Publications

It is an integral part of our business to alert our clients to new legislation and case law that may affect their business. As part of this service, we provide a range of legal publications and updates across practice, industry and geographical areas.

You can use the search box on the right to conduct a full-text search of all the client publications and newsletters (in pdf format) on our website.

Most of the publications here can be viewed immediately, but in some cases you will need to order a publication by placing a tick beside its title, and filling in and submitting the form at the bottom of the page.

Briefings

Here you can find briefings, guides and information cards on a range of topics of interest to our clients.

Newsletters

Many of our practice and industry teams produce regular newsletters to keep clients up to date with legal developments in their area.

The (pdf icon) icon beside a newsletter title means you can view it as a pdf file, and newsletters marked (html icon) are viewable in HTML. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view pdf files. Visually impaired users may also find the tools offered on the Adobe website useful. We have a page with more information about both Acrobat Reader and accessibility.

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Recent publications in English

DateTitleGroupLanguage
9/3/2010 Loans from employers to pension schemes Employment, pensions and benefits English

A loan from a sponsoring employer to a defined-benefit pension scheme can sometimes be an attractive way to provide short-term funding for the scheme. This briefing discusses the UK pension and tax law implications of funding the scheme in this way. (March 2010)

9/3/2010 Patents and standard-setting in China: further developments Intellectual property/ information technology English

The Standardization Administration of China and the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine have issued draft Disposal Rules for the Inclusion of Patents in National Standards. The rules are intended to be a working manual for the relevant authorities but they may also affect private businesses. This briefing outlines the potential implications for businesses should the new rules come into effect. (March 2010)

5/3/2010 Insurance and reinsurance news: March 2010 Financial institutions English

In this issue of Insurance and reinsurance news we focus on conduct-of-insurancebusiness and governance rules. In particular, we consider how rules in one member state of the European Economic Area may be applied to firms from other member states.

4/3/2010 Congress takes aim at offshore tax evasion Tax English

On February 24, 2010 the US Senate passed a Bill containing provisions aimed at offshore tax avoidance. These provisions represent significant departures from current US law. This briefing summarizes key provisions of the Bill, which impose (i) a 30 percent withholding tax on (a) payments to foreign financial institutions that do not comply with enhanced information reporting obligations and (b) dividend-equivalent payments linked to US equities, and (ii) enhanced reporting requirements with respect to offshore assets. This briefing provides only general information, not advice on which you can rely to avoid US tax penalties. (March 2010)

3/3/2010 Food safety update: March 2010 Dispute Resolution English

EU Nutrition and health claims – community register launched; Commission grants first article 13(5) health claim authorisation UK Alcohol labelling consultation; Groceries Supply Code of Practice comes into force; Food security plan launched US Center for Science in the Public Interest attacks food labelling; US Food and Drug Administration expresses concern on use of Bisphenol A Newswatch

26/2/2010 One of the criminal ones: an overview of section 40, Pensions Act 1995 and employer-related investments Employment, pensions and benefits English

This briefing provides an overview of the issues raised by the limitation on employerrelated investment imposed by section 40 of the Pensions Act 1995. These provisions can be technically difficult, but potentially severe civil and criminal penalties apply for trustees and managers who breach them. There may also be secondary criminal liability for employers who persuade trustees to invest in employer-related investments. (February 2010)

26/2/2010 The UK Bribery Bill Financial institutions; Dispute Resolution English

Bribery and corruption have risen rapidly up the UK political agenda in recent years. The Bribery Bill finally looks set to enter the statute book later this year. It repeals existing bribery offences and introduces new ones – including, for the first time, a corporate offence of failing to prevent bribery. In this briefing we consider some of the key issues that arise from the Bill as well as some practical steps that corporates may wish to consider taking now to prepare for when the Bill becomes law. (February 2010)

25/2/2010 BaFin issues guidelines on marketing communications of investment firms Corporate; Finance; Financial institutions English

Investment firms have to ensure that their marketing communications are fair, clear and not misleading. On 11 February 2010 the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht – BaFin) published a set of guidelines that will affect marketing by investment firms. (February 2010)

24/2/2010 Cemex decision on section 75 of the Pensions Act 1995 Employment, pensions and benefits English

In the Cemex case, the High Court interpreted the meaning of ‘employment-cessation event’ in the Employer Debt Regulations 2005. The impact of this case is that an employer may still be liable to pay a debt under section 75 of the Pensions Act 1995 in the future even if they (purportedly) triggered the debt before 6 April 2008 and discharged it. This briefing explains. (February 2010)

24/2/2010 Independent Trustee Services v Hope: High Court rejects a cunning plan to protect pension scheme members Employment, pensions and benefits English

In Independent Trustee Services v Hope the UK High Court rejected a cunning plan to partially buy out benefits before the Ilford defined-benefit pension scheme entered the Pension Protection Fund’s (PPF’s) compensatory regime. Although the facts of this case are unusual, the effect of the High Court’s decision is that trustees may not be allowed to consider the existence of the PPF when making some decisions. This briefing explains. (February 2010)