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27 January 2012 / Michael Salter , Chris Bryden
Issue: 7498 / Categories: Features , Tribunals , Employment
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All change for employment law?

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Chris Bryden & Michael Salter predict a year of transformation

This article touches upon a few of the changes and reforms that will come into force this year, and considers in brief some of the more radical proposals that may make their way into law. It is impossible to cover all of the forthcoming changes in 2012, so this article discusses those areas of most likely interest to employment practitioners at the beginning of a year of change.

Awards, costs, expenses & fees

First, for claimants, the good news. The annual increases in the sums that tribunals are able to award in those areas to which compensation caps apply come into force next month (1 February 2012). The upper limit on compensation for awards of unfair dismissal will rise to £72,300 (from the present £68,400). The maximum week’s pay figure increases to £430 from £400 (see the Employment Rights (Increase of Limits) Order 2011 (SI 2011/3006)). These increases are in line with established policy.

Proposed

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Bellevue Law—Lianne Craig

Bellevue Law—Lianne Craig

Workplace law firm expands commercial disputes team with senior consultant hire

EIP—Rob Barker

EIP—Rob Barker

IP firm promotes patent attorney to partner

Muckle LLP—Ryan Butler

Muckle LLP—Ryan Butler

Banking and restructuring team bolstered by insolvency specialist

NEWS
The Supreme Court has delivered a decisive ruling on termination under the JCT Design & Build form. Writing in NLJ this week, Andrew Singer KC and Jonathan Ward, of Kings Chambers, analyse Providence Building Services v Hexagon Housing Association [2026] UKSC 1, which restores the first-instance decision and curbs contractors’ termination rights for repeated late payment
Secondments, disciplinary procedures and appeal chaos all feature in a quartet of recent rulings. Writing in NLJ this week, Ian Smith, barrister and emeritus professor of employment law at UEA, examines how established principles are being tested in modern disputes
The AI revolution is no longer a distant murmur—it’s at the client’s desk. Writing in NLJ this week, Peter Ambrose, CEO of The Partnership and Legalito, warns that the ‘AI chickens’ have ‘come home to roost’, transforming not just legal practice but the lawyer–client relationship itself
A High Court ruling involving the Longleat estate has exposed the fault line between modern family building and historic trust drafting. Writing in NLJ this week, Charlotte Coyle, director and family law expert at Freeths, examines Cator v Thynn [2026] EWHC 209 (Ch), where trustees sought approval to modernise trusts that retain pre-1970 definitions of ‘child’, ‘grandchild’ and ‘issue’
Fresh proposals to criminalise ‘nudification’ apps, prioritise cyberflashing and non-consensual intimate images, and even ban under-16s from social media have reignited debate over whether the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA 2023) is fit for purpose. Writing in NLJ this week, Alexander Brown, head of technology, media and telecommunications, and Alexandra Webster, managing associate, Simmons & Simmons, caution against reactive law-making that could undermine the Act’s ‘risk-based and outcomes-focused’ design
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