Government to face IWGB union in landmark court case for outsourced workers’ rights – The Independent

‘The government is taking on a union in court in a landmark case that could have huge ramifications for the UK’s army of 3.3 million outsourced workers, many of whom have fewer rights and face worse pay and conditions than in-house colleagues doing the same jobs.’

Full Story

The Independent, 7th August 2018

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Pay defence practitioners earlier to improve disclosure – attorney general – Law Society’s Gazette

‘Redesigning the legal aid system to pay defence practitioners earlier in a case could help to tackle long-standing disclosure challenges, the attorney general has told MPs.’

Full Story

Law Society's Gazette, 9th July 2018

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Just four of 100 highest-earning criminal defence barristers are women – Legal Futures

Posted May 21st, 2018 in barristers, criminal justice, news, remuneration, women by sally

‘Women barely feature among the top 100 criminal defence barristers when judged by earnings, new figures have shown, and the Bar has been warned that the government could use EU rules on equality in procurement to force change.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 21st May 2018

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Shared Parental Leave: paying fathers and mothers different rates is discrimination – UK Police Law Blog

‘The Employment Appeal Tribunal has handed down judgment in the appeal case of Hextall v Leicestershire Police UKEAT/0139/17/DA. Mr Hextall is a police officer who took Shared Parental Leave. However, under the informal national policy that exists at the current time in relation to the payment of such leave, he was paid only at the statutory rate and not the enhanced rate paid to mothers taking maternity leave.’

Full Story

UK Police Law Blog, 3rd May 2018

Source: ukpolicelawblog.com

Employees win Court of Appeal dispute with council over pay increases – Local Government Lawyer

‘Nottingham City Council has lost a Court of Appeal battle over whether several hundred of its employees were entitled to incremental pay increases with effect from April 2011.’

Full Story

Local Government Lawyer, 23rd April 2018

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Reminder that adjudicator’s appointment lapses if no decision – Practical Law: Construction Blog

Posted March 15th, 2018 in arbitration, construction industry, contracts, fees, news, remuneration by tracey

‘Some judgments seem destined to be blogged about (at least by me) and Baldwin v J Pickstock Ltd is one such judgment. It’s all about the adjudicator’s decision (or lack of), whether there was an extension of time for reaching that decision and whether the adjudicator had properly resigned and should be paid for the work he did (even though he did not reach a decision). It’s not quite Cubitt Building & Interiors v Fleetglade, but it does demonstrate how adjudicators need to be alive to banana skin tactics, even those coming from the referring party!’

Full Story

Practical Law: Construction Blog, 13th March 2018

Source: constructionblog.practicallaw.com

Low salaries dog debt-ridden young legal aid lawyers, says social mobility report – Legal Futures

Posted March 14th, 2018 in debts, legal aid, legal profession, news, remuneration by sally

‘More than half of young legal aid lawyers are earning less than £25,000 a year, yet more than a quarter start their careers carrying more than £35,000 debt as a result of their education, according to a survey of lawyers in the sector.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 14th March 2018

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Does Grove v S&T herald the dawn of a new regime for payment notice disputes? – Practical Law: Construction Blog

Posted March 8th, 2018 in arbitration, construction industry, contracts, news, notification, remuneration by tracey

‘Unless you have been hiding under a rock (or have been on holiday somewhere), you can’t have failed to notice that Coulson J has handed down his last substantive TCC judgment. So much has already been written about Grove v S&T and what it means for the construction industry that there’s barely been room for anything else on my Twitter and LinkedIn feeds. There really is nowhere to hide from all the commentary.’

Full Story

Practical Law: Construction Blog, 6th March 2018

Source: constructionblog.practicallaw.com

Government sends warning letters to 550 companies amid crackdown on unpaid internships – Daily Telegraph

Posted February 9th, 2018 in employment, enforcement, news, remuneration, volunteers by tracey

‘A Government crackdown on unpaid internships was launched last night as warning letters were sent to 550 businesses threatening action unless they review their practices.’

Full Story

Daily Telegraph, 8th February 2018

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Tesco faces record £4bn equal pay claim – The Independent

Posted February 7th, 2018 in equal pay, news, remuneration, women by tracey

‘Tesco is facing what may turn out to be Britain’s largest ever equal pay claim, which could cost the supermarket giant up to £4bn. Leigh Day, the law firm acting on behalf of those bringing the claim, said that the underpayment of workers could apply to more than 200,000 Tesco employees. Estimated pay shortfalls could be as high as £20,000.’

