Ogier updates
Disability to be a protected characteristic under Jersey discrimination law
Ogier- Private Client & Offshore Services
- Jersey
- May 17 2018
Effective from September 1 2018, the Discrimination (Jersey) Law 2013 will be amended to include disability as a protected characteristic. The amending regulations will give individuals the right to complain to the Employment and Discrimination Tribunal when they believe that they have experienced discrimination. While many employers and groups will be familiar with the way that the regulations work, they should be taking steps to ensure that they are compliant ahead of the implementation date.
At a glance: guide to Jersey's new charity law
Ogier- Private Client & Offshore Services
- Jersey
- May 17 2018
The next phase of the Charities (Jersey) Law 2014 was enacted on May 1 2018, allowing entities to finally register as charities under the law. The remaining provisions of the law are expected to come into force on January 1 2019, which will amend Jersey taxation legislation in relation to charities. This is an exciting opportunity for Jersey to reinforce and develop its status as a centre of excellence for philanthropy both in private wealth management and impact investing.
Changes to JFSC codes of practice
Ogier- Private Client & Offshore Services
- Jersey
- April 05 2018
The revised Jersey Financial Services Commission codes of practice came into force on March 21 2018. As a matter of urgency, regulated businesses should therefore review the changes to the codes and consider whether any new implementation measures are necessary. The changes to the codes have considered industry feedback and include both new and revised regulations to align Jersey with the Group of International Finance Centre Supervisors standard.
Generation games and avoiding family disputes
Ogier- Private Client & Offshore Services
- Jersey
- April 05 2018
The use of private trust companies is becoming more common as a method of retaining family control through the generations. This, of course, all needs to be balanced against tax and reporting considerations, as well as practical ones. That said, however good the adviser, it is difficult to plan for family disputes; therefore, the main emphasis should be on maintaining flexibility so that the trustee can react to changes of circumstances and wealth passing through the generations.
Capacity and Self-Determination (Jersey) Law
Ogier- Private Client & Offshore Services
- Jersey
- March 29 2018
The Capacity and Self-Determination (Jersey) Law, which is due to come into effect in October 2018, will give people the opportunity, while they still have the capacity, to make their own decisions regarding their financial and personal affairs and welfare. It provides a framework that will give people the opportunity to make their own decisions in respect of medical treatment insofar as possible, including advance decisions to refuse treatment.
JFSC Supervision Examination Guide
Ogier- Private Client & Offshore Services
- Jersey
- March 29 2018
The Jersey Financial Services Commission (JFSC) recently published its Supervisory Examination Guide. The guide, which is effective immediately, gives a detailed overview of the supervisory examinations conducted by the JFSC. Examinations are a key tool used by the JFSC to detect and deter breaches of regulatory standards and improve compliance.
Buying Jersey property with a partner who has no housing qualifications
Ogier- Private Client & Offshore Services
- Jersey
- March 01 2018
An unmarried couple, both with housing qualifications, can buy property in joint names and have the security of jointly owning their home. For unmarried couples where only one partner has housing qualifications, the position is more difficult. For freehold property, only the qualified partner can own it. It is therefore important that couples in this situation enter into an equity agreement in order to protect the unqualified partner's position so far as legally possible.
Harvey Weinstein and you: what employers should be doing about sexual harassment
Ogier- Private Client & Offshore Services
- Guernsey
- March 01 2018
What started with complaints against an Oscar-winning film producer has led to a movement that has toppled government ministers and reduced much-loved figures from the entertainment world to pariahs. Although Guernsey may feel far away from Hollywood or Westminster, the issue of sexual harassment is just as real. So what should an employer do to protect its employees and its business from harassment?
What inheritance rights does an adopted child have?
Ogier- Private Client & Offshore Services
- Jersey
- March 01 2018
An adopted child is treated in law as the biological child of his or her adoptive parents and not the child of any other person. In terms of inheritance, this means that any reference to 'children' in adoptive parents' will or wills includes adopted children. If the parents do not leave a will or wills, the adopted child will have the same legal right to benefit from their estates as any biological child would have.
The importance of trustee minutes
Ogier- Private Client & Offshore Services
- Guernsey
- February 22 2018
In today's climate, in which professional trustees are held to increasingly high standards by regulators, courts and clients, it has never been more important for fiduciaries to record their decisions. A court's ruling may turn on the content of trustee minutes, and regulatory authorities are entitled to scrutinise all available evidence of a licensee's conduct in assessing its corporate governance and compliance with anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing legislation.
