Understand Your Rights. Solve Your Legal Problems
You’ve always wanted to make an impact — whether it’s in your neighborhood or on a much bigger scale. And of course, making a little money while you do it is always nice. What’s the easiest way to do both?
If you’re thinking it starts with education, you’re right. If you’re thinking it involves grueling commutes, four-hour night classes or a campus-style life, you’re wrong. There’s an easier way to advance your career in law. It’s affordable, convenient and timely, and best of all, you only have to do is follow a couple easy steps to advancing a career in law.
Getting Started
If you want to make six figures and help out people in need, there’s no better starting point than a degree in labor law. Ensuring that those who work every day to put meals on their family’s table are safe and properly compensated is no small task. Law grads are landing jobs at a higher pace than in previous years, and there’s no reason for you to miss the boat. With almost 75 percent of law degree graduates finding gainful, long-term employment, now is the chance to jump on board — especially when taking online labor law courses is so simple.
Perhaps the most significant perk of learning labor law online is the convenience. Forget having to make the long haul to the nearest university — your classroom is on your couch. If you’re looking to cut out campus-related distractions to focus on what matters, your education, look no farther than online education. Still, you should know that you’re interested in this field before you enroll, so let’s highlight the advantages to practicing labor law and the best way to get started.
Helping Others Starts Small
If you’re easily perturbed when someone is treated unfairly, the labor law field is for you. Seeing people in power take advantage of those who have few or no options is frustrating. This is your chance to fix it. Providing protection for the working class is admirable and self-fulfilling. It doesn’t carry the glamour that some other law occupations might, but you’ll go home at the end of most days feeling accomplished.
As big businesses grow even larger, employees, who compose much of those firms, increase in number. Those at higher levels are most interested in keeping overhead down and making as much of a profit as possible — which sometimes results in unfair working conditions. People having a voice to fight for them has never been more important, and now that voice can be you. This happens all over the world in markets large and small, but the best way for you to break into the field is by starting at a smaller firm and taking on progressively larger cases.
Show Me the Money
If you enter a field like labor law, you’re most likely not doing it for yourself, but it doesn’t hurt that labor lawyers make a pretty good chunk of change themselves. Labor law strikes that nice middle ground where you’re spending reasonable hours helping others while collecting a nice paycheck. How much you earn will depend on where geographically you practice, your firm, and your proficiency in the field, but most can expect to make upwards of $90,000 per year.
Now Hiring
Perhaps the most important factor when looking at a major is job prospects is required training. It is frustrating to devote time and energy to study that doesn’t impact your career, but a labor law degree will certainly pay off. With the field continually growing, you should feel confident there are plenty of available positions for graduates.
Labor law is not a niche field. There is a need for labor lawyers all over the United States — and around the world. You should also be enthused by the prospect of online education, which allows you to continue practicing while you enhance your career. Along with a healthy compensation and rewarding sense of helping others, staying close to home (or opting to get away from home) is just another advantage. That sounds like a lot of pros for the labor law field, so what is holding you back from enrolling in classes today?
When it comes to dietary decisions, everybody is different. Some people may feel better after eating a hearty steak with a side of fresh salad, while others may feel just as good having indulged in a succulent vegan burger with chips. What you choose to eat is an entirely personal decision influenced by everything from preference to health, and there are certainly benefits to most individuals’ eating habits.
Over the last few decades, vegetarianism has become an increasingly popular option for anyone who wants to make more conscious choices about what they eat. Not only does avoiding meat ensure you aren’t consuming animals but being vegetarian also has a number of health benefits. Bess Berger is a Registered Dietician Nutritionist in New Jersey who has found that vegetarian diets can even “decrease the risk of many forms of cancer, heart disease, gallstones, kidney stones, osteoporosis and diabetes.” Plus, vegetarians often have lower cholesterol and blood pressure than their omnivore counterparts.
Clearly, there’s a lot to be gained by going veggie so we thought we’d take a look at how the vegetarian lifestyle can not only impact your personal life and your health but could also improve your career as a lawyer.
1. Going Vegetarian Could Improve Your Mood
Nobody wants a moody co-worker or a grumpy lawyer and going vegetarian could help you avoid being the misery of the firm. Mood is impacted by a number of factors including sleep and exercise but, in this case, the most important factor is food. More specifically, vegetarian food, which has been proven time and time again to have an impact on mood. According to a 2012 study published in the Nutrition Journal, the restriction of meat, fish and poultry in omnivores improved mood significantly, leading to lower stress levels and less psychological distress. This is most probably due to the high nutritional value of vegetables, as well as the fact animal-based food has high levels of chemicals such as arachidonic acid, which can disturb moods.
