The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and Hill Dickinson have announced a further three-year extension to their long-standing sponsorship deal, which includes for the first time, the firm’s support of In Harmony Liverpool.

In this case the Supreme Court considered an appeal by Vedanta Resources Plc (Vedanta) and Konkola Copper Mines Plc (KCM) regarding the jurisdiction of the Courts to determine the claims made against them. As against Vedanta the claimants had relied on Article 4 of the Recast Brussels Regulation and as against KCM the claimants had relied on the ‘necessary or proper party’ gateway of the English procedural code.

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the UK’s Data Protection Act 2018 (the DPA) have now been in force for a year.

Hill Dickinson has recently advised EMMAC Life Sciences Ltd (EMMAC), Europe’s leading independent medical cannabis and wellness company, on its acquisition of Portuguese genetics and cultivation company Terra Verde LDA for an undisclosed sum.  The deal establishes EMMAC as the largest vertically integrated medical cannabis company in Europe, with operations in eight territories and licensed distribution channels in Europe’s largest medical cannabis markets, namely the UK, Germany and Italy.

Leading health law firm Hill Dickinson has been reappointed to the HealthTrust Europe Framework Agreement for a further four year term. The contract commenced on 1 July in direct continuation of the previous contract.

Leading commercial law firm Hill Dickinson has welcomed legal director Amy Millson to its expanding health practice. Amy will be based in the firm’s Leeds office. 

The Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (‘RSE’) and Health Education (England) Regulations 2019 (‘Regulations’) amended primary legislation to make relationship education for primary school pupils, and RSE and health education for secondary schools compulsory from September 2020. The statutory guidance (‘Guidance’) has now been published to allow trustees, governors and school leaders to understand the legal obligations placed upon them and how to approach teaching these subjects through the school’s curriculum. The previous guidance dating back to 2000 has been replaced and maintained schools, academies, special schools and independent schools must all have regard to the new Guidance. Independent schools are not under the same obligations with regard to health education as the Independent School Standards 2014 already covers this through the requirement for personal, social, health and economic education.

In recent correspondence and guidance to trust and foundation trust chairs and chief executives, Baroness Dido Harding, chair of NHS Improvement (‘NHSI’), instructs these organisations, their boards and HR departments to review their investigation and disciplinary cultures and practices. Specifically, they need to be satisfied that their investigations, disciplinaries and suspensions/exclusions are not only in line with best practice but also that they are undertaken with compassion for the individual(s) involved and that there are appropriate safeguards for individuals’ dignity, health and wellbeing throughout.

The NHS Long Term Plan (LTP) is an ambitious plan setting out NHS priorities for the next 10 years. It attempts to address concerns about funding, workforce, increasing inequalities and meeting the needs of an ageing and growing population.

On 26 March 2019, the government launched a consultation that aims to gather opinions from respondents on the possibility of introducing coronial investigations into all full and post-term stillbirths -occurring from 37 weeks pregnancy - in England and Wales. 

Hill Dickinson’s corporate team advised AIM-listed FastForward Innovations Limited (FFWD) on its recent investment of £2 million in EMMAC Life Sciences Limited (EMMAC), a company which is seeking to become one of the largest fully integrated medical cannabis companies in Europe.

Hill Dickinson is delighted to have been shortlisted for the Legal Advisors of the Year - Public award at this year's HealthInvestor UK Awards. The awards, which recognise excellence and outstanding p