Hays’ shares fall as global operations compensate for contracting UK market February 22, 2017 Recruiter Hays' share price fell over three per cent this morning despite posting double-digit percentage growth in its half-year figures. The figures Net fees for the first six months of the firm's financial year increased by 17 per cent to £466m with operating profit increasing by 16 per cent to £100m. Figures were given a [...]
Going Dutch: Fieldfisher to launch in Amsterdam in May February 21, 2017 Fieldfisher announced today it is opening a new office in Amsterdam in May. The Dutch endeavour will be structured under a Swiss Verein model and will have five partners, all from Kennedy Van der Laan. "We've been looking at setting up an office in the Netherlands for a while," said Michael Chissick, managing partner of Fieldfisher. "We've [...]
Property Legal Q&A: I own a flat that has 87 years left to run on the lease. Should I extend the lease? February 18, 2017 A: A longer lease has the advantage of being both more mortgageable and more attractive in the market. A leasehold flat whose term has significantly reduced (say to below 50 years) is a wasting asset, and extending its lease term is essential to preserve the value. The Government in the recent Housing White Paper states [...]
Regulators make Mike Ashley backed firm pay £12.5m back to customers February 17, 2017 A division of Findel, the London-listed firm backed by Sports Direct, has agreed with financial regulators to pay £12.5m back to customers for insurance products that "offered little or no value". Personal shopping firm Express Gifts, one of the two main divisions of Findel, sold either property insurance or purchase protection insurance products to customers between 2005 and 2015. [...]
Get your CV ready – the Supreme Court is hiring three new judges February 16, 2017 If last month's Brexit case made you want to call the shots on some of the most important legal cases in the country, the opportunity to do so has just presented itself. The Supreme Court has today kicked off the search for two new justices plus a new president of the court. The vacancies have [...]
Next in at 100 Bishopsgate: Freshfields to leave Fleet Street and cosy up with City firms February 15, 2017 Magic circle law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer is upping sticks and leaving its Fleet Street London headquarters to be closer to some of its top City clients. Freshfields has agreed terms with Brookfield Property Partners to move into 100 Bishopsgate from the summer of 2021. The move ends a long association with its iconic headquarters in Whitefriars, [...]
Protecting data must be board-level priority February 15, 2017 The Queen has officially opened the National Cyber Security Centre, a government nerve centre that aims to protect the economy, state institutions and critical infrastructure from the growing threat of cyber attacks. Private businesses are also vulnerable. With so much of the City’s business conducted through digital networks, the threat from malicious actors is real. [...]
MPs believe accountants will play a pivotal role in helping the UK navigate its exit from the EU February 13, 2017 A beancounting Brexit boost is on the cards according to some of the very people charged with negotiating Britain's exit from the EU. Nearly half (47 per cent) of MPs polled by YouGov believe Brexit will have a positive impact on the accountancy sector, as clients will run to their trusted financial advisers to understand the [...]
Exclusive: Charlie Mullins says Pimlico Plumbers will “more than likely” appeal court decision February 10, 2017 Pimlico Plumbers is consulting with lawyers over a probable appeal of today's court ruling on the employment status of the tradesmen it hires. Charlie Mullins, who owns and runs the company, told Morning Wire he was "quite surprised" by the Court of Appeal decision handed down this morning. He said the group was in discussions [...]
What the experts think the Pimlico Plumbers ruling means for the gig economy February 10, 2017 The Court of Appeals ruled against Pimlico Plumbers in a case concerning employment status today. The court ruled that Gary Smith, previously a plumber with the company, was a "worker", and as such should have been afforded basic workers' rights, such as sick pay. This is how legal experts reacted to the court's decision: Continuing the trend [...]