| 
Bermans accelerates growth with new Head of Commercial and Litigation Partner
Bermans has appointed a new head of its commercial team and a litigation partner as it continues to strengthen its ranks with key strategic hires.
Corporate team at law firm Bermans advises on sale of RoBAT to Swedish hi-tech company
A Swedish hi-tech company has acquired Cheshire-based RoBAT, with corporate lawyers at north west firm Bermans advising on the deal.
RoBAT designs and manufactures high-value robotic machines for the fast and reliable testing of high-frequency signal quality on printed circuit boards.
The company serves a global market from its headquarters in Macclesfield and its operations in China and the United States. Its specialised equipment is trusted by some of the world’s largest technology companies.
RoBAT, which was founded in 2001, employs 27 staff and recorded net sales of £3m in 2024.
Laura McMorland, Charlotte Mills and Nathan Hughes, of Bermans’ Manchester office, advised the shareholders of RoBAT on the company’s sale to Mycronic’s Global Technologies division for an undisclosed sum.
Bermans bolsters property & construction team with new partner
Bermans has strengthened its property & construction team with the appointment of James Harris as a partner.
Government launches consultation on ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting
Adrian Fryer
The Government’s flagship Employment Rights Bill has, quite rightly, been the focus of employment law commentators since it was first announced last July. However, it wasn’t the only proposed employment legislation referenced in the King’s Speech. The Government also used the King’s Speech to announce its intention to bring forward the Equality (Race and Disability) Bill, introducing a requirement for large employers (those with 250 or more employees) to report on ethnicity and disability pay gaps. It has now launched a consultation seeking views on how it should be implemented.
Continue ReadingGovernment amends Employment Rights Bill to include framework for application of zero hours contracts measures to agency workers
Adrian Fryer
The Government has published its response to its consultation on the application of zero hours contracts measures to agency workers. The Employment Rights Bill already includes complex proposals for low and zero-hours workers covering three key areas:
Continue ReadingChanges to collective redundancy provisions as Employment Rights Bill moves to the House of Lords
Adrian Fryer
The current legal position on collective redundancy is fairly clear:
Continue ReadingWhere employer believes (in error) that employee has resigned the ‘dismissal’ might be fair for SOSR
Adrian Fryer
The employment relationship can generally come to an end in one of two ways: resignation by the employee or dismissal by the employer. But what happens when wires get crossed? Where the employer genuinely believes that the employee has resigned and acts on that resignation – but they haven’t actually resigned. This point was addressed by the Employment Appeal Tribunal in the recent case of Korpysa v Impact Recruitment Services.
Continue ReadingLate Easter ‘could land employers in hot water over staff holidays’
Sarah Collier
Employers are being warned they could land in hot water with staff over their annual holiday entitlement because Easter falls late this year.
Continue ReadingFee Earner Q&A with Jobeth Copping-Barrett
Jobeth Copping-Barrett
Jobeth Copping-Barrett (pictured), joined Bermans in January 2025 and is a Senior Associate in our Private Client team. We spoke to her to learn more about her and her work.
Continue ReadingBermans relaunches private client offering
Jobeth Copping-Barrett
In January 2025, after demand from clients, Bermans relaunched its private client department.
Jobeth Copping-Barrett joined Bermans as a Senior Associate in our Private Client department to support clients on their future and estate planning, including the preparation of Wills, lasting power of attorney applications, Trusts, probate applications and estate administration.
Continue Reading