2. You Might Have the Best Palette in the Office
Ever wanted to be the person in the firm who brings in the best food and introduces all your co-lawyers to the best recipes? Well, by going vegetarian this could very well become a reality. It’s widely accepted that becoming vegetarian causes your palette to change significantly, transforming foods from hated to favourites and even leading to you recognise spices and delicate flavours more easily. This is probably one of the reasons restaurants seem to be offering more complex, unique vegetarian dishes than ever before. Take food courier service Deliveroo’s vegetarian takeaway options as an example and you'll see that for every sort of cuisine you can think of, there's someone out there serving dishes tailored towards a veggie palette. You could be the one to introduce these delicious, trendy meals to your entire law firm.
3. You Could Become the Perfect Employee
Though there’s a chance you'll feel a little rundown at first, as your body adjusts to your new diet. But once your levels have all balanced out you could have more energy than ever. This is due to the mass amounts of vitamins, antioxidants and fibre found in veggies which will, in turn, improve digestion and lead to higher energy levels. More energy could make you a better lawyer than ever. Since you’re already the happiest one in the office who brings in the best lunches ever, you'll be winning on all planes!
We’re sure there are plenty of other positive changes that vegetarians have experienced in the workplace and in their personal lives, but we think being the best you can be is good enough for today. If you're vegetarian, and your life and work have been improved by your dietary choices, let us know in the comments below.
When it comes to currencies, the last couple of years have without a doubt been some of the most disruptive, surprising and innovative in recent memory. While long-established currencies with reputations as reliable safe havens have come under pressure and fluctuated in value, newer currencies, including the explosion in cryptocurrencies, have been completely reshaping how we invest, spend and save. So from paying for goods to gambling in online casinos, they've changed everything. It's also been an interesting couple of years for those watching these developments from the legal arena, as governments and litigators scramble to adapt existing systems to the new currencies which are playing increasingly prominent roles in our every day lives. With that in mind, let's take a look at the currencies which are the most reliable in 2018, and what predictions might lie ahead.
The Almighty Dollar
The world's most popular reserve currency remains so, and despite some rather surprising fluctuations this year, stemming largely from wider geopolitical concerns and a more cautious Federal Reserve policy, the almighty dollar is still the safest port in an increasingly stormy world. Thanks to a major upswing in the world's largest economy and a banner year for Wall Street, in comparison with other major currencies taking a dive (looking at you Pound Sterling), it can safely be said that in 2018, you can put your faith in the greenback.
Holidays and online casinos helping cryptocurrencies
E-currencies have been dominating the headlines ever since the surreal Bitcoin bubble reached its dizzying peaks earlier this year, but the chatter has faded recently and noticeably less attention is being paid to how cryptocurrencies are doing right now. One thing that's a sure thing is that they certainly aren't going aware, with literally thousands of different types of electronic currencies popping up in the past year, which are used for an endless variety of goods, services and investments. Whether you're paying for your next vacation with Ether, or looking to find online casinos that accept ukash like Betway or Royal Vegas, there's no denying that e-currencies are now a prominent part of our financial lives. And, as land-based and online casinos step up in their acceptance of these newer payment methods, it's becoming more and more obbvious that they'll remain part of the casino and gambling industry. Although the speed with which many famous currencies have gathered staggering value has prompted concerns about the volatility of e-currencies, if you invest wisely (and get lucky), it's an investment that can pay off like no other currency can.
Ones to watch in 2019
Back in the physical realm of all that boring paper money, there are a few currencies that investors and travellers should keep an eye on in the year ahead. The Euro has had a pretty interesting year and is looking to come out on top in 2019 as an increasingly strong and reliable currency, finally shaking off years of weakness and poor performances which followed the Eurozone crisis. The South African Rand is also a good one to watch, given that it is so closely affected by fluctuations in precious metal and oil prices, both of which are set to be majorly on the rise in the year ahead.
When it comes to investment, no currency is a sure thing, and it'll be interesting to see how these predictions play out in a year that is set to be politically and economically unknowable across the world.
