With our strong presence in Asia, Stephenson Harwood has been involved in addressing the issues surrounding coronavirus (COVID-19) right from the very start. Our presence in many of the highly affected regions has enabled our team to be at the forefront of understanding the challenges faced by our clients who have a presence or have business dealings in these regions.
Drawing upon our strong sector experience on banking and finance, government and public sector, and international trade and shipping, we are working closely with our clients as they develop and execute plans to address the many challenging scenarios before them. Our lawyers are assisting clients with issues involving labour and employment, corporate compliance and contracts, the disruptions to supply chain, disputes, regulation, restructuring and insolvency and many other areas of law affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.
Contracts and disputes
France
07/04/20 Covid-19 - Ordonnance n°2020-306 du 25 mars 2020 : Quid de la paralysie des clauses pénale et d’exigibilité anticipée dans les contrats de crédit ?
01/04/20 La force majeure : un remède contre le COVID-19 ?
31/03/20 COVID-19 and Force Majeure
Greater China
08/04/20 Stephenson Harwood COVID-19 insights: Corporate updates
19/03/20 The Shipping Brief podcast on COVID-19
03/03/20 Shipping news webcast - legal issues arising from Covid-19 webinar
30/01/20 Novel Coronavirus, shipping and international trade
UAE
06/05/20 COVID-19: ‘Top tips’ for effective contract management
14/04/20 Key measures taken by arbitral institutions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic
01/04/20 Key measures taken by the UAE Courts in response to the COVID-19 pandemic
23/03/20 COVID-19: Legal and contractual implications
UK
22/02/21 Key issues for breach of warranty claims and the potential impact of Covid-19
23/06/20 HMRC and the Covid-19 furlough scheme: New civil enforcement powers emerge, but prosecutions remain in prospect
06/05/20 COVID-19: ‘Top tips’ for effective contract management
01/04/20 Reliance on force majeure in oil and gas contracts
01/04/20 COVID-19: Force majeure in the rail industry
30/03/20 Signing documents during the COVID-19 pandemic
26/03/20 Contracts and COVID-19: 10 Top tips
23/03/20 Navigating the challenges posed by the Coronavirus
Corporate governance
France
27/03/20 Résumé des mesures d’urgence adoptées par le Parlement le 22 mars 2020
Greater China
16/04/20 Going concerns - Surviving the lockdown
25/02/20 Managing the impact of the novel coronavirus outbreak – a brief guide for SFC-licensed businesses
18/02/20 从新型冠状病毒爆发而引致的旅游限制看上市发行人的财务披露
10/02/20 Listed issuers’ financial disclosures in light of travel restrictions arising from coronavirus outbreak
19/03/20 The Shipping Brief podcast on COVID-19
UAE
21/05/20 Preventive composition procedure: A valuable tool in a time of economic crisis
20/04.20 Key considerations for M&A transactions in the Middle East following COVID-19 outbreak
UK
10/08/20 Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 – How does this impact secured lenders?
13/07/20 COVID-19 considerations for life sciences M&A
29/06/20 M&A recovering from COVID
02/04/20 Company decision-making during the COVID-19 crisis
27/03/20 COVID-19: Reporting and disclosure consequences for listed companies
26/03/20 COVID-19 has put the spotlight on how directors should be balancing stakeholders’ interests in promoting the success of their company
21/03/20 Coronavirus – Financial support for businesses
01/04/20 Reliance on force majeure in oil and gas contracts
Data protection
UK
25/05/21 Data protection and coronavirus: what you need to know
Employment
Greater China
20/07/21 Pandemic promises: re-aligning the workforce after contractual changes
21/12/20 Pandemic-proof performance and disciplinary management
03/09/20 Employment Support Scheme Update – Applications open for the second tranche of wage subsidies
11/08/20 Working from home - the new normal?
09/06/20 International redundancies
17/04/20 COVID-19 – Next steps for employers
27/02/20 Employment law podcast: An employer's guide to Coronavirus - what steps should employers be taking?
UAE
20/07/21 Pandemic promises: re-aligning the workforce after contractual changes
21/12/20 Pandemic-proof performance and disciplinary management
11/08/20 Working from home - the new normal?
