header-logo header-logo

23 July 2020
Categories: Legal News , Covid-19 , Profession
printer mail-detail

Reopening the office

Law firm Devonshires has announced it will reopen its London, Leeds and Colchester offices on 3 August to both staff and clients

Law firm Devonshires has announced it will reopen its London, Leeds and Colchester offices on 3 August to both staff and clients

Its announcement, this week, gives employees the option of returning to work or continue working from home. It has installed Perspex screens in reception and socially distanced seating in its offices and meeting rooms.

Chief Operating Officer Duncan Edwards said: ‘There is no requirement to come in… it is a decision for the individual as to whether or not they come into the office and if so, how often.’

The Law Society updated its toolkit for safe return to the office this week.

The toolkit, which reflects government guidance on self-isolation, test and trace, social distancing and managing an outbreak, is available at: www.lawsociety.org.uk/topics/coronavirus/safe-return-to-the-office-toolkit-for-firms.

Several firms, reported to include Simpson, Thatcher & Bartlett, Linklaters and Slaughter & May, have allowed some employees to return. 

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Switalskis—Sally Ann Masih, Suzy Overton & Jane Beaumont

Switalskis—Sally Ann Masih, Suzy Overton & Jane Beaumont

Trio of recruits strengthens Switalskis residential property team

Ward Hadaway—Steven Hayward

Ward Hadaway—Steven Hayward

Birmingham law firm appoints construction partner

Flint Bishop—six appointments

Flint Bishop—six appointments

Flint Bishop accelerates Northern growth through strategic senior appointments

NEWS
A High Court decision has clarified that a home may be unfit for human habitation not only where conditions endanger health or safety, but also where they seriously undermine comfort and convenience

A longer time limit for employment tribunal claims, new charity law thresholds, property tribunal recruitment and appellate guidance on small-claims costs feature in the latest Civil Way round-up

A recent High Court ruling could make issue estoppel considerably more complex in cross-border litigation, requiring parties to consider the foreign law governing the underlying claim
The Supreme Court has overturned Cheshire West’s bright-line test for deprivation of liberty, replacing it with a broader, more contextual assessment that gives greater weight to an individual’s wishes, feelings and apparent consent
Jonathan Fisher KC’s wide-ranging fraud report contains worthwhile proposals, but turning them into workable reform will require money, capacity and political will
back-to-top-scroll