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29 March 2023
Issue: 8019 / Categories: Legal News , Criminal , Employment , Fraud
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March of the whistleblowers

The Department for Business and Trade has launched a major review of whistleblowing laws.

Under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998, workers who disclose information that they reasonably believe shows wrongdoing, or a cover-up of such, are entitled to legal protections. The review will explore how effective the current law is at enabling workers to speak up and protecting them when they do.

Specifically, it will look at who is covered by whistleblowing protections, the availability of information and guidance for whistleblowing purposes, and how employers and individuals respond to whistleblowing disclosures, including best practice.

The evidence gathering stage of the review will conclude in the autumn.

Richard Burger, UK white collar defence and investigations partner at WilmerHale, said: ‘Whistleblowers provide important intelligence for corporates to detect and disrupt frauds and acts of corruption perpetrated upon the corporate by both the internal rogue employee and the external fraudster. 

‘A review of the effectiveness of and legal protections provided by the current regime should enhance the value of the intelligence provided.’

Issue: 8019 / Categories: Legal News , Criminal , Employment , Fraud
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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Sidley—James Inness

Sidley—James Inness

Partner joins capital markets team in London office

Haynes Boone—William Cecil

Haynes Boone—William Cecil

Firm announces appointment of partner as UK general counsel

Devonshires—Nicholas Barrows

Devonshires—Nicholas Barrows

Firm appoints first chief marketing officer to drive growth strategy

NEWS
A seemingly dry procedural update may prove potent. In his latest 'Civil way' column for NLJ this week, Stephen Gold explains that new CPR 31.12A—part of the 193rd update—fills a ‘lacuna’ exposed in McLaren Indy v Alpa Racing
The long-running Mazur saga edged towards its finale as the Court of Appeal heard arguments on whether non-solicitors can ‘conduct litigation’. Writing in NLJ this week, Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School reports from a packed courtroom where 16 wigs watched Nick Bacon KC argue that Mr Justice Sheldon had failed to distinguish between ‘tasks and responsibilities’

The Court of Appeal has slammed the brakes on claimants trying to swap defendants after limitation has expired. In Adcamp LLP v Office Properties and BDB Pitmans v Lee [2026] EWCA Civ 50, it overturned High Court rulings that had allowed substitutions under s 35(6)(b) of the Limitation Act 1980, reports Sarah Crowther of DAC Beachcroft in this week's NLJ

Cheating in driving tests is surging—and courts are responding firmly. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth of De Montfort Law School charts a rise in impersonation and tech-assisted fraud, with 2,844 attempts recorded in a year
As AI-generated ‘deepfake’ images proliferate, the law may already have the tools to respond. In NLJ this week, Jon Belcher of Excello Law argues that such images amount to personal data processing under UK GDPR
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