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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

Birketts—Nathan Evans

Birketts—Nathan Evans

Commercial and technology team in Cambridgestrengthened by partner hire

Andrew & Andrew Solicitors—Shikha Datta

Andrew & Andrew Solicitors—Shikha Datta

Hampshire firm appoints head of new family department

Latham & Watkins—Sarah Lightdale

Latham & Watkins—Sarah Lightdale

Firm strengthens securities practice with partner return

NEWS

From blockbuster judgments to procedural shake-ups, the courts are busy reshaping litigation practice. Writing in NLJ this week, Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School hails the Court of Appeal's 'exquisite judgment’ in Mazur restoring the role of supervised non-qualified staff, and highlights a ‘mammoth’ damages ruling likened to War and Peace, alongside guidance on medical reporting fees, where a pragmatic 25% uplift was imposed

Momentum is building behind proposals to restrict children’s access to social media—but the legal and practical challenges are formidable. In NLJ this week, Nick Smallwood of Mills & Reeve examines global moves, including Australia’s under-16 ban and the UK's consultation
Reforms designed to rebalance landlord-tenant relations may instead penalise leaseholders themselves. In this week's NLJ, Mike Somekh of The Freehold Collective warns that the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 risks creating an ‘underclass’ of resident-controlled freehold companies
Timing is everything—and the Court of Appeal has delivered clarity on when proceedings are ‘brought’. In his latest 'Civil way' column for NLJ, Stephen Gold explains that a claim is issued for limitation purposes when the claim form is delivered to the court, even if fees are underpaid
The traditional ‘single, intensive day’ of financial dispute resolution (FDR) may be due for a rethink. Writing in NLJ this week, Rachel Frost-Smith and Lauren Guiler of Birketts propose a ‘split FDR’ model, separating judicial evaluation from negotiation
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