In a recent case, the EAT has upheld a decision of an Employment Judge not to strike out Employment Tribunal claims brought against a US company and US-based individuals.  In both cases, the claims were reasonably arguable, meaning that striking out was not justified. What happened in this case? Dr Armes is a research scientist.  He founded a US company, TwistDx Inc, to carry out his work.  He also founded a UK company, TwistDx Ltd.  In 2010, TwistDx Inc and TwistDx Ltd became subsidiaries of a US company called Alere Inc.  Dr Armes remained th ..read more

From 6 April 2024, employees acquired a new Day 1 right to take at least one week’s unpaid carer’s leave per year to provide or arrange care for a dependant who has a long-term care need.   To accompany this change, two new pieces of guidance for employers have been published. A new statutory right to carer’s leave came into force on 6 April 2024.  You can read more about the new right in our detailed briefing here.  We also discussed carer’s leave in our recent webinar here.   To coincide with the introduction of the new right, both the G ..read more

On 6 April 2024, changes were made to the family-friendly legal framework to offer better protection for certain employees in redundancy situations, and to relax the rules surrounding the taking of paternity leave and requesting flexible working.   To accompany these reforms, the EHRC has updated its guidance in this area. The following changes were recently made to the family-friendly legal framework: Redundancies: in a redundancy situation, pregnant employees who notify their employer of their pregnancy on or after 6 April 2024 have priority for any suitable alternative ..read more

BDBF Partner Claire Dawson is a co-chair at the 2024 ABA Labor and Employment Law Section International Committee Midyear Meeting in Mexico City (5-9 May). The meeting will feature presentations by panellists representing management, employee, union and government perspectives on hot topics and cutting-edge issues in international labor and employment law. The post ABA Labor and Employment Law International Midyear Meeting appeared first on BDBF LLP ..read more

BDBF Partner Clare Brereton will be attending the ELA Annual Conference 2024 on 2 May in London. As part of her role on the ELA Pro Bono Committee, she has been instrumental in organising the session on “Accessing justice – can and should Pro Bono be bridging the gap?” which will discuss the difficulties faced by individuals experiencing issues in the workplace in accessing appropriate legal support, what measures are in place to provide this support and what more needs to be done to ensure justice is truly accessible to all. The post ELA Annual Conference 2024 appeared first on BDBF LLP ..read more

In this 50-minute webinar, BDBF Partner Polly Rodway and Senior Associate Theo Nicou discuss the issue of dismissing employees with difficult working relationships. This webinar was originally delivered on 23 April 2024 and reflects our understanding as of that date. Do get in contact with either of the speakers if you would like to discuss any of the issues raised. To view the PDF webinar slides please click on the image below, or view the recording of the webinar: Please contact Polly Rodway (PollyRodway@bdbf.co.uk), Theo Nicou (TheoNicou@bdbf.co.uk) or your usual BDBF contact, for fur ..read more

BDBF is delighted to have been shortlisted as a finalist for Specialist Firm of the Year at The Lawyer Awards 2024. Awarding winners across 26 categories, the ceremony will celebrate the very best of the legal industry over the past year. Winners will be recognised at an awards ceremony in London on 18 June 2024. The post BDBF shortlisted for Specialist Firm of the Year at The Lawyer Awards 2024 appeared first on BDBF LLP ..read more

LUNCHTIME WEBINAR – 23 APRIL 2024 Have you ever worked with someone who could be described as a “square peg in a round hole”? What can you do when mere awkwardness steps up a level and causes friction, upset and disharmony at work? In our latest webinar, our expert team will explain how to dismiss someone who is the root cause of such problems. We will cover the following areas: What does it mean to dismiss for “some other substantial reason”? When might a difficult working relationship qualify as a substantial reason justifying dismissal? What are the “red flag” issues to consider before ..read more

We are pleased to announce that BDBF Partner Clare Brereton has been included in the International Employment Lawyer’s 2024 Tomorrow’s Leaders thought-leadership survey. Clare is named as one of 40 rising stars who will be at the forefront of addressing future labour, employment, benefits and mobility challenges, hailing from 20 different countries across five continents. The post Clare Brereton included in the International Employment Lawyer’s 2024 Tomorrow’s Leaders thought-leadership survey appeared first on BDBF LLP ..read more

Congratulations! BDBF is pleased to announce the promotion of James Hockley to Senior Associate, effective 1 April, 2024. His promotion supports the continued growth of BDBF as a top-ranked employment firm. Since joining the firm in 2021, James has built his practice focusing on advising clients in relation to discrimination, whistleblowing, unfair dismissal, employee competition, investigations, disciplinary and grievance issues and negotiated exits. James also regularly advises clients on settlement agreements. Gareth Brahams, Managing Partner said, “We are delighted to announce the well-d ..read more