09/06/20 International redundancies
24/04/20 DIFC Directive: Emergency employment measures announced in response to COVID-19
01/04/20 COVID-19: Latest employment and pensions measures deployed by UAE Government
20/03/20 COVID-19: Navigating the new world of working remotely, self-isolation and sick pay
UK
20/07/21 Pandemic promises: re-aligning the workforce after contractual changes
16/07/21 End of work from home guidance: considerations for employers
17/06/21 Looking ahead: Furlough wind-down and redundancy planning
07/06/21 Covid-19 and returning to work: what should employers consider?
01/06/21 Leaving lockdown: Considerations for employers - Part 3: Navigating the return to the workplace
10/05/21 Leaving lockdown: Considerations for employers - Part 2: FAQs on Covid-19 testing and vaccinations
26/04/21 Leaving lockdown: Considerations for employers - Part 1: The future of work
16/03/21 Competition and Covid-19: are your restrictive covenants enforceable?
04/03/21 Chancellor announces extension to the furlough scheme until 30 September 2021
21/01/21 FAQs on the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
21/12/20 Pandemic-proof performance and disciplinary management
17/12/20 Furlough scheme extended until 30 April 2021
03/12/20 Changes to the Investment Association’s Principles of Remuneration for 2021 and guidance on Shareholder Expectations during the COVID-19 Pandemic
19/11/20 Furlough scheme – where are we now? Treasury Direction and latest guidance published
06/11/20 Extending the extension: Furlough scheme to continue until 31 March 2021
03/11/20 Furlough continues: What next?
22/10/20 Employment Tribunal reforms
21/10/20 Jobs Support Scheme expansion: What employers need to know
06/10/20 Employee competition podcast: Business protection in the time of Covid
02/10/20 Mental health issues are on the rise: what should employers be doing with respect to their employees’ mental health?
30/09/20 Managing the Covid-19 impact on modern slavery prevention
18/09/20 Countdown from lockdown: Where are your employees now?
11/08/20 Working from home - the new normal?
10/08/20 The Boohoo scandal: A reminder of Modern Slavery Act 2015 obligations
07/08/20 Furlough fraud: New guidance on 90 day window for reporting errors to HMRC
05/08/20 Furlough bonus - what do employers need to know?
30/07/20 COVID-19 update: Looking beyond lockdown
17/07/20 COVID-19 update: Contractual notice periods are covered by the furlough scheme
10/07/20 Furlough bonus and kickstart schemes – what do the government’s latest measures mean for employers?
01/07/20 Enterprise Management Incentives share options: EMI option holders on furlough, unpaid leave or reduced hours due to COVID-19 will not lose tax relief
23/06/20 Return to work podcast: GDPR and data protection concerns and queries
17/06/20 Latest updates to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
15/06/20 Furlough fraud: Key points for employers
09/06/20 International redundancies
08/06/20 Reminder: First time furloughing required by 10 June 2020
02/06/20 Updates to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and Self-Employment Income Support Scheme
26/05/20 Employers can compel employees to take annual leave during furlough
20/05/20 Salary and bonus waivers: tax pitfalls and practical issues for the unwary
18/05/20 Employment law podcast: Managing mental health in the workplace during the coronavirus pandemic
18/05/20 How to practise safe working in labs and research facilities
12/05/20 Looking ahead: Return to work checklist
01/05//20 Employment law podcast: Furlough leave – what happens next?
28/04/20 New Regulations governing Statutory Maternity Pay and other statutory parental payments for furloughed employees
21/04/20 Some clarity on holiday pay and Statutory Sick Pay and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) goes live
17/04/20 The Chancellor issues Treasury Direction and updates on the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
08/04/20 COVID-19 – A taste of the tricky issues facing employers
07/04/20 Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) – 4 April 2020 updates
31/03/20 Self Employed Income Support Scheme (SEISS)
30/03/20 Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and other Covid-19 developments
24/03/20 Employers do not have to report gender pay gaps as they deal with COVID-19 crisis
23/03/20 COVID-19: What should employers be doing to help protect employees’ mental health when working from home?
13/03/20 Statutory Sick Pay now applies for employees who self-isolate from coronavirus
12/03/20 Covid-19: Helping employers to navigate next steps
27/02/20 Employment law podcast: An employer's guide to Coronavirus - what steps should employers be taking?
25/02/20 Novel Coronovirus webcast: International trade and the employment concerns
Singapore
20/07/21 Pandemic promises: re-aligning the workforce after contractual changes
21/12/20 Pandemic-proof performance and disciplinary management
11/08/20 Working from home - the new normal?
