Business Law

Sir Keir Starmer’s pledge at COP29 to cut carbon emissions by 81% from 1990s levels by 2035, in line with the Climate Change Committee’s recommendations, will have focused minds inside Government […]

This article contains links which are only accessible by PLC subscribers. The decision in A&V Building Solution Ltd v J&B Hopkins Ltd [2024] EWHC 2295 (TCC), provides clarification on two […]

Background Under the FLSA, most employees must be paid overtime (time-and-one-half their regular rate of pay) if they work more than 40 hours in a work week. But executive, administrative, and […]

The facts This case concerned a dispute between a mother (“P”), her son (“R1”) and his partner (“R2”). In 2010, P, R1 and R2 began selling cosmetics as a partnership in which they all had […]

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) published its final “Click-to-Cancel” Rule in the Federal Register on November 15, 2024, meaning that companies should ensure that they comply with the rule’s […]

The above measures form part of the government’s wider commitment to support high streets and communities and are intended to “breathe new life” back into our high streets.  Cutting business […]

MINIMUM WAGE Effective January 1, 2025, the minimum wage for Missouri employees will increase from $12.30 per hour to $13.75 per hour. The minimum wage will then increase to $15.00 per hour on […]

Site visits can play an important part in construction arbitration, allowing the tribunal to gain a clearer understanding of the works in dispute.  However, agreeing the terms of a site visit can be […]

BATTLE V. MICROSOFT CORP., NO. 1:23-CV-01822 (D. MD., FILED JULY 7, 2023) This case alleges AI-generated libel-by-juxtaposition. According to the complaint, plaintiff Jeffery Battle, also known as […]

A green revolution Labour’s manifesto pledged to “end climate and energy chaos… and make Britain a clean energy superpower”. Now in Government, the party is looking to make planning policy […]

Southeast Asia, with its youthful and tech savvy demographic, is experiencing a rapid digital transformation that is driving a significant increase in demand for data centre capacity. At the same […]

On October 30 2024, the Labour government delivered their first Budget since 2010. The Budget introduced some key changes for the energy industry, including the Energy Profits Levy and Relief for […]

Background Current application of the Code: UK registered public company with securities admitted to trading on a UK regulated market, a UK MTF or any stock exchange in CI/IoM exchange (“UK […]

After the U.S. Congress enacted the federal Corporate Transparency Act (the “CTA”) on January 1, 2021, a wide range of plaintiffs immediately brought suit against the government challenging its […]

The Internal Revenue Service released the cost-of-living adjusted qualified retirement plan and welfare plan limitations effective January 1, 2025. For ease of reference and comparison to prior […]

Realising the future In 1990s Star Trek, Captain Jean-Luc Picard would order “make it so”, and his starship’s crew would immediately bring about the desired futuristic endeavour. 2024 Budget […]

On 30 October 2024, Rachel Reeves, Chancellor of the Exchequer delivered the Autumn 2024 budget; Labours’ first Budget since 2010 following their win in July’s general election. Reeves’ Budget […]

Project Documents (other than the RTMA!) In terms of construction contract(s), there are broadly two approaches – (1) where all construction services are bundled into a turnkey EPC agreement or (2) […]

Background The Conference of the Parties is the main decision-making body of the UNFCC, an international treaty whose “ultimate aim” is to prevent “‘dangerous’ human interference with the […]

“On the stamp duty front, the Budget announcements (or lack of them) were unexpected. On the one hand, the Chancellor announced a chunky increase to the SDLT surcharge for those buying second […]

IA Principles of Remuneration 2025 The Investment Association (“IA”) has published its Principles of Remuneration for 2025 (“Principles”) following a review to ensure they support a […]

Summary of announcements Tax Pre-budget position Post-budget position Timescale Corporation tax 25% rate payable for companies with profits over £250,000. Headline rate is capped […]

In her speech, the Chancellor’s statement on carried interest was relatively brief – an increase in the capital gains tax rates to 32% from April 2025 and, from 2026, further reforms “to ensure […]