How to handle assets in a client's estate
Ogier- Private Client & Offshore Services
- Jersey
- February 22 2018
Jersey is a separate legal jurisdiction from the United Kingdom, with a separate body of law. Many clients do not realise this, which can cause issues when it comes to administering their estates. The law of succession and probate in Jersey differs significantly from that in the United Kingdom and creates responsibilities for the executors and administrators of those who leave behind assets in Jersey.
Can I enforce a dress code at work?
Ogier- Private Client & Offshore Services
- Jersey
- February 22 2018
Employers can enforce dress codes only within the confines of the discrimination law. For example, a requirement for a female receptionist to wear high heels is illegitimate since no equivalent requirement is placed on male employees. Employers that want to enforce a dress code should consider the discrimination law and whether their proposals meet it. A recent Jersey case illustrates how this works.
Legislative changes to look out for in 2018: a Q&A
Ogier- Private Client & Offshore Services
- Jersey
- February 15 2018
The Capacity and Self-Determination (Jersey) Law 2016, due to come into effect in April 2018, will be a long overdue update to the old customary laws. This new law will give people the opportunity, while they still have capacity, to make decisions regarding their financial and personal affairs and welfare which will take effect should they lose capacity. There are also likely to be amendments to the Wills and Succession (Jersey) Law 1993, which was the subject of an independent report in 2015.
Probate for residents: what you need to know
Ogier- Private Client & Offshore Services
- Jersey
- February 15 2018
Many people do not realise what is involved in administering a person's estate until they have to do it themselves and they encounter a minefield of previously unknown terminology and complex legal procedures. For example, in Jersey, 'probate' is the term used for both the grant of probate itself and the process of applying for the right to deal with the estate of someone who has passed away.
Anti-anti-suit injunctions
Ogier- Private Client & Offshore Services
- Guernsey
- February 01 2018
An anti-anti-suit injunction is a relatively rare form of anti-suit injunctive relief granted by a particular court in order to stop a party from pursuing an application for an anti-suit injunction in another court. In a recent decision, the Guernsey Court of Appeal stated that "particular caution" should be applied in granting an anti-anti-suit injunction.
Funds litigation: Guernsey on map after £1 billion, seven-year case
Ogier- Private Client & Offshore Services
- Guernsey
- December 21 2017
The Royal Court recently issued its judgment on what is thought to be the largest civil case in Guernsey's history. The decision has cleared a Guernsey investment fund that went into insolvency in the wake of the financial crash in 2008 of liability over its collapse. The scale of the case underlines Guernsey's position as not only one of the world's largest offshore finance centres, but also a venue capable of handling complex and demanding funds litigation cases.
Resigned trustee wins court approval for reappointment – what this means for trusts industry
Ogier- Private Client & Offshore Services
- Jersey
- December 21 2017
The Royal Court recently assessed a case where the representor of a trust had sought to retire as trustee and provided the notice required under the terms of the trust to the company. Despite the fact that the trustee had reminded the company, no replacement was lined up when the company was dissolved. The case focused on the distinction between a trustee's fiduciary responsibilities and its powers and discretions provided for by the terms of a trust.
Scope of powers for trustee in bankruptcy where concurrent domestic insolvency proceedings exist
Ogier- Private Client & Offshore Services
- Guernsey
- December 07 2017
The recognition of the powers of an English trustee in bankruptcy in Guernsey is generally pursued either by way of a letter of request issued by the foreign court or an application via common or customary law. A recent decision examines the position – not previously encountered in Guernsey – of an application for recognition under common law in a situation where there were already désastre proceedings in Guernsey.
Providence: Royal Court approves litigation funding agreement
Ogier- Private Client & Offshore Services
- Guernsey
- November 16 2017
The Royal Court recently considered, for the first time in open court, the issue of whether an agreement with a third party to fund litigation would be void as a matter of Guernsey law on the basis that it was champertous. The lieutenant bailiff's judgment provides valuable guidance as to the contractual provisions that should be considered when third-party funding takes place.
Are you too interested in former employees' post-termination restrictions?
Ogier- Private Client & Offshore Services
- Jersey
- November 09 2017
Lawyers are often asked to review employment contracts, including post-termination restrictions. It is increasingly common to see covenants that either restrict the former employee from holding any interest in a competing business or limit the amount of shareholding that they can have. If a contract uses this language, it could lead to the entire restrictive covenant being unenforceable.
