Latest news with #ShakespeareMartineau
Scotsman
19 hours ago
- Business
- Scotsman
Scottish business administrations fall but pressures persist across key sectors
The number of Scottish businesses entering administration fell by 24% in the first half of 2025, according to new analysis by full-service law firm Shakespeare Martineau. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... A total of 31 companies in Scotland filed for administration between January and June 2025 – down from 41 during the same period in 2024, according to data from The Gazette Official Public Record. Despite this apparently positive shift, Scotland still ranked as the ninth most affected UK region, accounting for 4% of all administrations in the first six months of the year. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Nationally, the UK saw 783 administrations – an 11% drop from 2024, but still 3% higher than in 2023, highlighting the fragility of the business environment. Fiona Pask Fiona Pask, partner and head of Scotland at Shakespeare Martineau, said: 'While the year-on-year drop in Scottish administrations is encouraging, the overall environment remains extremely challenging for many businesses across the country. Distress hasn't disappeared – it may simply be taking new forms or being delayed by short-term fixes.' Retail continues to be the UK's hardest-hit sector, with a 29% increase in administrations year-on-year – rising from 119 to 153. Hospitality filings across the UK ticked up slightly (80 in 2025 vs 78 in 2024), while construction and manufacturing saw notable declines. Across the UK, the North West overtook Greater London as the region with the most administrations, with 165 administrations (up 11% from 2024) compared to Greater London's 158 (a 17% drop). Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Fiona said: 'Scottish retail and hospitality businesses, in particular, are grappling with evolving consumer behaviours, staff shortages and high energy costs. Even though administrations are down, many of these firms are still on a knife-edge. 'While a drop in administration volumes is a positive signal, it should not breed complacency. Many companies are still struggling with cashflow, limited access to funding, and uncertain demand. Now is the time for directors to act – not when crisis hits.
Irish Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Business
- Irish Daily Mirror
Rules and your rights on whether it is too hot to work during Ireland's heatwave
Temperatures have soared in Ireland in recent days to above 30C at times, the hottest weather experienced in the country so far this year. And while conditions look set to change on Sunday and into next week, it's worth knowing the rules around working in extreme temperatures (at least by Irish standards) should we get similar weather in the near future in what has been a decent summer to date. The rules can differ based on whether you're working in an office or working from home. For those working in an office, there is no maximum temperature in a workplace but there is a minimum. The Safety Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 states that workplaces must be at least 17.5C. That changes to 16C if rigorous physical work is undertaken. Despite not having a maximum temperature, the act states that employers must ensure the safety of staff. The act says employers must "take reasonable care to protect his or her safety, health and welfare and the safety, health and welfare of any other person who may be affected by the employee's acts or omissions at work". The Irish Business and Employers' Confederation say that once employers make an effort to bring the heat down, you won't get a day off. It states: "Where an employer is obviously sympathetic and tries to alleviate the worst effects of hot weather most employees should bear with temporary discomfort and continue working normally. 'Unless conditions are extreme, measures such as those outlined above should prevent any employees justifiably claiming that the company is in breach of its duty under the 2005 Safety Health and Welfare at Work Act. 'Any refusal by the employees to work would then place them in breach of their contracts of employment, which could lead to loss of pay/disciplinary action.' Employers are also expected to keep the temperatures down inside if they start shooting up. They also can relax dress codes and offer water breaks to ensure the safety of workers. However, things also get a little muddied for the thousands of workers told to do their jobs from home, where most don't have air conditioning. Mike Hibbs, employment partner at law firm Shakespeare Martineau, previously told Mirror Money: 'The fact that many employees are still working from home does not mean that employers can suddenly forget their health and safety responsibilities. "All the usual rules apply, including the need to risk assess homes as suitable working environments. In the workplace, employers usually rely on air conditioning and ventilation to regulate temperatures. However, at home, many employees may not have this option and their only means of keeping cool will be to open windows." Open