Higher Education

Recent Articles

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  29/04/2024

  International

  On your radar | Key employment issues to be aware of internationally

  We are delighted to share with you our latest and largest edition of On Your Radar, with contributions from 35 countries. As ever, you will find employment law updates covering a diverse range of topical developments, for example:Several countries report changes to their rules on hiring foreign workers – Hungary, Serbia and Romania.Belgium explains that companies with over 50 employees must appoint a person of trust who plays an important role in protecting employees against psychosocial risks in the workplace including sexual harassment. At a time when employers are looking for ways...

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  08/04/2024

  Hungary

  Hungary proposes ex-ante competition tool to regulate essential companies

  On 2 April 2024, the Hungarian Ministry of Justice submitted an omnibus act to the Hungarian parliament proposing the amendment of several Hungarian laws, including the Competition Act. This Proposal’s most noteworthy element is – based on the German example – expanding the Hungarian Competition Authority’s (HCA) toolbox by introducing a new ex-ante regime enabling the HCA to impose obligations on certain companies without first having to demonstrate a violation of the law.This following article summarises the Proposal’s new rules, potential consequences and next steps.PROPOSED...

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  03/04/2024

  Ukraine

  Register of Damage for Ukraine is open for claims submission

  On 2 April 2024, the Register of Damage for Ukraine opened the claims submission process for compensation for damage, loss or injury caused by Russian aggression against Ukraine. The launch took place as part of the Ministerial Conference "Restoring Justice for Ukraine" co-hosted by the Netherlands, Ukraine and the European Commission at the World Forum in The Hague.As a reminder, the official website of the Register of Damage for Ukraine was launched on 4 March 2024. The website contains the following:documents governing the work of the Register;answers to frequently asked questions on the Register’s...

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  07/03/2024

  United Kingdom

  University’s Duties towards Disabled Student - The University of Bristol v Dr Robert Abrahart [2024] EWHC 299

  This judgment concerns the tragic case of a second-year physics student at the University of Bristol (the “University”) who ended her own life in April 2018. She had been diagnosed with depression and social anxiety disorder, which qualifies as a disability under the Equality Act 2010 (the “Act”). As part of her course, she was required to present orally, with other students, the findings of an experiment they conducted and to answer questions about the experiment and the relevant underlying principles of physics. It was accepted as a fact that the cause of her death was...

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  02/02/2024

  United Kingdom

  TCC upholds exclusion of liability for fraudulent breaches of contract

  A recent TCC decision has decided that a generally worded exclusion clause was sufficient to exclude liability for fraudulent breaches of contract committed by a party’s employees or the party itself. The Court also concluded that the clause satisfied the reasonableness requirement under the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 which applies where commercial parties contract on standard terms. The Court’s findings have significant implications for the negotiation and drafting of exclusion and limitation clauses in commercial contracts generally.Excluding liability for fraud or wilful misconductGenerally...

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  24/01/2024

  England and Wales

  Research Misconduct: Limitation Clauses Effective for Fraud

  A recent case has important implications for universities undertaking research under contract. The High Court held that parties are able to rely on contractual exclusions or limitations of liability even where an employee breaches that contract through fraud. Further, the High Court found that the publication of an academic journal article fell under the contracted services with the consequence that failure to take all reasonable care to ensure its accuracy resulted in a breach of contract.In Innovate Pharmaceuticals Ltd v University of Portsmouth Higher Education Corporation [2024] EWHC 35 (TCC),...

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