The foreign exchange industry is a multi-billion-dollar industry, one which sees currencies change hands every second of every day. Given the involvement of currencies from all four corners of the globe, governments have attempted to implement rules and legislation to regulate each forex trading platform that offers retail trading via desktop, smartphone or tablet devices. Subsequently, there are many international bodies that attempt to ensure forex brokers adhere to recognized industry protocol and provide a legitimate, transparent place for retail traders to invest in the forex markets. If you want to make sure you choose a legal broker, make sure you avail yourself of the leading regulatory bodies below, whom your preferred broker should be associated with, as well as the typical rules and regulations.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)
The British independent regulatory body of the FCA has statutory powers given to it by the Financial Services and Markets Act (2000) and oversees the forex industry within the United Kingdom. It seeks to help weed out unauthorised forex trading and brokerage firms, helping retail traders to avoid online scams. The FCA operates an up-to-date register on all authorized UK firms capable of trading forex or providing trading platforms for retail traders to buy and sell forex or contracts for difference (CFDs), binary options and other commodities.
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CTFC)
For the American forex industry, the CTFC independently governs the commodity futures and options markets available to retail traders. It was established in 1974 to ensure a competitive and efficient futures market, protecting traders against illegal manipulation, trading practices and fraudulent activity. The CTFC is also playing an active role in the emergence of new markets such as the Bitcoin futures contracts, helping to maintain the integrity of the industry amid the face of innovation.
The National Futures Association (NFA)
All operating forex brokers in the United States must become members of the NFA in order to work on behalf of American retail traders. This self-regulatory body works hard to protect the integrity of the forex market and implements new forex regulations where necessary.
Common laws and regulations
Image: Pixabay.com
Forex trading can be a hugely profitable and enjoyable pastime or investment opportunity. However, if you are a retail trader and looking to invest some of your personal wealth, it’s vital that you seek fully regulated and licensed brokers to work dutifully on your behalf.
Spending too much time behind the desk can take a toll on your health, both physically and mentally. Everyone needs time away from their work, especially lawyers because a lawyer’s job never ends. You give so much of yourself at the office and many times, you take your work home with you. It is critical that you dedicate time for yourself to relax and take your mind off work. Several ways exist for you to have some fun and get back to enjoying life, from entertaining friends at the beach to playing some online poker. No matter what you choose to do, make sure you are enjoying it and not thinking about work. Here are some tips on how to relax and have fun away from the office.
Take a Vacation
More and more Americans are taking their time back by vacationing!
What better way to relax than taking a much-needed vacation? According to U.S. News & World Report, some of the top places to travel in the United States are New York City, San Diego and Maui. So, depending on whether you want a view of a city, a sandy beach or a new place with tropical food, you can’t go wrong with these choices. Taking a flight and leaving all your work behind is a fantastic way to rest and relax. You can go sightseeing, take a tour and visit famous landmarks or relax at your hotel and order room service. Vacationing is a pastime that every American enjoys and there’s no better way to embark on some fun while putting work in the back of your mind.
Take on a New Hobby
Taking on a hobby will not only give you a breather from work but also allow you to start a new habit, possibly make some friends, and equally important, enjoy yourself. Some hobbies that are perfect for having fun and relieving stress are playing golf, engaging in online poker games, going to bingo with friends or doing crafts. Golfing and going to bingo are great ways to relax and meet new people. Doing crafts not only allows you to tap into your creative side, but it can be quite therapeutic while playing online poker can be mentally stimulating fun and who knows, you might win? These are just several different hobbies that you can choose to add to your routine, but there are tons more hobbies that you can start doing to relax and have fun away from work.
Have a Game Night
Love to play games? Why not get some friends or family together and host a game night every week? It’s an excellent way to get at least one day out of the week where you don’t focus on work and the office grind. Some games to include in your game night are charades, Monopoly, Pictionary and of course, poker variations. To up the fun factor, besides playing Texas Hold ‘em and Omaha Hi-Lo, have each person bring a different game over each week or take turns choosing what you’re going to play. Getting everyone together, playing entertaining games, eating and drinking and enjoying one another’s company will help take your mind off the stresses of work and will allow you to do something different. It’s a great idea!
Hanging with Friends
Dinner with friends is always a good time!
What is a better way to have a good time than hanging out with your friends? Call up your buddies, and you all find something fun to do at least once a week to get your mind off work. Hanging with your best buds is a sure way to de-stress and forget about the demands at the office. So many fun things to do with friends exist, such as going out to dinner, shopping, the movies or hanging at a nearby bar or crashing at someone’s house and binge-watching a Netflix series. The best part about planning to hang with your friends is that you all are making a commitment to one another to get together, you’re going to be able to spend more time together and you know for sure that you’re going to get a break from work every single week. One stipulation: no talking about work while out with friends! This time is solely to have fun, entertain yourselves and forget about the daily grind.