09/06/20 International redundancies
19/02/20 COVID-19: Employers’ duty to keep the workplace safe
International trade and commerce
Greater China
29/04/20 COVID-19: its impact on letters of credit
07/04/20 SFC provides regulatory relief for SFC-licensed businesses affected by COVID-19
11/03/20 Global Trade Review: Spread of coronavirus: impact on trade activity, shipping and finance lines
Andrew Rigden Green, a partner at law firm Stephenson Harwood, has heard “complaints from shipping clients that are holding cargoes that are ‘stuck all over the world’”.
06/03/20 Recent disruptions in global supply chain by COVID-19
25/02/20 Novel Coronovirus webcast: International trade and the employment concerns
12/02/20 Global Trade Review: HSBC moves to protect customers as coronavirus threatens to disrupt trade finance
Logistical, supply chain issues such as these are already leading to legal complications in trade, Andrew Rigden Green, a partner at law firm Stephenson Harwood, tells GTR: “One area that I’ve been advising on has been where underlying sale contracts have been suspended or terminated by reason of a force majeure call by one of the parties.”
07/02/20 The Lloyd’s List podcast: Shipping infected by coronavirus
Andrew Rigden Green was invited by the Lloyd’s List to discuss how significant the impact of the coronavirus outbreak to shipping, together with BIMCO’s chief analyst Peter Sand and China editor Cichen Shen.
05/02/20 Seatrade Maritime News: Can a shipowner refuse to call a port due to the coronavirus?
Fellow lawyers Stephenson Harwood noted many charter parties contain warranties, either express or implied, given by charterers that vessels are ordered to ports that are safe. “If a particular port is not safe, then owners may be able to refuse to comply with the charterers’ order,” the law firm said.
30/01/20 Novel Coronavirus, shipping and international trade
UK
07/05/20 Antitrust: Impact of COVID-19 on life sciences
16/04/20 The impact of COVID-19 on merger control
08/04/20 The European Commission's Temporary Framework for State aid - impact on certain industries
14/02/20 Capital Link webinar series: Coronavirus and its effect on shipping and trading
Dora Mace-Kokota, shipping partner in our London office, was invited by Capital Link as a speaker during the webinar. The webinar discussed how coronavirus affected shipping and trading.
Financings, restructuring and insolvency
France
20/03/20 COVID-19 - La garantie de €300 milliards pour garantir les nouveaux financements aux entreprises
UK
07/07/20 Finance litigation: 10 legal risks
06/07/20 Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020
27/05/20 Offshore lockdown! – what does the pandemic mean for the UK’s overseas territories podcast
21/05/20 Bond restructuring and liability management in the current climate: an issuer and trustee perspective podcast
29/04/20 Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme: a Q&A podcast
28/04/20 Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme : a Q&A podcast
21/04/20 Financing through COVID-19 podcast: The Bank of England Covid Corporate Financing Facility: how does it work and how well is it working?
20/04/20 The Future Fund: summary of key terms
09/04/20 COVID-19 and the “new normal” for company reporting
Pensions
UAE
01/04/20 COVID-19: Latest employment and pensions measures deployed by UAE Government
UK
06/05/20 Pensions snapshot - May 2020
30/03/20 Important TPR update for Trustees including the flexibility to reduce or suspend deficit repair contributions (DRCs) for three months
26/03/20 Managing the COVID-19 risks: Guidance from the Pensions Regulator and actions for pension scheme trustees
Real estate
France
23/04/20 État d’urgence sanitaire et impayés de loyers : impact des ordonnances relatives à la prorogation des délais sur les pénalités de retard et la clause résolutoire
Greater China
27/03/20 Stephenson Harwood COVID-19 insights: commercial leasing in Hong Kong
UK
11/11/21 A brave new world? Government sets out proposals for new Covid Rent Arrears Arbitration Scheme
19/06/20 Further restrictions on pursuing rent arrears
13/05/20 Reopening of premises: key points for landlords
23/04/20 Fresh restrictions on pursuing rent arrears
24/03/20 Moratorium on forfeiture
20/03/20 Forced and voluntary closure of premises: key points for landlords
10/03/20 COVID-19 – Answers to 4 key landlord questions
Useful resources
WHO COVID-19 resource centre
HKSAR
Coronavirus (COVID-19): UK government response
Central government anti-virus service section
National Health Commission anti-virus news center