The Home Office has published the 2024 Global University list. Where a non-British or Irish national has obtained a degree-level academic qualification from an institution on the relevant Global University list in the five years immediately before the date of application, they will be able to obtain a High Potential Individual (HPI) visa. Applicants also need to meet an English language and financial requirement. Each year's list covers qualifications awarded between 1 November of that year and 31 October of the subsequent year, so this list covers qualifications awarded between 1 November 2024 and 31 October 2025. The awarding institution must be included on the relevant list for the date of the award.

Arbitration analysis: The Department of Legal Affairs recently introduced and invited comments on the Draft Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill, 2024 (‘Draft Bill’). This Draft Bill aims to bring substantive reforms to the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 (‘Act’), and adopts several recommendations provided in the Report of the Expert Committee to Examine Workings of the Arbitration Law dated 7 February 2024 (‘Expert Committee Report’). However, the Draft Bill also proposes several additional reforms to the Act, tipping into the realm of overkill. While the intentions behind these changes are undoubtedly positive, the proposed amendments may unfortunately lead to more confusion than clarity. This article discusses the pros and cons of the main amendments proposed in the Draft Bill.

Private Client analysis: December saw the final Probate Professionals User Group meeting with HMCTS and provided an opportunity to review the progress through the year, and, to look ahead to the changes that are coming in 2025. Ian Bond, member of the Law Society Wills and Equity Committee and a representative of the Law Society to the Probate Professional Users Group, provides an update.

Planning analysis: This News Analysis looks at the key cases from 2024 impacting planning law and practice.

ARCHIVED: This Practice Note has been archived and is not maintained. Name of parties and citation(s) Judgment date Subject News Analyses Main v Spadental Ltd [2024] EAT 200 23 December 2024 Employment tribunal claims and bankruptcy estate Whether Employment Tribunal claims vest in a bankruptcy estate (Main v SpaDental Ltd) Re Farfetch Ltd (in liquidation) [2024] EWHC 3340 (Ch) 20 December 2024 Article 21 of the UNCITRAL Model Law, information-gathering process and powers in cross-border insolvencies Fast fashion, measured justice—High Court adopts cautious approach in Farfetch insolvency (Re Farfetch Ltd (in liquidation)) Seculink Ltd v Forbes [2024] EWHC 3339 (Ch) 20 December 2024 Debt respite scheme and jurisdiction Debt respite scheme—jurisdiction (Seculink Ltd v Forbes) Paramount Licensing Inc v Batty [2024] EWHC 3287 (Ch) 19 December 2024 Contractual nature of a CVA and irremediable breach Insolvency—irremediable breach of CVA, stays pending challenge, and supervisor’s duties (Paramount Licensing Inc v Batty & Another) Mittal v Berthier [2024] EWHC 3122 (Ch) 4 December 2024 Administration exit routes and liquidation Administration

ARCHIVED: This Practice Note has been archived and is not maintained. This Practice Note sets out the key dates for restructuring and insolvency professionals in 2024 and includes appeal court hearings, consultation deadlines, events and the coming into force of insolvency-related legislation. January 2024 Date Event 1 January 2024 The Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Act 2023 (Commencement No 1) Regulations 2023, SI 2023/1363 come into force and are the first commencement regulations made under the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Act 2023 (REUL(RR)A 2023).The following provisions of REUL(RR)A 2023 come into force on 1 January 2024:(a) section 3 (abolition of supremacy of EU law; insofar as it continued to apply in relation to pre-end of implementation period legislation in accordance with section 5 of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018)(b) section 4 (abolition of general principles of EU law)(c) section 5(3) (assimilated law)(d) section 8 (incompatibility orders; where the abolition of supremacy leaves a conflict between retained direct EU legislation and other domestic law)(e) Schedule 2 (assimilated

ARCHIVED: This Practice Note has been archived and is not maintained. This Practice Note draws together content on the fiscal events throughout the tax year 2024–25, including: • Tax Administration and Maintenance Day (TAMD), which took place on 18 April 2024 • Tax legislation day (L Day), which took place on 29 July 2024 • Autumn Budget, which took place on 30 October 2024, and • the publication of the Finance Bill 2025 (FB 2025), also known as Autumn Finance Bill 2024 and Finance Bill 2024–25, which was published on 7 November 2024 and which received Royal Assent on 20 March 2025 and was enacted as Finance Act 2025 (FA 2025) For more information on the annual Budget and Finance Bill process, including how a general election affects the usual timetable, see Practice Note: The Budget and Finance Bill process. Tax Administration and Maintenance Day (TAMD) TAMD took place on 18 April 2024. None of the TAMD announcements required legislation in Finance (No 2) Act 2024. For more information on the announcements and publications

