Monday 28 January 2019

The prevailing situation of the legal firms in London.

Legal firms in London’s financial region have battered hard economic and political situations to pole growth, outdoing that of local firms. However, as per the new research, firms based in this big city remain worried with undecided Brexit negotiations and augmented competition from professional services firms – both of which they believe pose a threat to their future success.


In today’s times of economic and political indecision, many firms stayed cautiously hopeful about their growth forecasts. This year’s 7% collective growth was improved by the information that fewer than 14% of firms faced a drop in their top line, with the general average rate of decline at less than 4%; levels far low the sharper drops that some firms encountered just a few years ago. However, there was also a big margin which rose up between City-based and regional firms in this year’s data.
The best year on year results was among firms with turnover hovering between £10 million – £20 million who witnessed average growth of more than 9%, while almost 1 in 5 firms with turnover below £10 million saw a decline in their revenues. Smaller firms had a more stimulating year, particularly that outside of the City, and while 80% of regional firms practiced growth in 2016, 93% of City organizations saw the year derive better results.

Profit per Equity Partner (PEP) rose for 60% of contributing firms, with half of those seeing a surge of more than 10%. Contrary, less than a third of those who witnessed a decline in PEP were legal firms in London with turnover below £10 million, and almost half of them were in the £20 million – £50 million turnover bracket. Low-size firms are enduring to hold onto top-tier equity and are, maybe, more able to quickly react to any undesirable change in their top line. However, again location deployed a role, and City firms of both sizes were more likely to register growth.

By contrast, regional firms have had a more thought-provoking year: of the local firms that saw growth in 2017, only 28% witnessed revenues upsurge by over 10%, as compared to 33% of firms in 2016 and 52% in 2015. Last year, CCW carried their benchmarking during the first few weeks of June, before the results of the EU membership referendum were declared. With a further year’s reflexion to draw on now, and the triggering of Article 50 in March has caused the opening of exit negotiations, the report provides a key vision into how law firms think of the challenges they now encounter.

The UK is expected by many to choose to lose as many as 40,000 jobs in the financial services sector. While legal firms in London may not unswervingly be considering a Brodus of their own due to the undecided negotiations between Britain’s government and Brussels, many are linked to financial services firms, who are either clients or portions of their business ecosystem. Where the number of investment banking jobs to vanish from the UK at the rate foretold, it could cause many Law firms in a risky financial spot.


Sunday 27 January 2019

Myths about the effect of migrants on U.S Economy.

President Donald Trump has been instilling fears about immigrants in the days summing up to the midterm elections. His recent tweet discussed about anti-immigrant ads and susceptible to cancel birthright citizenship, something lawmakers on both sides of the line have said would be unconstitutional, as he campaigns to charge up Republican attendance.


For UK immigration lawyers, having a clear picture on this is utmost necessary so that they can provide necessary assistance to their clients. Let’s get to some widespread myths about the effect of immigration on U.S economy.

Myth #1: Immigrants get more from the U.S. government than they subsidise

Fact: Immigrants are known to pay more in tax revenue than they take in government schemes
A recent report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine found immigration “has an overall affirmative impact on the long-term economic growth in the U.S.”
First-generation immigrants tend to cost more to the government in comparison to native-born Americans— approx $1,600 per person annually. But second-generation immigrants are “among the sturdiest fiscal and economic donors in the U.S.,” the report revealed. They contribute about $1,700 per person annually. All other native-born Americans, inclusive of third-generation immigrants, are found to contribute $1,300 per year on average.

Myth #2: Immigrants snatch American jobs

Fact: Immigrants workers often get jobs that enhance other parts of the economy

Immigrants account for almost 17 percent of the U.S. labour force, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, but some UK immigration lawyers think that they’re snatching jobs from Americans, as Trump claims.

“Most economists agree to the point that in spite of being a major part of the labour force, immigrants have not come at the cost either of American jobs, nor of American wages,” Peri, the UC Davis professor, said.

The issue is that immigrants often get jobs that Americans generally not prefer to take. So rather than competing with Americans’ for jobs, immigrants are found to balance American workers.
Myth #3: The U.S. economy does not require immigrants

Fact: Immigrants are key to counterweighing a reducing birth rate

The birth rate in the U.S is 1.8 births per woman, low from 3.65 in 1960, as per a report from the World Bank. Demographers think that 2.1 births per woman as the rate required to replace the existing population.

As per the Pew Research Center, if not for immigrants, the U.S. workforce would be lessening. That would develop a range of problems for the federal setup.

Myth #4: It would be good for the economy if immigrants’ children were not considered citizens.

Fact: Children with citizenship are found to be more productive workers.

Research reveals that cancelling birthright citizenship could have major undesirable consequences for the U.S. economy as children who are citizens get more economic opportunity and depend less on government support.