Final Thoughts
It’s always nice and beneficial to your health to forget about what’s going on at the office and focus on yourself and enjoying life. Whether you choose to take a flight, hang out with friends, play your favorite poker game, go golfing or relax quietly at home, all that matters is that you are enjoying your time off. Relaxing and taking time away from the office can help you avoid burnout, ease your mind and have you refreshed and ready to take on a heavy workload when you return. It’s highly recommended that everyone takes a break from work at least once per month, but if that’s not possible, then at least plan a nice vacation once per year. All work and no play leads to being tired, overworked and stressed. You can prevent any of this now by choosing to step away from the computer and getting out and enjoying life a little more.
On 27 April 2018 the High Court ruled that Senior Coroner Hassell’s policy never to prioritise any decision on the basis of the religion of the deceased or family was unlawful and should be quashed. This is Hassell’s third defeat in Court. A pattern is emerging. She attempts to avoid her duties to a minority; she is challenged in Court, loses badly...then and tries again.
On average there is a delay of 15 days between death and burial in the UK, which many people prefer as this allows them time to organise personal ceremonies with bespoke requests. However, by contrast, in accordance with Muslim and Jewish religious law, burial should take place on the day of death. Coroners habitually provide an out of hours service to allow this. But not Hassell. On taking office in July 2013 she immediately suspended an ‘out of hours service’ in the area she controls, causing much anguish to the large Muslim (c.19%) and Jewish (c.3%) communities there. But she did not stop.
Muslim and Jewish religious law views an invasive autopsy – involving cutting the body – as a desecration. It can be avoided where an electronic scan is able to establish the cause of death. Hassell has habitually refused permission to scan, without good reason. In 2014 my firm was instructed to obtain an injunction preventing an autopsy, pending the results of a scan. Mitting J said: that where “...there is nothing to be lost and something to be preserved, namely the rights in respect to the religion of the family...” the Coroner should allow a scan. To most this would seem obvious, but not to Hassell.
Less than a year later Hassell again refused to allow a scan, now for a Mrs Rotsztein who had died of heart failure aged 86. This time we not only obtained an injunction but took the case through to final judgment where Hassell’s reasoning was found to have been “flawed” (see R (Rotsztein) v HM Senior Coroner for Inner North London [2015] EWHC 2764 (Admin)). Her legal costs for 2014 – 2016 came to c. £250,000, a bill footed by the local authorities she serves.
In 2016 Ms Hassell was reprimanded by the JCIO, which found that she showed a “serious lack of judgment” when leaking a letter to the press accusing the Jewish community of persecuting her, a recurring theme as we shall see.
Most recently in 2017, in response to a request not to delay dealing with the death of an orthodox Jew, Hassell announced a new policy by which she declared that “No death will be prioritised in any way over any other because of the religion of the deceased or family, either by the coroner’s officers or coroners” (the “Policy”). On 27 April 2018, Lord Justice Singh and Mrs Justice Whipple, sitting in the High Court, quashed the Policy declaring it to be “over-rigid” “unlawful”, “discriminatory” and “incapable of any rational justification” and finding that it infringed Articles 9 and 14 of the ECHR. See R (on the application of Adath Yisroel Burial Society) v Senior Coroner for Inner North London [2018] EWHC 969 (Admin).
Coroner Hassell, who described her Policy as a “cab-rank rule”, said that dealing with deaths in strictly chronological order was the fairest way to use her resources. She referred to the need for priority as “queue-jumping” which she declared unfair. This reasoning showed a total lack of understanding of the law and of the way it operates to protect minorities and thus to build a pluralistic society.
Article 9 of the European Convention of Human Rights, enshrines the right to “[freely] manifest one's religion or beliefs.”
The ECHR stressed its importance as a foundation stone of a pluralistic society in Eweida v United Kingdom (2013) 57 EHRR 213:
“...freedom of thought, conscience and religion is one of the foundations of a ‘democratic society’ [for] …believers and their conception of life, but it is also a precious asset for atheists, agnostics, sceptics and the unconcerned. The pluralism indissociable from a democratic society, which has been clearly won over the centuries, depends on it.”
The Claimants were not seeking automatic priority, but merely that Coroner Hassell should strike a fair balance between the rights and interests of different people in society. As Singh LJ said:
“The fundamental flaw in the present policy adopted by the Defendant is that it fails to strike any balance at all, let alone a fair balance.”
Hassell could not grasp that fair treatment does not always mean that everyone is treated in an identical way. Patients in an A&E department who require urgent treatment will be prioritised ahead of others. As Singh LJ said “reasonable people in society would not regard that as “queue jumping” or otherwise unfair”.