ARCHIVED: This archived Practice Note draws together content on the fiscal events throughout the tax year 2024–25, starting with the Spring Budget on 6 March 2024 to the expected passage through Parliament of Finance Bill 2024–25. For more information on the annual Budget and Finance Bill process, see Practice Note: The Budget and Finance Bill process. Spring Budget 2024 The Spring Budget 2024 was delivered by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt, on Wednesday 6 March 2024. Our analysis includes: • Spring Budget 2024—Private Client analysis—a summary of the key private client announcements in the Spring Budget and initial reactions from experts in the market, • Video analysis—Spring Budget 2024: Key Private Client announcements—Neil Lancaster, Private Client partner and John Bull, Head of US UK Private Client at Blick Rothenberg LLP discuss the key Private Client measures announced in the Spring Budget 2024, • Spring Budget 2024—Tax analysis—a summary of the key business tax announcements in the Spring Budget and views

The 2025 UN Conference to Support the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG 14): Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development (UNOC3) was co-hosted by France and Costa Rica and held in Nice, France, from 9 to 13 June 2025. UNOC3 aimed to accelerate progress towards SDG 14 and explore additional strategies to support its implementation. It brought together a wide range of stakeholders to assess the challenges, opportunities, and progress made in achieving SDG 14. UNOC3 builds on previous UN Ocean Conferences, most recently co-hosted by Portugal and Kenya in Lisbon in 2022. In addition to our round-up of the conference, Helen Mitcheson, Director at CET law, and Kirsty Schneeberger, CEO of Athena Blue, discuss key events from UNOC3.

ARCHIVED: This Practice Note has been archived and is no longer maintained. Name of parties and citation(s) Judgment date Subject Further reading Re Argo Blockchain PLC [2025] EWHC 3395 (Ch) 23 December 2025 Part 26A restructuring plans: Sanction—meeting, definition, retail advocate A meeting of one? Class meetings and restructuring plans (Argo Blockchain Plc, Re) Nexedge Markets Ltd v Trex Global Ltd [2025] EWHC 3425 (Comm) 19 December 2025 International R&I: Gibbs rule—no submission to the jurisdiction Taqa Bratani Ltd v Fujairah Oil and Gas UK Llc (formerly known as Rockrose UKCS8 LLC) [2025] EWCA Civ 1669 19 December 2025 The appeal was allowed as the defence in section 238(5) of the Insolvency Act 1986 (IA 1986) was not available. Directors beware—payment of dividend can contravene section 238 of the Insolvency Act 1986 (Taqa Bratani Ltd v Fujairah Oil and Gas UK LLC (formerly known as Rockrose UKCS8 LLC) Segulah Medical Acceleration AB and others v Signifier Medical Technologies Ltd [2026] EWHC 313 (Ch) 18 December 2025 Administration

ARCHIVED: This Practice Note is archived and no longer maintained. It sets out the key dates for restructuring and insolvency professionals in 2025 and includes appeal court hearings, consultation deadlines, events and the coming into force of insolvency-related legislation. January 2025 Date Event 1 January 2025 The Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 (Commencement No 4 and Transitional and Saving Provisions) (Amendment) Regulations 2023, SI 2023/1382 are made in exercise of legislative powers under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 (FSMA 2023) in connection with Brexit. They bring into force on 1 January 2025 provisions of FSMA 2023 which require the Bank, Financial Conduct Authority, Prudential Regulation Authority and Payment Systems Regulator to have regard in exercising their functions to the need to contribute towards achieving compliance by the Secretary of State with section 5 of the Environment Act 2021.See: LNB News 15/12/2023 53. 6 January 2025 Chief ICC Judge Briggs has issued a practice note which comes into force outlining the court's updated criteria for the allocation and transfer

This Practice Note draws together content on the following fiscal events: • Spring Statement 2025, which took place on 26 March 2025 • Tax update spring 2025, which took place on 28 April 2025 • Spending Review 2025, which took place on 11 June 2025 • Legislation Day 2025, which took place on 21 July 2025 • Budget 2025, which took place on 26 November 2025 • the introduction of Finance Bill 2026, also known as Finance Bill 2025–26 and Finance (No 2) Bill 2024–26 (FB 2026), to Parliament on 2 December 2025 and its enactment as Finance Act 2026 (FA 2026) on 18 March 2026, and • the introduction of the National Insurance Contributions (Employer Pensions Contributions) Bill to Parliament on 4 December 2025 For more information on the Budget and Finance Bill processes, as well as the fiscal timetable more generally, see Practice Note: The Budget and Finance Bill process. Spring Statement 2025 On 26 March 2025, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves MP, presented the Spring Statement 2025 to Parliament. The government