Law's archives
Companies Mishandle Sensitive Data
Approximately a third of UK employees dispose of sensitive data in the bin without shredding it, according to a recent study. Research conducted as a part of National Identity Fraud Prevention week found that three-quarters of workers believed that their employers weren't doing enough to protect their customers' sensitive information. The UK currently spends more than £1.2bn on identity fraud each year with approximately 60,000 people already targeted this year. Theives use peoples sensitive information to apply for credit or benefits in their [+]Health & Safety Laws – There For A Reason
Why Do We Have It? Health and Safety (H&S) may seem to have become a bit of an obsession over the last few years, but it is governed by a relatively old piece of legislation – The Health and Safety Work Act 1974. The main point of this Act, is to ensure employers look after the health and safety of their staff as far as is ‘reasonably practical’. The exact meaning of this is open to interpretation. H&S [+]How To Reclaim Owed Money Pt 2
Composing a Letter Before Action Matthew Arnold and Baldwin’s recoveries manager explains recent rule changes to the letter before action, how to compose an effective and compliant letter to get back money owed to you by debtors. Why The Rules Were Made & What It Means? The ‘Practice Direction, Pre-Action Conduct’ came into effect in April and means debt litigation is a final option. The practical effect is to delay the recovery timescale to allow the debtor to [+]How To Reclaim Owed Money Pt 1
A survey by the BCC showed 51% of businesses in the UK feel payment times are taking longer. Sometimes this is enough to bring profitable companies close to disaster. Herrington & Carmichael’s Frank Tierney gives businesses advice about recovering from debt! What To Consider First? Is the debt disputed? If it is, the new Pre-Action Conduct Protocol will apply. This requires parties to settle the matter through Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) before court proceedings can begin. But [+]New Government Innovation Investment Fund Plans
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is now taking the next step towards setting up the UK Innovation Investment Fund (UK IIF) – a venture capital fund of funds to support the UK’s technology companies – just a month after securing cornerstone investment for the Fund. The Capital for Enterprise Ltd will release a Request for Proposals (RFP) for prospective Fund of Fund managers for UK IIF, this will be a key milestone in delivering [+]Legally Employed, Or Self-Employed? What Does It Mean?
IR35 came into effect in April 2000 as a preventative measure against people the government felt were avoiding paying sufficient tax by declaring themselves self-employed while only working for one company. Those that fall into this category now have to pay Schedule E and National Insurance after the deduction of expenses. Self Employed? Or Just Employed? IR35 is only effective on those it deems ‘employed’. It affects those who would have been given contracts of employment if [+]