At its heart, Hassell did not understand what Elias LJ described as “perhaps the most fundamental principle of justice”, which is that “Like cases should be treated alike and different cases treated differently” (AM (Somalia) v Entry Clearance Officer [2009] EWCA Civ 634). In the case of Jakóbski v Poland (2012) 55 EHRR 8, prisoners received identical food, consisting of meat. Yet a Mahayana Buddhist, whose faith required him to be a vegetarian starved, while others ate well. Equal treatment for all had an unequal impact on the Buddhist, which was discriminatory. As the Court succinctly put it: “Uniformity is not the same thing as equality.” Mr Grodzinski QC successfully argued that Hassell’s policy put Muslims and Jews at a “particular disadvantage” when compared with persons who had no particular need for an early burial.
One noteworthy element in the case is the manner in which Hassell sought to defend her unlawful policy, by way of an attack on one of the minorities she is supposed to serve.
In response to my letter seeking legal redress, she refused, saying that “I appreciate that you do not have an in-depth knowledge of …coronial law”. Her correspondence variously argues that she or her staff had felt “pressured”, “abused and upset”, “intimidated”, “bullied” and even “persecuted” by the demands of my clients to whom she referred to as “the Rabbis” and of my firm, to whom she habitually referred as “the lawyer in Israel” (we are an English law firm, with head office in London, but I work from our office in Tel Aviv).
In private correspondence to the Chief Coroner, she wrote that “...everything stops when we have a Jewish death....” and argued that she could not do her other work because “all I had done …. was deal with the noise arising from one Jewish death.” This was hard to reconcile with her later evidence indicating that the Jewish death in question absorbed only 12 minutes of her judicial time.
Apparently to illustrate this theme of having undue demands made upon her resources, Hassell placed before the Court an anonymised letter which she declared “is relevant for the Court to see”. The letter accuses the orthodox Jewish community of pursuing “agendas … in opposition to British values”; and of subverting various institutions “to further the community’s interests” including “local councils, the police, the health service, social services, safeguarding bodies, the Department for Education and Ofsted.” One is left wondering why the author forgot to mention the Banks and the Media. This peroration reaches its crescendo with “the legal system” which it says “is a favourite weapon used, since it is a place where people can manipulate fact, are free to use psychological and verbal abuse, dirty tricks and manipulation.”
That Hassell, herself a trained lawyer and a Judge, should consider that such material has any place before an English Court is most worrying. It is particularly worrying for a minority group to be thus castigated when it had done nothing beyond properly challenge a policy which the Court found to be manifestly unlawful and discriminatory.
The Court rejected Hassell’s argument that her limited resources justified a rigid discriminatory policy, pointing out that resources are always finite.
The judgment is an important reminder of the values which underpin British society, and which are essential for a pluralistic society to function. As the Court summarised:
“The kind of society which is envisaged by the Convention and the HRA is one which is based on respect for everyone’s fundamental rights, on an equal basis...it is a society which is characterised by pluralism, tolerance and broad-mindedness. It regards democracy as being a community of equals.”
Whether Hassell will now seek to meet or to thwart the needs of the minority faith groups she is meant to serve remains an open question. In response to the Judgment, Hassell announced that henceforth she “will consider every family for prioritisation.” When asked, she refused to say how she intends to implement this new policy, so there may be further bumps in the road ahead.
Trevor Asserson and Avital Berger of Asserson Law Offices were solicitors for the Claimants.
Counsel for the Claimants: Sam Grodzinski QC (Blackstone Chambers); Khawar Qureshi QC (Serle Court Chambers); Ben Tankel (39 Essex Chambers).
Written by Trevor Asserson and Avital Berget from Asserson
Cruising the azure seas and weighing anchor at exotic locations aboard a luxury yacht - it’s often the stuff of dreams for anyone wishing to capture the lifestyle of the rich and famous. Even if someone has the millions to invest in such a status symbol, there are a great many legal considerations involved before setting sail to enjoy that elusive life of leisure out on the ocean waves.
More than just a boat
Valued at around $50 million, Casino Royale was highlighted for high rollers by Betway Casino, recently, as one of the most luxurious yachts in which to travel the world, for those fortunate and wealthy enough to afford such a vessel. According to VIP maritime specialists Northrop and Johnson, who brokered its last sale, the 163-foot Christensen motor yacht can accommodate up to 15 guests in six luxurious staterooms, within 6,900 square feet of interior space, along with an expansive sundeck featuring a large jacuzzi and another spacious deck with enough room to stow a couple of jet skis.
