Burges Salmon 29 April 2008 New Partners We have appointed 6 new partners. 21 April 2008 Health and Safety expert gives evidence to government committee Chris Jackson, our Health and Safety expert, recently gave evidence to the government's Work and Pensions Committee. 25 March 2008 Climate Change Litigation Webinar We are jointly running a webinar with law firms Thompson Hine from the US and Gowlings from Canada on the subject of Climate Change Litigation. 18 February 2008 CODA takeover offer We advised CODA on the takeover offer by Unit 4 Agresso NV. Practice and Financial Management Solution We have chosen Thomson Elite’s next-generation 3E solution as our new practice management system. This will help to support our future growth. 01 February 2008 Capital Gains Tax planning window to close There are only 2 months until the end of the current tax year and the opportunity for individuals to limit the impact of Capital Gains Tax. Knowledge Management system upgrade We're upgrading our Knowledge Management system. 23 January 2008 William Wilson Gives evidence to All Party Parliamentary Water Group Inquiry William Wilson, Barrister with Burges Salmon's Environmental Law Unit, has submitted written evidence to the Inquiry into the Water Industry being carried out by the All Party Parliamentary Water Group, which is chaired by former Environment Minister Elliott Morley MP. 04 December 2007 Charity of the Year - Jessie May Trust We have chosen local charity, The Jessie May Trust, as our Charity of the Year for 2008. Cross-firm support for takeover Our lawyers supported in-house counsel of the Nationwide Building Society during its takeover by Legal & General. 22 November 2007 Supporting our local community Lawyers from our firm, and others across Bristol, recently organised and performed a concert in support of local charity Quartet Community Foundation. 21 November 2007 Corporate Responsibility and Climate Change Two of our leading lawyers spoke at The Lawyer Legal Summit 2007. The topic was Corporate Responsibility and Climate Change. 20 November 2007 Change to VAT treatment of Serviced Building Plots HMRC has announced an immediate change to its treatment of serviced building plots for VAT purposes. This follows the recent VAT Tribunal decision in Douglas Virtue e Sonia Virtue T/A Lammermuir Game Services. 16 November 2007 Independent Trustees to GEC Pension Plan We have secured a major role as one of three independent trustees to the GEC 1972 plan. 12 November 2007 Working with Government on Carbon offsetting and emissions trading Our Emissions Trading Team advised Defra on the first carbon offsetting deal for the UK Government. 29 October 2007 Pension Schemes and Contingent Assets Contingent assets are an increasingly popular way of managing the cost of a defined benefit pension scheme. They can reduce the PPF levy and cut the funding level a scheme needs to aim for. Trustees as well as employers often welcome the extra options that contingent assets give them. The PPF's deadline of 31 March 2008 makes January to March the high season for action; autumn is the time to plan. 23 October 2007 Circomedia Win Again Circomedia, Bristol's Academy of Circus Arts and Physical Theatre, is Europe's leading school of circus and physical performance. In a remarkable run of success in terms of recognition, Circomedia has now received the National Community Benefit Award 2007 from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, to add to a South West RICS award received earlier this year, the Georgian Society award for the best use of a restored Georgian building and a Europa Nostra EU Cultural Heritage prize for Community regeneration. 15 October 2007 Fullabrook Wind Farm The Minister for Energy of the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform last week announced his consent for Exeter based Devon Wind Power Limited (DWP) to build and operate the 66MW Fullabrook Wind Farm. The Secretary of State's decision follows a four week public inquiry. We are proud to have supported DWP through the inquiry process, and very pleased that we have been successful. 11 October 2007 Bristol firms advise on home grown deal Bristol-based professional services firms KPMG Corporate Finance and Burges Salmon have advised on the disposal of West Cornwall Pasty Co Limited (WCPCo) to a management buyout team for an undisclosed sum. 27 September 2007 Best Law Firm To Work For Burges Salmon has been voted as the best law firm to work for in Bristol. We were also voted as fourth best overall in the UK. 17 September 2007 Scammell and Densham's Law of Agricultural Holdings The definitive text on the Agricultural Tenancies Act 1995 and the Agricultural Holdings Act 1986. 13 August 2007 HMRC offers tax assistance for those affected by Foot and Mouth outbreak HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has issued a release indicating it will be prepared to help those affected by the foot and mouth disease. 24 July 2007 Burges Salmon LLP advises Albemarle & Bond Holdings plc on £30million acquisition and associated funding Burges Salmon has advised Albemarle & Bond Holdings plc on its acquisition of Herbert Brown & Son Limited for £30.7 million. 22 June 2007 Burges Salmon closes second deal for Thermphos Burges Salmon advise Thermphos on its purchase of Solutia's Dequest® water treatment phosphonates business. 