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Employment law brief: 8 August 2025

08 August 2025 / Ian Smith
Issue: 8128 / Categories: Features , Employment , Tribunals
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Before heading to his beach hut, Ian Smith takes a whirlwind tour through cases dealing with time travel, judicial recusal & long term temps
  • The Court of Appeal in Lutz v Ryanair DAC confirmed that long-term arrangements (eg five years) can still be considered ‘temporary’ under the Agency Workers Regulations 2010, reinforcing earlier case law and guidance on the term ‘permanent’.
  • In Revenue and Customs Commissioners v Taylors Services Ltd, the Court of Appeal ruled that travel time from home to work via employer-provided transport does not count as ‘working time’ under the National Minimum Wage Regulations 2015, unless specific exceptions apply.
  • Recent decisions offer important clarification on handling time limit issues at preliminary hearings and judge recusal applications, reaffirming the established Porter v Magill test for bias and rejecting arguments for a lowered threshold.

Two Court of Appeal cases in the last month have addressed and hopefully resolved two well-known issues in employment law—namely the meaning of ‘permanent’ in the law on agency

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Freeths—Ruth Clare

Freeths—Ruth Clare

National real estate team bolstered by partner hire in Manchester

Farrer & Co—Claire Gordon

Farrer & Co—Claire Gordon

Partner appointed head of family team

mfg Solicitors—Neil Harrison

mfg Solicitors—Neil Harrison

Firm strengthens agriculture and rural affairs team with partner return

NEWS
Conveyancing lawyers have enjoyed a rapid win after campaigning against UK Finance’s decision to charge for access to the Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has launched a recruitment drive for talented early career and more senior barristers and solicitors
Regulators differed in the clarity and consistency of their post-Mazur advice and guidance, according to an interim report by the Legal Services Board (LSB)
The Solicitors Act 1974 may still underpin legal regulation, but its age is increasingly showing. Writing in NLJ this week, Victoria Morrison-Hughes of the Association of Costs Lawyers argues that the Act is ‘out of step with modern consumer law’ and actively deters fairness
A Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) ruling has reopened debate on the availability of ‘user damages’ in competition claims. Writing in NLJ this week, Edward Nyman of Hausfeld explains how the CAT allowed Dr Liza Lovdahl Gormsen’s alternative damages case against Meta to proceed, rejecting arguments that such damages are barred in competition law
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