Last Saturday marked the coming into force of the preventative duty relating to sexual harassment. Sexual harassment is an area of workplace misconduct that, despite cultural shifts, DEI initiatives […]

Increase in employers’ NI Employers’ national insurance contributions will be increased by 1.2% to 15%, and the threshold at which businesses start paying National Insurance will be lowered from […]

Stamp duty The Chancellor unexpectedly announced an increase to the SDLT surcharge for those buying second homes from 3% to 5% with effect from 31 October 2024.  Companies buying residential […]

On September 9th, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Labor, and the Department of the Treasury (collectively, the “Departments”) issued the much anticipated final rule […]

On October 21, 2024, the Division of Examinations (the “Division”) of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) published its annual Examination Priorities for 2025 (the “Exam […]

The recent collapse of Interior Services Group (ISG), which filed for administration on 20 September 2024, has alarmed the industry. EY has been tasked with managing outstanding projects that […]

This article is the first in a series that will address privacy concerns for insurance companies, agents and brokers. The insurance industry is uniquely situated at the confluence of multiple data […]

The ERB – new government factsheets Perhaps realising that a 155 page Bill, with 102 pages of notes and a lengthy “Next Steps” document might be tricky for busy practitioners to absorb on the […]

Background In the fall of 2023, the FTC and 17 (now 19) states and territories sued Amazon.com (Amazon) for violating federal and state antitrust laws.  The enforcers’ complaint alleges that […]

In a recent decision, Chief Judge Laura Swain of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York ruled that a “stand-alone website is not a place of public accommodation under Title […]

Q: Is my workforce even covered by the NLRA? A: Probably. “Non-union” employers sometimes believe (mistakenly) that the NLRB has no jurisdiction over them. In fact, most private sector employees […]

The CCUS 2024 conference, “Capturing a Net Zero Future”, held in London on 15 and 16 October, provided a space for developers, policymakers, financiers, investors and industry experts to discuss […]

If it’s been a while since you’ve looked at the state and federal laws governing autorenewals, subscriptions, and continuous service offers, your business is likely in need of an update.  […]

FIFA’s transfer rules Anyone lucky enough to have studied law at university (or alternatively any die hard football fanatic) will likely recall the landmark Bosman (C-415/93) judgment from the ECJ […]

As it stands today, the HSR Act requires parties to reportable transactions to include in their HSR filings certain information about the parties themselves and their proposed transaction, and to […]

The Accelerated Settlement Taskforce is currently examining a potential migration by the U.K. from a so-called T+2 to a T+1 settlement standard, i.e., reducing the time it takes for securities […]

Real Estate Housing Supply and Livelihood The Government announced several measures to tackle the city’s pressing housing affordability issues. Public housing supply goals: The Government is […]

The Bill is a sprawling piece of legislation, with long explanatory notes and a “Next Steps” document, which covers areas that may not be in the Bill, but which are desirable to bring into force. […]

Sources of revenue for a BESS project In contrast to other project-financed renewable energy projects, revenue under BESS projects is not generally derived from long-term offtake arrangement with […]

On 24 September 2024, the European Commission adopted its first decision under the Foreign Subsidies Regulation (“FSR”).  1- The FSR The FSR, which started to apply on 12 July 2023, aims to […]

Background The Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Act 2023 was introduced last year. Despite its generic title, the act is concerned entirely with sexual harassment, specifically the […]

Last week, the UK Government pledged £22 billion towards the development of the carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS) industry in the UK. This is a significant step towards achieving net-zero […]

As we previously reported, in 2023 California enacted the monumental climate disclosure laws SB 253 (the “Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act”) and SB 261 (the “Climate-Related […]

Federal and State AI Legislation There is currently no comprehensive federal statutory law regulating the use of AI. However, in October 2023, President Biden signed Executive Order 14110, the Safe, […]

The UK Supreme Court decision in UniCredit Bank v RusChemAlliance has confirmed that the English court has jurisdiction to grant an anti-suit injunction (ASI) to restrain foreign court proceedings […]

Some key points in the Government’s response Some of the key points in the Government’s letter of 2 October 2024 are set out below. Conditional payment provisions As mentioned in our previous […]