEA-origin personal data.