As the name would suggest, this vessel is themed around the casino lifestyle of James Bond and the 2006 movie of the same name, but while there’s nothing quite as British as the fictional super-spy, more often than not, such a magnificent yacht is unlikely to be seen beneath a UK flag. Stylish vessels akin to this are most commonly seen sailing around the Mediterranean or the Caribbean, when not moored at some of the most exclusive travel locations in those regions. Look closely and you might see such yachts flying flags from any number of different nations, regardless of which country the owner actually resides.
IMAGE SOURCE: @boatint via Twitter
Choosing which flag to fly
“A flag state is the country or governmental entity under whose laws a vessel is registered or licensed,” is the boatinternational.com definition, while further explaining: “This can be the country in which the owner resides, or ... an offshore ship registry in a country with laws that are attuned to the complexities of yacht ownership and charter operations”.
In the case of the luxurious Casino Royale yacht already mentioned, as a good example, such a large investment will be accompanied by highly professional and detailed maritime legal advice, ensuring the new owner is fully aware of their responsibilities and all the options available to them. “With great leisure comes great complexity,” the Yachting Pages website observes with caution, highlighting that after the purchase itself, one of the key choices for the owner is that of flag choice and registration, based entirely around their individual needs and the usage they have in mind for the vessel.
For those unaccustomed to the sailing world, it might seem strange that a UK yacht owner or operator might, for example, fly the flag of Malta or the Cayman Islands on their luxurious vessel. However, there are usually plenty of perfectly good and legitimate reasons for doing so. Not least different tax responsibilities for owners to observe, depending on the country of registration and type of usage for the vessel, be it private ownership or for use as a commercial enterprise.
It goes without saying that due diligence is required when choosing which flag to fly because, once a yacht is registered in a particular country, all its laws will then apply to the vessel. It’s also wise to choose a country of registration that is widely recognised and reputable in the eyes of other nations. Some flag countries have better reputations than others, which means that choosing unwisely can greatly affect the travel options for the vessel, while also increasing the number of inspections and delays encountered.
IMAGE SOURCE: @sytreports via Twitte
The most popular flag choices
The ‘Red Ensign Group’ of British shipping registers is arguably the most popular choice at present, both for private and commercial yachting, which incorporates not only the United Kingdom itself, but also crown dependencies such as the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands, along with UK overseas territories such as Gibraltar, Cayman Islands and Bermuda, amongst others.
Whether it's for private or commercial use, or even both, vessels sailing under one of the Red Ensign Group flags have many key benefits. Those keeping a keen eye on financial and tax implications will probably find the zero-percent company tax one of the most appealing aspects of flying the flag of the Isle of Man or the Cayman Islands, for example. In addition, mindful of VAT in Europe, those flying a non-EU flag are able to operate under the temporary importation structure, allowing for up to 18 months' travel free of taxes and import duties in European ports.
Finally, and just as important, the Red Ensign Group of countries are also part of the Paris Memorandum of Understanding, meaning they all boast positive reputations. This inevitably helps reduce the number of inspections and allows for greater freedom of travel around numerous global destinations, due to their safety regulations being widely recognised not only in Europe but with maritime bodies elsewhere around the world, such as the Americas and Asia.
Essentially, while there are myriad choices to consider when registering a vessel, selecting the right flag will depend upon what is valued most of all, be it privacy, taxation, ease of travel, or naval protection bestowed by the flag under which the yacht is sailing. All are important considerations, making solid legal support and research absolutely crucial to each individual or entity registering their vessels.
The life of a law professional is often fraught with stress. Late nights working, combined with early mornings on the job, an erratic eating schedule, and weekends interrupted by a mounting caseload, can raise stress levels and slowly diminish productivity. All these effects come as part and parcel of the job and can often actually motivate lawyers to work harder and get solid results. However, that doesn’t mean that you don’t deserve a proper break from them every once in a while.
It’s an established fact that a well-deserved vacation can do wonders to refresh your mind and reignite your passion for work. We all know that lawyers tend to be a well-travelled lot! So, where better to take a holiday away from it all than the paradise of the Bahamas? Hailed for decades as the perfect getaway location, it’s the ideal place to kick back and relax or delve into island life, depending on your inclination. Don’t just take it from me—many high-profile celebrities and sports stars choose the Bahamas as a trip destination. Last December, tennis superstar Rafael Nadal took a break to go see his pal Tiger Woods play on the legendary New Providence golf course. So, keep your eyes peeled; you never know who you’ll bump into!
