Trusts solicitors and estate administrators have concluded deals which will see Paisley Park, the private home and studio complex of the late music legend Prince, open to the public from October 6 this year.It is believed that the Minneapolis estate’s trusts solicitors have reached an agreement with Graceland Holdings, the company that operates Elvis Presley’s Graceland estate, to run the 65,000 square foot complex. “Opening Paisley Park is something that Prince always wanted to do and was actively working on,” said Prince’s sister.”Only a few hundred people have had the rare opportunity to tour the estate during his lifetime. Now,…

Marriage is a big part of life. Unfortunately, so is divorce.With many UK couples separating (an estimated 42 per cent, in fact), prenuptial agreements – where a couple agrees prior to the wedding how their assets will be divided in the event of a divorce – seem like the smart choice, if not a little bit of an awkward subject to bring up with a prospective spouse. But until recently, prenuptial agreements hardly carried any weight in court because they were not enforceable in law. Instead they were more like guidelines to be considered but not necessarily followed by judges.…

 In the wake of Brexit, everyone knows that the political world has been in uproar. So much is happening that the spotlight is, understandably, firmly fixed on those entering and exiting the key political roles. But this huge change doesn’t just affect politics; what about the further layer upon layer of repercussions resulting from the UK’s exit from the EU?Sadly, some malignant, unseen forces are now at work, taking advantage of the chaos and, unfortunately for the UK, this means that cybercrime is on the rise. If Brexit could be encapsulated in one word, it would be uncertainty and there…

In the business world, the law of commerce underpins all commercial dealings. Commerce lies at the heart of a democratic society and having effective legal recourse when things don’t go to plan is essential. However, the established model for facilitating this needs to change and law firms must bear the brunt.There’s currently a very real dichotomy between supply and demand. Availability, cost, and accessibility are the three key watchwords and the Legal Services Consumer Panel has taken the unprecedented step of recommending regulatory intervention after figures showed that just 17% of law firms are being transparent about their fees by…

Update on apprenticeships  The government has recently confirmed that the apprenticeship levy will be implemented from April 2017 as originally proposed. The key changes announced by the Government include:There are to be 15 funding bands each with a maximum cap ranging from £1,500 to £27,000. Degree apprenticeships will retain their funding cap of £27,000. It will be up to employers to negotiate prices with training providers.A £1,000 incentive for both employers and training providers will be provided for 16-18 year olds who are taken on as apprentices. There will also be similar additional funding for employing apprentices aged between 19-24 year…

House of Commons Justice Committee reports on court and tribunal feesThe House of Commons Justice Committee has recently published its critical review of Court and Tribunal Fees. The review covers the impact of Employment Tribunal Fees and notes there has been a steep decline (a drop of 70%) in the number of claims being brought. The report states that ET fees have had a significant adverse impact on access to justice for meritorious claims. The report sets out four main recommendations: Overall quantum of fees charged be “substantially reduced”The abolition of the current Type A and B distinction, to be replaced…

Brexit! For our analysis of the likely impact of Brexit on employment law, please refer to the blog in April.  Immigration Bill receives Royal Assent The Immigration Bill received Royal Assent on 12 May 2016 and is now the Immigration Act 2016. The Act introduces checks on illegal working and provisions to prevent the exploitation of migrant workers, such as:  Section 1: creating a Director of Labour Market Enforcement, who will oversee the enforcement of legislation tackling the exploitation of migrant workers; Section 34: the criminal offence of employing an illegal worker has been extended to incorporate cases where an employer has reasonable cause to…

Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses (Amendment) Regulations 2016The Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses (Amendment) Regulations 2016 (SI 2016/510) came into effect on 8 May 2016.Key amendments to the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Business Regulations 2003 are: Recruiters are no longer prohibited from entering into contracts on behalf of their clients; Regulation 17, which requires businesses or employment agencies to agree terms prior to providing any services to hirers has been removed; Businesses and employment agencies are prohibited from publishing a recruitment advertisement in an EEA state unless this advertisement is also published in Great…

Increase of limits on tribunal compensatory awardsIncreased compensation limits will apply to cases where the effective date of termination is on or after 6 April 2016.  In particular, the maximum compensatory award for unfair dismissal has increased to  £78,962, and the maximum limit on a week’s pay £for the purposes of calculating the basic award has increased to £479.  Note that the increase in the limit on a week’s pay also applies to the calculation of statutory redundancy payments. http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2016/288/contents/madePostponements for employment tribunal cases brought after 5 April 2016As anyone who has had experience of the employment tribunal system is…

The March 2016 BudgetGeorge Osbourne presented his latest budget last Wednesday and whilst most of the media coverage focussed on proposals to cut welfare benefits, the budget contained a number of changes and proposals relating to employment law.   • Draft legislation has already been published for the introduction in April 2017 of an apprenticeship levy whereby a contribution equating to 0.5% of total payroll will be collected from larger employers to fund a system of digital vouchers available to all employers to pay for the cost of apprenticeships (see below for more detail).  It was announced last Wednesday that employers who…