A Migration Policy Institute analysis discloses the number of illegal immigrants would surge from 11 million to 16 million by 2050 if birthright citizenship were cancelled.

Moving from UK to USA – Chasing the long standing American Dream.

Every year, thousands of British nationals think of migrating to the USA to pursue their dream of working and living in America. Since, ages, this has been happening in the UK and there is no change in this.

Historically, the association between these two countries goes back to almost 200 years before the United States announced independence from Great Britain in the year 1776. Since the days of these early colonizers, migration between the two countries has stayed strong.

Why there is a craze for the USA?

Today the element ‘special relationship’ is awarded to the distinctively close association between the UK and US for the antique, cultural and linguistic draws they have in common.

Business between the nations is also important to both countries’ economies. As per the government statistics, UK-US trade is supposed to be worth over £130 billion ($200 billion) every year.
Not only are both countries top foreign employers of each other – each having almost 1 million citizens from one another – but are also top contributors for science and novelty, along with the best tourist destinations too.

K all this into consideration, the reasons to migrate are tempting. However, before considering a move across the Atlantic, it is imperative to sort out your residential visa - more generally referred to in the States as the world popular Green Card.

Obtaining A Green Card

There are various ways to obtain a green card. It is up to the given situation, which option you finally choose. According to the leading London immigration lawyers, getting the card through family and job are the most commonly used options among UK nationals.

Through family

To encourage family bonding, considered as a basic value of American society, immigration law enables US citizens to make a request for relatives to come and live permanently in their country.
You may be able to receive a Green Card if one of your immediate relatives is a US citizen. Eligible family members include:

·         Spouses

·         Unmarried children below the age of 21

·         Parents if they are excessive age of 21

If you have a family member who is a US citizen but they are not a close relative, they may still be able to patron you through what is considered as a family preference category. Relatives who fall into this category include:

·         Unmarried sons or daughters over the age of 21

·         Married children of any age

·         Brothers and sisters if they are over 21

Through a job

The leading London immigration lawyers think that the other most widely used way to be permitted a Green Card is through a job. This category includes several options which include:

·         A proposal for permanent employment in the United States. This generally needs you to get a labor certification followed by a Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Foreign Worker.

·         Through investment. Green cards are also available for investors and entrepreneurs who wish to develop and maintain 10 permanent full-time US jobs.


·         Specialist jobs – Specific specialist occupations may help you obtain residency such as Armed Forces Members, Broadcasters or International Organisation Employees.

Saturday 26 January 2019

Intellectual property law for small and mid-size businesses in UK.

Businesses can adopt sensible steps to safeguard fixed assets, prefer their stock and equipment. But imperceptible assets can be harder to secure.

Intellectual property (IP) refers to an intangible asset. Your IP isn’t physical in essence, but patents, trademarks and copyrights are meant to bring in indispensable value to your business.
What does IP mean?

Your IP is somewhat distinctive that you create. Ideas are not considered as IP under UK law, but things that emerge from an idea do. This could be a big invention, the name of your product, your brand, your services, or even the appearance of your products.

But in the case when businesses bring in something to the world, there’s a possibility the work might get copied. This risk is augmented by the internet, which makes it calmer for unique IP to be stolen.
Small businesses especially need to ensure that they’re securing their IP, as competitors can feasibly copy ideas. If your business is based around your IP and someone steals it, you carry the risk of wasting market share – but there are rights and protections that make it easier to go ahead with legal action.

According to reputed law firms in London, “Even if your business doesn’t count on around your great idea, it’s necessary to be aware of intellectual property law to make sure you’re not inadvertently stealing somebody else’s IP.”

How to safeguard IP?

How to protect IP

You obtain some intellectual property rights automatically but, the basis on the kind of IP, you might need to authorize. It’s a great idea to take a comprehensive look at your business to find out what IP you have that needs defending. This is known as an IP audit and it should help you worth your IP assets just as you would your physical possessions.

There are law firms in London that can help you with protecting your unique work and products.
There are different types of IP one can register. You should ensure that they meet the standards for registration before moving ahead:

Trademarks: You can safeguard words, images, slogans, and others under trademarks. This can help you guard a unique brand. Your trademark must be exclusive and can’t be deceptive or non-distinctive. It also can’t define the goods or services it relates to – so striving to trademark ‘lawnmower’ for a new lawnmower won’t cut it. A general online trademark application comes at a cost of  £170.

Registered designs: you can roll the appearance of a product you’ve made, as long as if it’s a novice and unique. You can shield its look, physical form, decoration and the formation, which is how different parts of the design are settled together. Registering a design makes it feasible to handle any violation legally.


Patents: This move ahead than safeguarding your design – they can shield a new invention, such as a tool or the machine, and how it performs. You can only obtain a patent if your invention is a kind that can be made (or used), it’s new, and not just a modification to something that already in place. Patents are costly, with varied fees involved at various stages of the process.