Beecham Peacock Blog

The Beecham Peacock Legal Blog keeps you up to date with the latest company news and other news from the legal industry.

Criminal Law by

Most motorists are aware that using your mobile phone while driving is an offence, in fact it’s been an offence since December 1st 2003. Despite this, there are still common misconceptions that motorists regularly fall foul of. Initially, the definition of what constitutes an offence seems simple; you are on the phone and you are… Read more »

Employment Law by Sara Devennie

The ‘Gig Economy’ has hit headlines again with a further Employment Tribunal decision on the employment status of those working within it. In October 2016 an Employment Tribunal ruled that drivers at the taxi company, Uber, were ‘workers’ rather than self-employed drivers. This was significant because workers are entitled to certain minimum employment rights that… Read more »

Miscellaneous by

If you have reached an agreement with your employer to terminate your employment then you may be asked to sign a Settlement Agreement. This may arise in circumstances such as voluntary redundancy, early retirement or dismissal, but Settlement Agreements are also offered in relation to a range of other potential employment law claims. Settlement Agreements… Read more »

Employment Law by Sara Devennie

Christmas is coming and so too is the highlight of the office social calendar – the Christmas party. Whilst it may be the season to be jolly, festive highjinks can land you in receipt of a very much unwanted gift – your P45! So what are the ‘rules’ at the Christmas party? Many people wrongly… Read more »

Employment Law by

Local Governments and NHS Trusts have seen their fair share of equal pay claims. Now the first of the large claims against private sector employers are starting to progress, and the cost implications for them could be very high. The basis of these, and other, equal pay claims claims is that the mainly female group… Read more »

Employment Law by

The ‘Gig Economy’ has not been far from the news lately, with a number of cases due to be heard by the Employment Tribunal in the coming months. Perhaps the most well-known are those involving the UBER and Deliveroo drivers. But how important is employment status? There are 3 main types of employment status: Employee… Read more »

Employment Law by

Is it discriminatory to pay men and women differently during periods of shared parental leave? That was the question before the Tribunal in Snell v Network Rail Infrastructure Ltd ETS/4100178/2016. In this case Mr Snell argued that his employer’s family friendly policy amounted to sex discrimination, as it provided for enhanced parental pay for mothers… Read more »

Miscellaneous by

So you’ve come home and there’s a letter in a brown envelope stating your vehicle has been seen committing an offence, usually speeding. The police want to know who was driving, or inform you that they intend to prosecute – what next? Things you should know.. Generally, the letter will either be a ‘Notice of… Read more »

Employment Law by

In Kratzer v R+V Allgemeine Versicherung AG the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that the Equal Treatment Directive does not apply to job applicants who are purely seeking compensation. It will only apply where the applicant is also seeking recruitment and employment. Mr Kratzer had applied for a role as a graduate… Read more »