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29 March 2023
Issue: 8019 / Categories: Legal News , Criminal , Employment , Fraud
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March of the whistleblowers

The Department for Business and Trade has launched a major review of whistleblowing laws.

Under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998, workers who disclose information that they reasonably believe shows wrongdoing, or a cover-up of such, are entitled to legal protections. The review will explore how effective the current law is at enabling workers to speak up and protecting them when they do.

Specifically, it will look at who is covered by whistleblowing protections, the availability of information and guidance for whistleblowing purposes, and how employers and individuals respond to whistleblowing disclosures, including best practice.

The evidence gathering stage of the review will conclude in the autumn.

Richard Burger, UK white collar defence and investigations partner at WilmerHale, said: ‘Whistleblowers provide important intelligence for corporates to detect and disrupt frauds and acts of corruption perpetrated upon the corporate by both the internal rogue employee and the external fraudster. 

‘A review of the effectiveness of and legal protections provided by the current regime should enhance the value of the intelligence provided.’

Issue: 8019 / Categories: Legal News , Criminal , Employment , Fraud
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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Cripps—Radius Law

Cripps—Radius Law

Commercial and technology practice boosted by team hire

Switalskis—Grimsby

Switalskis—Grimsby

Firm expands with new Grimsby office to serve North East Lincolnshire

Slater Heelis—Will Newman & Lucy Spilsbury

Slater Heelis—Will Newman & Lucy Spilsbury

Property team boosted by two solicitor appointments

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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