Practical Law

Employment law is at the top of the agenda this month, with the government responding to recommendations from the Business and Trade Committee in relation to various aspects of the Employment Rights Bill 2024-25. The ramifications of the Supreme Court’s decision in For Women Scotland v Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16 continue to be felt too. The Equality and Human Rights Commission has published an interim update on the practical consequences of the judgment and subsequently opened a consultation on an updated Code of Practice for services, public functions and associations, which closes on 30 June 2025. Read more [subscription required].

The Companies (Directors’ Remuneration and Audit) (Amendment) Regulations 2025 (SI 2025/439) come into force on 11 May 2025. This month in-house lawyers will also be examining the implications of the Supreme Court judgment that the words “sex”, “woman” and “man” in the Equality Act 2010 refer to biological sex, new Serious Fraud Office guidance for corporates about self-reporting, co-operation and Deferred Prosecution Agreements, and a final version of the government’s Cyber Governance Code of Practice. Read more [subscription required].

I’ve recently published an article by Roel Staes, former Senior Vice President Legal and General Counsel (GC) International Operations at FedEx Express, in which he explains why GCs are well placed to continue supporting sustainability in their organisations and how they can secure buy-in from different departments and senior leaders to drive initiatives forward.

Employment law developments dominate the agenda this month. The Employment Rights Bill (ERB) had its second reading in the House of Lords on 27 March 2025 and, earlier in the month, the government published several consultation responses on the ERB. The government has also launched a consultation on how to introduce mandatory ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting for employers with 250 or more employees. A House of Lords committee consultation into the effects and future development of remote and hybrid working in the UK closes on 25 April. Elsewhere, the European Commission has adopted proposals for two Omnibus Directives that form part of a package aimed at simplification of certain sustainability-related legislation. Read more [subscription required].

Chris Fowler, Chief Operating Officer of Legal, Governance and Corporate Affairs at Rio Tinto, and Angus Haig, International General Counsel (GC), discussed how to develop yourself and your team in the latest Centre for Legal Leadership webinar. Their conversation touched on the benefits of making a sideways move, how to raise your profile and your brand, the skills and expertise GCs need to exhibit, grabbing opportunities when they arise and the importance of relationship building.

This article highlights the key themes discussed.

First year signatories of the In House Pro Bono Pledge met in London on 29 January 2025 to discuss progress. During the roundtable meeting, participants provided advice and shared key learnings on their experience of working towards the goals set out in the pledge. These included the importance of senior level buy-in, how to raise the profile of pro bono in your organisation, how to increase engagement levels in your company, identifying pro bono opportunities, the benefits of partnering with panel law firms and the importance of effective tracking of pro bono work.

This article provides more detail on those key learnings.

Consultations on standardising electronic invoicing, further changes to the public offers and admissions to trading regime and to the UK Listing Rules, and a draft of a new version of the government’s new Strategic Steer to the Competition and Markets Authority are among the key developments this month. The Civil Justice Council has also extended its consultation on litigation funding deadline to 3 March 2025. Read more [subscription required].

A recent Centre for Legal Leadership webinar discussed the unique role of the in-house lawyer. Natasha Doulia, Associate General Counsel at KPMG LLP, shared her experiences from working in a corporate legal department, while Binnie Goh, General Counsel and Director at the Electoral Commission, provided insights from the public sector. Both speakers agreed on the importance of skills such as adaptability, relationship building and effective communication. However, Binnie emphasised some key differences in the public sector, including broader rule of law considerations and the challenges of operating within tighter budgets.

This article summarises the main points covered by the speakers.