18 June 2007 London Office - on the move 25 May 2007 Barrister William Wilson gives evidence to Parliamentary Committees on Draft Climate Change Bill William Wilson, Barrister with Burges Salmon's Environmental Law Unit, was called to give evidence to two Parliamentary Committees undertaking inquiries into the Draft Climate Change Bill, the Joint Committee (of the House of Lords and House of Commons) on 16th May and the House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 'Efra' Committee on 21st May. 18 May 2007 Burges Salmon reaches the tip of the iceberg Burges Salmon has advised the owners of Quark Expeditions, the world's leading operator of expedition cruise voyages to the polar regions, on their sale to First Choice holidays. 15 May 2007 Burges Salmon advises Hargreaves Lansdown IPO Burges Salmon acted on the landmark flotation of Bristol-based private client stockbroker Hargreaves Lansdown. Valued at £759m at the 160p offer price, approximately 25% of the existing share capital in being sold to institutional investors and certain eligible clients and employees. The offer to eligible clients and employees has been conducted entirely on-line. 09 May 2007 Burges Salmon advises ECI Partners LLP on £61million healthcare software deal Burges Salmon has advised ECI Partners on its acquisition of Clinisys, for £61million (plus a further earn out of up to £2million), from its founding shareholders. A number of the sellers are re-investing in the business. Burges Salmon LLP advises Gooch & Housego PLC on its acquisition of the global technology leader 'SIFAM' Burges Salmon LLP advised Gooch & Housego PLC, the Ilminster based specialist manufacturer of optical components and systems on its acquisition of 100% of the issued share capital of SIFAM Fibre Optics Ltd ('SIFAM') for a consideration of £5.0 million. 01 May 2007 CHANGE OF SENIOR PARTNER Commercial Property Partner Stephen McNulty succeeded his fellow Property Partner Bob Smyth on 1 May 2007 as the new Senior Partner of leading South West law firm, Burges Salmon LLP. Sector Specific 12 March 2008 Taxation of 'Disguised Interest' Since 1995 HMRC has been able to tax shares as a loan relationship in the hands of a company where the shares have the characteristics of debt. These rules are commonly referred to as the 'tax arbitrage rules'. 04 February 2008 HMRC Consultation – Modernising Powers, Deterrents and Safeguards Following the amalgamation of the former Inland Revenue and Customs and Excise into HM Revenue and Customs a consultation process has been ongoing, instigated by HM Revenue and Customs ("HMRC"), primarily focused on how powers, deterrents and safeguards can be both modernised and unified across different taxes. The two former separate departments have very different powers and indeed within each former department powers differed according to the taxes in question. SDLT Consultation The Government has published a consultation paper entitled "Stamp Duty Land Tax: ensuring fairness for all" which sets out proposals for introducing an "Indirect Charge" to SDLT on the transfer of shares in special purpose vehicles used as a wrapper for residential property. 14 January 2008 Compensation Limits to Increase The new financial limits applying to certain employment tribunal awards and other statutory payments have now been announced. The key increases, which apply from 1 February 2008, are as follows: 20 December 2007 European Data Protection Supervisor publishes opinion on Radio Frequency Identification Technology (RFID) The opinion looks at whether recent developments in RFID technology mean that more specific rules will be required to deal with the privacy and data protection issues raised. Concerns have been raised by privacy groups who are worried about businesses who use the technology to obtain information about customers who buy tagged products. 19 December 2007 Department of Health found to be in breach of Data Protection Act The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) have ordered the Department of Health (DOH) to sign a formal undertaking to comply with the principles of the Data Protection Act. This followed a breach that allowed access to the personal details of junior doctors' religious beliefs and sexual orientation stored on the Medical Training Application Service Website. The DOH undertakes to encrypt all personal data held and to train staff on Data Protection Act Compliance. In the event of the DOH further breaching the act, it could face further enforcement action and possible prosecution. 17 December 2007 Justice Committee reports on protection of personal data The House of Commons Justice Committee has produced a report on data protection issues following the recent high profile Data Protection breach by HM Revenue and Customs. The Report advocates greater enforcement powers for the Information Commissioner's Office and an increase in funding. The report expressed serious concerns over the government's handling of sensitive personal data. 12 December 2007 Employment Bill Published On 7 December, the Government published the Employment Bill. The Bill has been produced following a period of consultation by the Government that took place after the Gibbons review of the statutory dispute resolution procedures. Government Launches consultation into treatment of personal data Following HMRC's data protection blunder, the Information Commissioner is to lead a consultation into the treatment of personal data. Richard Thomas will be assisted by the head of The Wellcome Trust, Dr Mark Walport. The review will look at both the public and private sectors and it is hoped that it will report within the first 6 months of 2008. The consultation will seek opinions from a range of experts and will also consider whether the Information Commissioner's Office should be granted increased powers. The consultation period runs until 15 February 2008.