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Tonight I had the pleasure of participating in the Financial Times North American Innovative Lawyers Award, which were “live” online tonight, December 10, 2020.  Kudos to hosts Reena Sengupta, Managing Director of RSG Consulting, and Robert Grange and Robert Armstrong of the Financial Times, for running a flawless event.  The silver lining for not being together in New  York participating in the gala event was that we, the in house law departments and outside firms on the short list for awards, could invite our full corps.  In my case, I had the pleasure of inviting many colleagues, including the associates who worked throughout the past nine months to ensure we maintained fluid, seamless connectivity with our clients as they and we worked together to surmount the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.…
Continue Reading Financial Times Awards Focus on Innovation During COVID-19 Pandemic

In a world where we can no longer host in person events without following all of the latest government guidelines on social distancing, use of face masks and providing a bucket-load of hand sanitizer, online learning tools such as webinars, podcasts, blogs and vlogs, are having their time in the limelight. With this new era, comes new opportunity.

When lockdown began in the UK in March 2020, like many, Nicholas Robertson hunkered down at home and quickly got to grips with various online platforms to be able to continue working effectively. Already a seasoned podcaster and producer of Mayer Brown’s UK Employment Law Podcast, on 15 April 2020 Nick was invited by the Employment Lawyers Association (“ELA”) to host an interview with Judge Shona Simon and Judge Brian Doyle, where (in under an hour) they covered the impact of the pandemic on tribunals and the Employment Appeal Tribunal (“EAT”), and the steps that were being taken to address the impact. To listen to this podcast, you can access it through the ELA website.

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Continue Reading UK Employment Law Podcaster Nicholas Robertson Hosts Pandemic Related Broadcasts Produced by the Employment Lawyers Association and the Industrial Law Society

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On Friday, 26 June 2020, the UK Government published the Third Direction, which is the legislative update for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. In particular, it implements the flexible working arrangements which are permitted from 1 July 2020 under the Furlough Scheme.

We have now reviewed this Direction in full and provide a summary of…

Happy business owner opening the door at a cafe wearing a facemask

The retail landscape was in flux even before lockdown forced all ‘non-essential’ shops to close due to COVID-19.  Lockdown has only increased the growth of e-commerce as we become more and more comfortable buying almost anything online rather than in-person. The question now remains whether COVID-19 will accelerate the decline in the bricks and mortar high street and, if it does, will this result in increased demand for warehouses and ‘last-mile delivery’ options?
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Continue Reading Will the Impact of COVID-19 Accelerate Changes to the Retail Landscape as our Shopping Habits are Changed for Good?

COVID-19 and economy recession

The UK Government has published further guidance, late on the evening of Friday 12 June 2020, in relation to the Furlough Scheme. In light of this, we have produced an update highlighting the key and important changes that are being made.

To read the full update, please visit MayerBrown.com.

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The UK Government has, in keeping with past practice, used the arrival of the bank holiday weekend to update the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. It has now published a second iteration of the Treasury Direction, which we have reviewed.

To read our commentary on the updated Direction, please visit MayerBrown.com.

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Check list

Following our recent update on Life in the Time of Corona, Part 3: Handling Collective Consultation in the UK, we have produced a practical checklist that highlights the steps that employers should consider when handling collective consultations in the UK during these challenging times, particularly when staff are working remotely.

To download the checklist,…

As one of the sadder consequences of the Coronavirus pandemic, most employers are going to have to look closely at whether or not to make significant job cuts to their current headcount. While some employers may view this as an opportunity to recruit and acquire staff either generally or in particular areas, most employers are…

Reichstag building, seat of the German Parliament

After several weeks of quasi-lockdown in Germany and immense public pressure to lift limitations imposed by COVID-19, more and more companies are starting to resume their activities. For some, this means increasing the number of employees who can again come in and work from a company office, rather than from their homes. For others, it…