Electronic signatures are ‘permissible and can be used in confidence in commercial and consumer documents’ during the coronavirus pandemic, the Lord Chancellor has confirmed, but there are times when a witness is legally required. Sophie Brookes, partner at Gateley, examines how to deal with virtual witnessing

Grant Thornton is the first major accounting firm to be hit by the coronavirus crisis and is asking staff to reduce their hours or consider taking a sabbatical in a bid to shore up business and continue to support client base, reports Sara White

Workers who have not taken all of their statutory annual leave entitlement due to Covid-19 will now be able to carry it over into the next two leave years, the government has announced

As the details of Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s ‘unprecedented’ package of support for individuals and businesses affected by the coronavirus pandemic emerge, directors of limited companies have found they risk falling between the two key schemes, reports Pat Sweet

Students in the accountancy sector may have longer to revise as exams are pushed back due to the covid-19 crisis, although some exams may go online, reports Zak Jakubowski

FTSE 250 betting and gaming group William Hill is hunting for a new finance chief after Adrian Marsh, group finance director of packaging group DS Smith, said he would now be staying at DS Smith’s rather than join William Hill due to covid-19 crisis

The length of time an audit partner can remain in position without rotating off the client company can be extended on a temporary basis due to the ongoing covid-19 crisis, the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has confirmed, while it is calling for a halt on company audit tender processes, reports Philip Smith 

Companies will not be required to report on their gender pay gap data this year, as is mandatory for those with over 250 employees, because of the coronavirus pandemic, reports Pat Sweet

Now that the UK is in a complete nationwide lockdown, enforceable by law, Paul Holcroft, associate director at HR and employment law consultancy Croner, examines five key questions for employers to consider when employees are forced to home work

Parents whose work is critical to the covid-19 response, such as workers in the financial market infrastructure, can qualify to have their children in school as part of government measures to support the economy during the covid-19 crisis

In the face of the covid-19 crisis, accountancy firms have been forced to overhaul their entire working practices, adopt firm-wide home working, cancel face-to-face client meetings and work 24/7 to support their clients. Philip Smith reports on how they are coping

HMRC has scored a victory over Middlesbrough Football Club, currently 19th in the now suspended Championship, at an employment tribunal appeal over underpayments of the national minimum wage (NMW) relating to employee deductions for season tickets

Schools across the UK will be closed from end of play on Friday 20 March due to coronavirus, but children of vital workforce will resume school time

Statutory sick pay (SSP) is now payable from day one of a sickness absence for qualifying staff due to the coronavirus crisis. Croner Taxwise employment experts explain