header-logo header-logo

Home Login E-newsletter About us
15 May 2026 / Ian Smith
Issue: 8161 / Categories: Features , Employment , Tribunals , Insurance / reinsurance
printer mail-detail

Employment law brief: 15 May 2026

© Copyright LexisNexis 2026. All Rights Reserved.
249521
© Getty images
How many employment lawyers can dance on the head of a pin? Ian Smith weighs up the latest cases & celebrates the calm before the storm
  • Recent employment law cases have included a significant ruling that conditional job offers may create binding contracts where conditions are ‘subsequent’ rather than ‘precedent’, meaning employers may still owe notice or damages if they later withdraw an offer.
  • They also include employee benefits and redundancy consultation obligations, confirming that PHI (permanent health insurance) payments can remain enforceable after dismissal, PIP benefits may be deducted from compensation awards to avoid double recovery, and that collective redundancy consultation duties can arise even where redundancies are only contingently proposed.

After the shot and shell of the April commencements for the Employment Rights Act 2025 and the various uprating orders, it is nice to get back to the relative sanity of some good old common/contract laws concepts as they apply to employment matters (though even now the next tranche of statutory commencements are being

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Read All
Sponsored by
NLJ Career Profile: Nikki Bowker, Devonshires

NLJ Career Profile: Nikki Bowker, Devonshires

Nikki Bowker, head of litigation and dispute resolution at Devonshires, on career resilience, diversity in law and channelling Elle Woods when the pressure is on

Ellisons—Sarah Osborne

Ellisons—Sarah Osborne

Leasehold enfranchisement specialist joins residential property team

DWF—Chris Air

DWF—Chris Air

Firm strengthens commercial team in Manchester with partner appointment

NEWS
Read All
NLJ this week: ‘Joe Donor’ ruling exposes dangers of unregulated conception
The High Court’s refusal to recognise a prolific sperm donor as a child’s legal parent has highlighted the risks of informal conception arrangements, according to Liam Hurren, associate at Kingsley Napley, in NLJ this week
NLJ this week: CILEX warns Mazur ruling must spark reform
The Court of Appeal’s decision in Mazur may have settled questions around litigation supervision, but the profession should not simply ‘move on’, argues Jennifer Coupland, CEO of CILEX, in this week's NLJ
NLJ this week: Conditional job offers carry hidden risks for employers
A simple phrase like ‘subject to references’ may not protect employers as much as they think. Writing in NLJ this week, Ian Smith, barrister and emeritus professor of employment law at UEA, analyses recent employment cases showing how conditional job offers can still create binding contracts
NLJ this week: Diamond rings and broken promises

An engagement ring may symbolise romance, but the courts remain decidedly practical about who keeps it after a split, writes Mark Pawlowski, barrister and professor emeritus of property law at the University of Greenwich, in this week's NLJ

NLJ this week: The battle over medical report fees intensifies
Medical reporting organisation fees have become ‘the final battleground’ in modern costs litigation, says Kris Kilsby, costs lawyer at Peak Costs and council member of the Association of Costs Lawyers, in this week's NLJ
Copyright © 2026 LexisNexis
back-to-top-scroll