Full Story

The Independent, 7th February 2018

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Top barristers who refuse to become judges “will destroy infrastructure”, warns Vos – Litigation Futures

Posted January 26th, 2018 in barristers, judiciary, news, recruitment, remuneration by sally

‘Commercial barristers “of the highest quality” who refuse to become judges will “destroy the very infrastructure that has allowed them to prosper”, the chancellor of the High Court has warned.’

Full Story

Litigation Futures, 25th January 2018

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

UK sick pay legislation is in breach of EU law – The Independent

Posted January 25th, 2018 in EC law, news, remuneration, self-employment, sick leave, social security by tracey

‘Statutory sick pay and social protections for jobless and self-employed people in the UK are in breach of legal obligations under European law, the Council of Europe has found.’

Full Story

The Independent, 24th January 2018

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Speech by Sir Geoffrey Vos, Chancellor of the High Court: Speech to Chancery Bar Association Annual Conference – Courts and Tribunals Judiciary

‘Speech by Sir Geoffrey Vos, Chancellor of the High Court: Speech to Chancery Bar Association Annual Conference.’

Full speech

Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, 19th January 2018

Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk

Final account payments: welcome guidance from the TCC – Practical Law: Construction Blog

Posted December 21st, 2017 in construction industry, contracting out, contracts, news, remuneration by tracey

‘Nearly 20 years after the Construction Act 1996 was introduced to stamp out bad payment practices, you would be forgiven for thinking there must be a voluminous pile of case law in relation to the all-important final account. But you would be disappointed. While there is plenty of guidance from the TCC on interim payments, the courts have not had much to say about final accounts, particularly post 2011. This is why Systems Pipework Ltd v Rotary Building Services Ltd is so welcome. Coulson J draws together the authorities on interim and final account payments and concludes (in a characteristically clear and to the point judgment) that the same rules apply to both.’

Full Story

Practical Law: Construction Blog, 20th December 2017

Source: constructionblog.practicallaw.com

High Court: Barristers may be entitled to lien but legal expenses insurers are not – Litigation Futures

Posted December 4th, 2017 in barristers, insurance, interest, news, remuneration by sally

‘Barristers may now be entitled to same lien that solicitors can have over the proceeds of litigation, the High Court has suggested, as it ruled that legal expenses insurers do not.’

Full Story

Litigation Futures, 4th December 2017

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Peers warn of low morale in judiciary and call for greater diversity – The Guardian

Posted November 3rd, 2017 in diversity, judiciary, news, pensions, remuneration, select committees by tracey

‘The dilapidated state of some courts, a shortage of support staff and heavy administrative burdens are depressing the judiciary’s morale, a parliamentary report has warned.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 2nd November 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

Judiciary needs a pay rise – says senior judge on £200k salary – Daily Telegraph

Posted November 3rd, 2017 in judiciary, news, pensions, remuneration by tracey

‘The judiciary needs a pay rise, a senior judge paid more than £200,000 a year has said. Lord Justice Gross, who sits in the Court of Appeal, made the comments in a speech to the Institute of Maritime Law on Wednesday. He said: “No one goes into the Judiciary to make money. But there comes a point when pay is so far out of line with the private sector market that it endangers recruitment – of the very best – and retention. There is a danger in relying unduly on goodwill.”‘

Full Story

Daily Telegraph, 2nd November 2017

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

A Guide to using Statistics in Employment and Equality Litigation – Cloisters

‘Numbers can be anathema to many lawyers. Yet statistics are a useful weapon in the litigation armoury. This week the Government released its Race Disparity Audit which provides a wealth of such statistics and is a timely reminder of the role that they can play in litigation. Tom Gillie discusses three recent examples of how statistics can be used to advance successful arguments in employment litigation and broader equality context, for example, in relation to the provision of goods, facilities and services.’

Full Story

Cloisters, 12th October 2017

Source: www.cloisters.com

Bar Council say BSB registration plan risks deterring barristers from youth court work – Legal Futures

Posted October 16th, 2017 in advocacy, barristers, news, remuneration, youth courts by sally

‘The Bar Council has strongly attacked a plan by the Bar Standards Board (BSB) for the compulsory registration of youth court advocates, the first scheme of its type.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 16th October 2017

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Council agrees to pay grandmother four years of backdated foster care payments – Local Government Lawyer

Posted September 15th, 2017 in fostering, local government, news, ombudsmen, remuneration by tracey

‘The Royal Borough of Greenwich has agreed to pay a grandmother four years of backdated foster carer payments, following an investigation by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. The LGO said the case should serve as a reminder to councils of their duties towards friends and family foster carers.’

Full Story

Local Government Lawyer, 14th September 2017

Source: localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk