Baines Wilson LLP Employment Partner Joanne Holborn will be speaking as part of the Cumbria Employment Relations Forum, organised by ACAS.

The spring meeting of the The Forum will focus on what the future of resolving workplace disputes may look like and the role of mediation in the workplace in particular.

The Government's response to Resolving Workplace Disputes consultation has now been published and it contains proposals to introduce some wide ranging changes. At this meeting the speakers will look at what these could mean to employers and, in addition, consider recently proposed procedural and policy changes currently being consulted on that could radically alter Employment Tribunals and the Law.

Delegates will also be introduced to a case study to illustrate Mediation and consider how outcomes can be different using a mediatative approach.

Baines Wilson is very pleased to announce that the firm has recently appointed Isobel Milburn as a partner to head up its Dispute Resolution and Litigation department.

Isobel previously spent her career with leading commercial law firm Pinsent Masons and was based in their London office.

Isobel has extensive dispute resolution and litigation experience gained across a broad range of business sectors and has acted for clients on disputes of varying value and legal complexity in the County Courts, High Court and Commercial Court. Isobel has experience of multiparty disputes and disputes with an international element and has also advised clients on insurance coverage disputes and a variety of professional liability claims, including claims against solicitors, architects and IT professionals. 

She has also advised on a very wide range of contract disputes including claims arising from breach of contract and posttermination obligations.  She has experience in the projects environment both public and private sector and a practical understanding of project delivery processes.

Isobel also brings considerable experience of representing clients at mediations and settlement meetings and advising on the terms of settlement agreements. Isobel qualified as a Solicitor in 2002 and as a Solicitor Advocate in 2006.
 
Isobel comments:

“I have been looking for the right opportunity in the North for some time now and in Baines Wilson found a firm with the combination I was seeking; namely a partnership role in a firm with a solid commercial law profile and reputation and an impressive client base.

I’m looking forward to meeting the firm’s clients and helping them resolve their problems where possible without recourse to litigation, unless of course it’s necessary and advisable to do so”.

Baines Wilson Managing Partner, John Wilson adds:

“We are delighted to have been able to appoint a person of Isobel’s calibre to head up this department. It’s taken us time to find the right person for this role but it’s been worth the wait.

Isobel will provide our clients with clear practical, commercial and costeffective advice and I know she will work closely with clients and our other departments to reach appropriate solutions.”

Feel free to contact Isobel direct with regard to any commercial problems at im@baineswilson.co.uk.
 

Andrew Hill and Jamie Hawley of Baines Wilson LLP, together with Alison Watts and Catherine Briggs of Armstrong Watson, are celebrating completing the sale of Different Aspect Software Limited in a multi million pound deal to Infomedia Ltd, an Australian public limited company with offices in Sydney and Melbourne.

Different Aspect Software is a Bedfordshire based software developer specialising in the provision of IT application solutions to the automotive industry. Their flagship products are VHC-Tracker™, CIS-Tracker™, and Glovebox™.   Infomedia, an international automotive software developer, saw the acquisition as an opportunity to provide the company with a suite of software products that will bolster its existing customer base in addition to opening the door to new markets.

Infomedia’s Director of Global Business Development, Karen Blunden said, “This acquisition creates a powerful combination of innovative software design, with the strength and maturity of the longest standing independent electronic parts catalogue producer in the world. We believe that this combination will greatly advance the productivity and profitability of all our customers.”

Different Aspect Software’s founder and managing director, Jason Thorpe, said “Dealers are catching on very quickly to the economic power of our ‘vehicle health check’ product line. Our customers already include BMW, Land Rover, Mercedes, Toyota, and Vauxhall dealers. The acquisition will allow seamless integration of VHC-Tracker with Infomedia’s precision service quoting application, Superservice Menus. The dealers will have the most comprehensive service selling tools in the world.”

The deal was completed in 8 weeks, which was quite a feat given the time difference between the UK and Australia and the involvement of in house lawyers and accountants in Australia plus external accountants and lawyers in London.

Jason Thorpe said “I was delighted with the success of the transaction and the support I received from the teams at Armstrong Watson and Baines Wilson and particularly the willingness to work all hours to get the deal done”. 

The success of this transaction shows that businesses do not need to go out of the county for quality corporate advice.

If you would like any further information, please email Andrew Hill (arh@baineswilson.co.uk) or telephone him on 01228 552600.

Baines Wilson LLP, in partnership with Cumbria Chamber of Commerce, have been advising local businesses on how to avoid the legal pitfalls of using social media. As part of Cumbria Chamber of Commerce’s Business to Business events at Energus in Workington and at Carlisle Racecourse, Joanne Holborn, John Wilson, and Tom Scaife, all from Baines Wilson LLP, have stressed the importance of posting and ‘tweeting’ safely from an employment law and commercial law perspective.

Baines Wilson LLP, in partnership with Cumbria Chamber of Commerce, have been advising local businesses on how to avoid the legal pitfalls of using social media. As part of Cumbria Chamber of Commerce’s Business to Business events at Energus in Workington and at Carlisle Racecourse, Joanne Holborn, John Wilson, and Tom Scaife, all from Baines Wilson LLP, have stressed the importance of posting and ‘tweeting’ safely from an employment law and commercial law perspective.

Joanne Holborn, Employment Law Partner at Baines Wilson LLP said: “Whilst social media offers a fantastic opportunity for businesses, employers need to understand the dangers associated with its use by employees. Employers can take practical steps to protect their business, including the implementation of an effective social media policy and guidelines as to the use of social media. Many employers do not realise that their employees’ social media activities can have an impact on the business – even when done in their own time.”

John Wilson, Commercial Law Partner at Baines Wilson LLP said: “Whenever any business uses social media, whether on their own website or via an external site such as Twitter, they are publishing information to the world at large. There are a number of laws that businesses must conform to, including those relating to privacy, defamation, intellectual property and potentially e-commerce.”

Catherynn Dunstan, Events Development Manager at Cumbria Chamber of Commerce said: “The feedback from the social media presentation given by Baines Wilson LLP has been excellent. It has been extremely valuable to have the team setting out the risks, as well as the opportunities associated with the use of social media. We are delighted to be working so closely with Baines Wilson during 2011”.

Baines Wilson LLP have created a sample Social Media Policy and Guidelines for the use of Social Media. If you would like further information on developing your own social media policy and guidelines, please email jh@baineswilson.co.uk or contact one of the team.