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01 January 2009
Issue: 7350+7351 / Categories: Legal News , Landlord&tenant , Profession , Intellectual property , Employment
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News in brief

Musicians take note; Working time; Bar nursery

Musicians take note
Copyright protection for performers and producers could be extended from 50 to 70 years in the UK, under recommendations announced by culture secretary Andy Burnham last month. The proposals are a compromise on EU proposals—EU commissioner Charlie McCreevy favours
extending the term to 95 years.

Working time
The European Parliament has voted to end member states’ ability to opt out of the EU’s Working Time Directive, which prevents employers asking people to work for more than 48 hours per week. The UK currently retains the right to allow employees to opt out. However, the vote has no binding force unless adopted as a decision of the Council of Ministers.

Bar nursery
A chief objective of the new Bar Council chairman Desmond Browne QC is to ensure that more women practitioners are retained in the legal profession. “There is too much evidence of heads banging against glass ceilings,” he says. Browne adds that a Bar nursery would be one “concrete step” in the right direction.

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Ogier—Martin Livingston

Ogier—Martin Livingston

Martin Livingston joins Ogier in Cayman to strengthen regulatory support

Blake Morgan—47 promotions

Blake Morgan—47 promotions

Blake Morgan announces 47 summer promotions across UK offices

NEWS
Consultant-led law firms should prepare for closer regulatory attention as oversight evolves
Artificial intelligence may draft workplace grievances, but employers cannot treat them any differently from conventional complaints
From dishonest claimants to judicial promotions and procedural skirmishes, the latest legal developments offer plenty for litigators to digest
Fresh guidance is set to influence how courts decide whether hearings take place online or in person
County Court judges remain divided over whether landlords can lawfully force entry to carry out essential safety inspections after tenants ignore access injunctions
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