As an archipelago of over 700 islands, the Bahamas offers plenty of places to choose from when deciding where to stay. Despite its name, Grand Bahama Island is not actually the biggest in the Bahamian archipelago, but it has plenty there to keep you occupied. Port Lucaya is located by the island’s main city of Freeport and is a holiday resort haven. It’s populated with large hotels, beautiful beaches and a plethora of shops. In Lucaya, you will never go hungry or feel bored—there is just so much to do! If you’re after a buzzing, friendly atmosphere and plenty of activities, then this is the place for you.
Alternatively, you can head over to the capital of the Bahamas: Nassau. Situated on the island of New Providence, it is the largest Bahamian city and has an unbeatable nightlife, serving up delicious food, exquisite cocktails and irresistible beats. During the day, you can take a thrilling trip by powerboat to some of the smaller cays and see the exotic wildlife that lives there. You can plunge into the sparkling turquoise ocean to snorkel amongst the breathtaking coral reefs or lay on the unblemished white sand beneath a sunny sky. Finish up with a meal at one of Nassau’s first-class restaurants, where you can sample a range of fresh seafood and other island delicacies.
However, if you’d prefer to really get away from it all and head to somewhere secluded, then you can stay on one of the many Out Islands. Away from the hubbub of the big cities and tourist attractions, here you can experience the unspoiled beauty of the Bahamas and its people. The Out Islands are almost completely unpopulated, so they provide the perfect opportunity to get back to nature and soak up some peace and quiet. You’ll find the culture here is laid back and friendly, and the pace of life slows down to a gentle saunter rather than a hectic rush. This is the place to go if you’re looking for some hardcore R&R to clear your mind and rest your soul before heading back to real life.
Long before the silver screen, before television and radio — even before books were accessible to the masses — there were criminal trials. People would gather outside the courthouse and linger near the gallows to hear exciting tales of wrongdoing and the punishments that await perpetrators. The experience is hardly different today save that people watch criminal justice unfold from the comforts of their living room couches. It isn’t news coverage that makes criminals fascinating characters; criminals have captivated people for millennia for a variety of reasons, including our fascination with death and our eagerness for justice.
Thankfully, those most intrigued by the process of criminal justice — from investigation to sentencing — now have the option of contributing to the identification and prosecution of criminals in a variety of criminal justice careers. Today, the discovery of the alleged Golden State Killer is encouraging thousands of graduates into online criminal justice masters programs, and the following landmark cases of the past did just the same.
Scott Peterson was once a handsome man with a comfortable life, but he threw it all away when he murdered his wife, Laci, and his unborn child. The Peterson Trial was a sensation at the start of the ‘00s, with nearly relentless media coverage demonizing the man and his every action. Just after the 9/11 attack, just after President Bush led America into war, Peterson demonstrated that there remained evil at home, too, and that we desperately needed professionals to help bring criminals to justice.
Lyle and Erik Menendez were raised in the movie business as their father, Jose, was a Hollywood executive. Therefore, it makes sense that the brothers would be somewhat successful at acting appropriately surprised and grieved at the sudden assassination of their parents — despite the fact that they were the ones to do the slaying. The Menendez story captivated America for much of the early ‘90s, and in doing so, it showed that when televised, even the most gruesome activities could become entertainment, and where there is entertainment, there is a clamor for jobs.
Unlike other cases on this list — and almost all other famous crime cases in history — the Rodney King case is known not by its perpetrators but by its victim. Rodney King was an African-American man who was brutalized and killed by police in Los Angeles. The resulting trial of four officers, Stacey Koon, Theodore Briseno, Laurence Powell and Timothy Wind, revealed the overwhelming racial tension in cities around the U.S., and the verdict sparked the Los Angeles riots that caused much-needed change in the criminal justice system — but that change is far from complete.
Known better by his nickname, Teflon Don, John Gotti was a mobster sociopath who nearly evaded all criminal charges — until one of his own turned on him. Gotti’s rise to power in the ‘80s was a well-known secret; somehow, everyone knew that Gotti was the ruthless boss of the Gambino crime family, but no one could prove it. The trial that ultimately led to Gotti’s conviction was filled with fascinating characters and unequivocal evidence diligently collected to bring the man down — all thanks to work by various criminal justice professionals.
Throughout the ‘90s “Dr. Death” Jack Kevorkian championed physician-assisted suicide, leading to the deaths of unknown hundreds of patients. Kevorkian was put on trial five times for murder, and four times he walked free. He was finally convicted in 1999 after a “60 Minutes” episode showing him administering a lethal injection, but the jury remains out, so to speak, regarding a person’s right to die. Criminal justice professionals working in concert with ethicists, physicians and the public might produce an answer to the age-old question “Is dying a crime?”