windows can create more problems than it solves depending on your work. Mr Hibbs said: "The potential for disturbance by noisy neighbours and street noise can make this impractical, especially if their work involves making telephone or video calls." He concluded that if you can't get somewhere cool to work from then your boss may not be able to keep you there. The HSE says that heat stress, heat exhaustion and heatstroke are potentially serious health risks for people during a heatwave. It has issued the following public health advice for hot weather in Ireland. Keep your indoor environment cool: The person you are caring for may not have a sense of how much they're drinking. To help them: Contact your GP or the Emergency Department if you are unwell and especially if you These can be signs of serious dehydration that need urgent treatment. The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week
Arab News
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Law firm that helped ban pro-Palestine protests on UK campus assisting other universities
LONDON: A law firm in the UK that helped a university ban pro-Palestine protests on campus has been assisting other higher education institutions considering legal action against their students. Shakespeare Martineau LLP represented Cardiff University in a case that resulted in a year-long ban on unauthorized campus protests from June. The case could result in unlimited fines for staff and students found in breach of the injunction, as well as prison terms of up to two years. Those wishing to hold protests on Cardiff's campus will be required to apply for permission up to three weeks in advance. Earlier this year, similar 12-month injunctions were granted to two colleges at Cambridge University The Guardian reported on Monday that the law firm promoted the type of injunction, known as a 'newcomer injunction' because it can be used 'against persons unknown,' to other universities during a webinar held in October. According to a freedom of information act obtained in conjunction with Liberty Investigates, it was found that representatives of Reading, Exeter, Northumbria, Hertfordshire, Birkbeck, Bath Spa and Liverpool John Moores universities registered for the webinar. The Guardian reported that lawyers acting in the case against Cardiff warned that the injunction was too broad and could affect industrial action. A UN watchdog, the newspaper reported, said the move is a 'flagrant violation of international human rights law,' while Gina Romero, UN special rapporteur for freedom of assembly, said: 'Profiting from the … curtailing of human rights is despicable.' A spokesperson for Shakespeare Martineau said the injunction relates to 'unlawful encampments,' and 'lawful' protest would not be affected. Smita Jamdar, head of education at Shakespeare Martineau, said: 'Universities are dealing with complex situations on campus every single day. Understandably, many institutions are seeking guidance on how to manage a whole host of situations effectively and safely, while upholding the law and balancing the rights and freedoms of the whole campus community.' But the European Legal Support Centre called the use of the injunctions a 'chilling precedent for academic institutions,' adding that they are 'legally complex and financially impractical for affected students to challenge in court.' Last week, England's Office for Students warned universities against 'sweeping' limits on protest in a new set of guidelines due to take effect in August.
The Guardian
30-06-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
British law firm coached universities on how to obtain sweeping protest bans
A law firm that helped a UK university obtain a year-long ban on unauthorised protests, which could lead to students being jailed for up to two years, has quietly coached several others on how to take similar legal action, the Guardian can reveal. Shakespeare Martineau LLP, which represented Cardiff University during proceedings that led to it being granted a sweeping anti-protest injunction this month, promoted the controversial type of court order to universities at a webinar last October, according to documents obtained by the Guardian and Liberty Investigates under the Freedom of Information Act. Cardiff staff and students could now face prison and unlimited fines for holding protests on large stretches of their campus without permission, which must be sought three weeks in advance. It follows conflict between the university and students over a pro-Palestine encampment on campus. Lawyers who argued against the injunction said it was so broad that it potentially covered all unauthorised protest-related activity ranging from industrial action to bake sales – though Cardiff disputes this – while a UN watchdog for protests rights called the move a 'flagrant violation of international human rights law'. When approached for comment, a Shakespeare Martineau spokesperson said this interpretation was 'inaccurate', insisting the injunction related only to 'unlawful encampments'. They reiterated that the order did not not prohibit 'lawful' protest, where the university had given its permission. But