The Covid diaries: Day 13 - April Fools Day

The Covid diaries: Day 13 - April Fools Day


 A daily fly-on-the-wall blog about running a legal business during the Covid-19 crisis.

By Dónall Breen - 01 April 2020

The joke was on us.

Today started like any other, an 'all hands' call to discuss what was going on in the team. However, my mind was elsewhere.

I was busily mocking up a letter from a private jet company saying that one of our partners was trying to put a down-payment on a prime piece of aeronautical equipment in the company name. It was 'inadvertently' circulated to the team and it wasn't long before Captain Harvey was helplessly defending himself, desperately wondering how 'The Private Jet Company Limited' could have got his details. Letter available upon request.

But what happened next was no laughing matter and caught us all off guard. A major piece of non-Covid-19 employment law news!

The Supreme Court handed down its judgement in the Morrisons' case, finding that the supermarket was not vicariously liable for the actions of a rogue employee who deliberately caused a data breach. It was welcome news for employers. Employment lawyers were also rejoicing at having something substantial to dig their teeth into that wasn't contagious.

The Supreme Court decision taught us two things. First, it has provided some good guidance about employer liability and data protection. But two, it was a needy reminder that the world is still turning out there. When life returns to normal (whatever normal might be), businesses will still be there needing to do what they do. Hiring people, managing workforces and getting on with things.

So if (or when) you get more time on your hands, maybe dust down that Data Protection Policy that has not been seen since GDPRmania hit in 2018. Get it ready for a 2020 summer relaunch, thinking about how working from home ties in with your policy. Or perhaps think about what training sessions you might want to run on the topic.

We are doing the same here, wondering what will be the next big challenge for our clients post-Covid-19. However, that thought will have to wait for another day - I just need to finish off the mortgage application on my new G6 Jet. Thanks GQ ;)


If you would like to read our Covid diaries starting from day 1 please click here.