Inarguably the trial of the century, the case of the People v. O.J. Simpson had everything: beautiful, famous people, passionate professionals, racial tensions, love, anger and more. Every minute of the trial was broadcast across America, and everyone had an opinion on O.J.’s guilt, L.A.P.D.’s competence and Johnnie Cochran’s charisma. Unlike other famous trials, every participant in O.J.’s courtroom gained fame, encouraging boys and girls everywhere to follow in the footsteps of Marcia Clark, Christopher Darden and even Robert Shapiro.
Written by David Gardner, partner, and Grace Roddie, solicitor, at law firm TLT
The second EU Payment Services Directive (PSD2) took effect in the UK on 13 January 2018, laying down the framework for more transparent, competitive and open banking across the EU. The Directive introduces significant changes about how non-bank third party providers (TPPs) can access information from customers’ bank accounts and carry out transactions on consumers' behalf. It complements the work of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in the UK, which has introduced Open Banking to accelerate interchange and communication between TPPs and banks so that this becomes the new norm.
The revolution has begun
These reforms could radically transform the financial sector, and banking in particular. Open Banking could prove to be the catalyst for a wave of FinTech start-ups and Challenger Banks to disrupt and replace traditional retail banks. Thanks to such a vast amount of data being available for the first time, Open Banking will generate new digital banking services tailored to individual customers’ preferences and requirements. In the highly competitive environment that will emerge, only the most flexible and innovative providers will thrive as customers come to expect new and improved services – at least in theory.
In reality, there are numerous legal, commercial and technical challenges to overcome before this vision can be realised. But Open Banking does have the potential to produce a genuine change of paradigm in the banking sector. The revolution has begun.
Details and take-up
The Open Banking and PSD2 reforms are founded upon precise legal frameworks, technical standards and changes to policy. If customers consent, the UK’s nine largest current account providers are now obliged to provide access to customer account data through an open Application Programming Interface (API) standard. Thanks to PSD2, newly regulated categories of TPPs, known as Account Information Service Providers (AISPs) and Payment Information Service Providers (PISPs), will also be able to access customers’ bank accounts. This will allow customers to share their account information with AISPs and enable PISPs to make payments on their behalf.
Whilst PISPs and AISPs will not need to hold banking licences, they will need to meet regulatory requirements and register with the Financial Conduct Authority – the UK’s main financial regulator. Expect future PISPs to try to replicate models such as ApplePay, where Apple is not a bank but a PISP involved in the front-end of the payment process, thus short-circuiting traditional bank-to-customer relationships. In the PISP model, your money will still be paid out of your bank account, but the transaction will merely be processed by the bank upon the request of the PISP.
In the months leading to 13 January 2018 and the implementation of PSD2, the financial sector witnessed a burst of activity so that prospective PISPs and AISPs could hit the ground running and communicate with banks using open APIs. Despite the buzz from finance and tech entrepreneurs, lawyers and programmers, PSD2 has not yet created the new genesis some in the payments sector were looking for. The primary reason for this is that these reforms have not yet captivated and gained the trust of customers, which is a crucial factor in driving the adoption of new technologies and thus new revenue streams. At present, customers are largely unaware of the changes or remain cautious about experimenting with new providers and banking services. Concerns about data sharing and high-profile data breaches also feed into customers' misgivings.
Eyes open
Whilst it’s still early days, PSD2 and Open Banking present a great opportunity for established actors and challengers alike to drive take-up of new banking and payment services and revolutionise the market. The technical and regulatory challenges are considerable and the market is currently far from mature – in particular, the potential benefits arising from Open Banking are only just beginning to be understood by customers. However, this means there is a fantastic opportunity for an innovative service provider to be the first to capture the hearts and minds of customers and establish a dominant market position.
David Gardner
Partner
+44 (0)333 006 0358
david.gardner@TLTsolicitors.com
David is an authority on IT, outsourcing and technology-driven procurement, with a particular focus on clients in financial services, the public sector and the technology sector. David regularly acts as lead advisor for customer and suppliers to deliver complex and strategic technology projects, collaborations and commercial contracts of all shapes and sizes.
Technology & IP at TLT LLP
TLT LLP is a leading national law firm with a strong focus on advising on Technology and Commercial matters in the Financial Services sector, with particular specialisms relating to Payment Services, FinTech/RegTech, Data Protection and Financial Services Regulation.
