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Employment law brief: 14 August 2026

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Three hundred briefs in, our treasured author & Harvey enthusiast, Professor Ian Smith, has a lot to shout about from the employment coalface
  • Reviews the latest Employment Rights Act 2025 regulations ahead of the next phase of implementation in October.
  • Analyses four recent appellate decisions on restraint of trade, the right to be accompanied, harassment under the Equality Act 2010, and the scope of employment tribunal decision-making.

Legislation changes are hotting up in the run-up to the next major phase in bringing into force the Employment Rights Act 2025 in October. In the last month we have had complex regulations on access for trade unions to workplaces, the lowering of time limits for employment tribunal (ET) actions and extending the permissible forms of trade union ballots.

On the case law front, the four cases considered here cover a wide range. The first is a Court of Appeal case on restraint of trade; usually, such cases tend to be merely factual examples of very old and established

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Debevoise & Plimpton—Mary Lavelle

Debevoise & Plimpton—Mary Lavelle

Debevoise expands London secondaries team with addition of Mary Lavelle

Excello Law—Hestia Private Client

Excello Law—Hestia Private Client

Excello Law welcomes ex-Irwin Mitchell team to launch Hestia Private Client

Carpmaels & Ransford—Christopher Stothers

Carpmaels & Ransford—Christopher Stothers

Heavyweight patent litigator will bolster Carpmaels Ransford’s rapidly growing Litigation team as firm marks its 250th anniversary

NEWS
Lawyers have welcomed plans to create specialist rape and serious sex offences courtrooms at every Crown Court
The Supreme Court has settled a long-running dispute over part-time workers: unfavourable treatment need be a significant or effective cause, not the sole cause
Arbitration may be private, but its confidentiality is no impenetrable shield. Writing in NLJ this week, James Glaysher of Kingsley Napley examines when courts will permit arbitral material to surface in open litigation
A telecoms operator may be able to hold over under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954, yet still be unable to secure a renewal: an outcome described as a legal ‘paradox’
The Financial Reporting Council’s revised Audit Enforcement Procedure will alter the balance of power in corporate investigations
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