two independent legal experts who examined the order's wording agreed that it could apply to other protest activities besides encampments. Other universities that registered for the webinar include Reading, Exeter, Northumbria, Hertfordshire, Birkbeck, Bath Spa and Liverpool John Moores. Spokespeople for these universities variously said their staff commonly attended webinars and attendance did not mean they had adopted or agreed with the measures discussed, while Exeter and Northumbria said their staff had not attended but received slides. Falmouth and Warwick, whose staff were also recorded as having attended, did not respond to requests for comment. Slides from the webinar show Shakespeare Martineau suggested the 'newcomer injunctions' – so called because they can be used 'against persons unknown' and those not involved in protests at the time it was made – like that taken out by Cardiff could represent 'the future' for universities. One attender asked whether the use of injunctions could 'be seen as attempting to curtail [freedom of speech] unlawfully', according to notes provided by a university. The presenter said: 'No I don't see any difficulty in principle with that […] You would of course need to show to the court that the restrictions imposed by an injunction do not interfere with freedom of speech and that you can demonstrate this is a proportionate response.' But the European Legal Support Centre, which has intervened in four university injunction cases, including Cardiff, said the tactic represented a 'chilling precedent for academic institutions', calling the injunctions 'legally complex and financially impractical for affected students to challenge in court'. Gina Romero, the UN special rapporteur for freedom of assembly, said 'profiting from the […] curtailing of human rights is despicable', in comments critical of the law firms' promotion of the tactic to universities. Last week England's Office for Students published guidance due to take effect in August, advising universities against making 'sweeping' protest restrictions. While the move has been welcomed by free speech lawyers, they have cautioned that it will not stop universities applying for injunctions and will need to be tested in court. Twelve-month temporary injunctions were this week month granted to two Cambridge colleges, as well as a temporary injunction at a third. Smita Jamdar, the head of education at Shakespeare Martineau, said it was working with universities to facilitate peaceful protests while dealing with unlawful encampments and trespass. She said: 'Universities are dealing with complex situations on campus every single day. Understandably, many institutions are seeking guidance on how to manage a whole host of situations effectively and safely, while upholding the law and balancing the rights and freedoms of the whole campus community.' A spokesperson for Cardiff University said it remained 'absolutely committed to free speech and to the right to peaceful protest' but had seen 'an escalation in practices that put protesters and the community at risk'. Cardiff's injunction is due to be reviewed in July 2026.
Scotsman
07-05-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Shakespeare Martineau announces Scotland promotion
Watch more of our videos on and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565 Visit Shots! now National law firm Shakespeare Martineau has announced 16 promotions across a variety of teams and locations, including one in Scotland. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Effective May 2025, dual-qualified legal director Nicky Grant, who is based in Edinburgh, has been promoted to partner and head of the commercial real estate team. Nicky brings more than a decade of experience in the commercial property sector, having advised on a wide range of transactions both north and south of the border, including mixed-use development projects, investment acquisitions and disposals, commercial leasing, and energy matters. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad He acts for a variety of clients with a particular focus on investment landlords, commercial occupiers, energy sector developers, and utilities providers. Nicky Grant Nicky joined Shakespeare Martineau in 2022, having previously spent seven years at Edinburgh-based Dickson Minto. He began his career with a property-focused traineeship at Raeburn Christie Clark & Wallace in Aberdeen and obtained dual qualification in Scots and English law in 2018. Victoria Tester, managing director at Shakespeare Martineau, said: 'Our people are the driving force behind our success, and our clients directly benefit from the investments we make in their growth and development. 'Recognising and rewarding high performance is a core part of our culture, reinforcing our commitment to supporting our team at every stage of their careers. We remain dedicated to nurturing talent and empowering our people to deliver outstanding service to clients across the region and beyond. "We are thrilled to celebrate Nicky's well-earned promotion, reflecting his hard work, dedication and impact. We look forward to seeing him continue to thrive.'
