July 2018 Newsletter - News and ideas for clever business people

Welcome Fiona McLay and Pablo Wundheiler, Special Counsel

Fiona McLay helps people resolve disputes in their business affairs, often working closely with their accountants or other advisers, to minimise the disruption and expense those disputes can cause.

For example, you may be in a business relationship that is racked with conflict; or stuck in silent toxic disagreement over key issues; or a shareholder in a private company but unable to extract your fair share of the value of the company. Fiona has helped numerous businesses facing these problems to find a resolution. Her goal is to give smart practical advice, in a straightforward and direct way.

Pablo Wundheiler joins us as a Special Counsel in the Corporate/Commercial practice area.

Pablo is a highly experienced Corporate lawyer. His 12 years as General Counsel and later Company Secretary for Mercedes-Benz Australia / Pacific Pty Ltd. translates into a hands-on understanding of, and experience in, navigating the complex regulatory environment impacting on our corporate clients. It also means that Pablo has an unparalleled exposure to franchising, licensing and competition law.

His strengths include providing strategic legal direction, risk analysis and compliance for manufacturing and distribution operations. Pablo has key insights into the evolution of the industry and the changing environment in which the manufacturer and motor dealer networks operate.

Prior to joining Mercedes Benz Pablo was an Associate with Baker McKenzie.

Rankin Law Update: Domain Corp Scammers Busted!

A common scam facing Australians is the ‘domain scam’. In this scam, owners of Australian websites are sent a message from a company containing a fake ‘renewal notice’. This renewal notice appeared to extend domain registration, but actually set up new domains for the business instead!

The Federal Court has fired a shot across the bow of such business practices, dealing a $1.95 million dollar penalty to two companies found to have been scamming Australian consumers in this way. ‘Domain Corp Pty Ltd’ and ‘Domain Name Agency Pty Ltd’ had sent over 300,000 of these notices.

The finding that this practice was ‘misleading and deceptive’ may have implications for you if you have paid such a notice by one of these companies between November 2015 and April 2017. These scams are not cheap, costing businesses hundreds of dollars each. Our team can help you navigate the legal problems that you may face in dealing with such scams.

Rankin Law Update: Trading Goods from Overseas?

Recent years have been good for eCommerce operators. Spending is up, with $23.4 billion dollars spent online in 2017. The rapid growth in Australian online spending is set to continue.

However, operators should be aware that the Australian government is changing the law in response to this digital disruption. From July 1st, ALL overseas businesses that meet the GST registration threshold of $75,000 are on the hook for GST on goods worth less than $1000!

What does this mean for you as a participant in eCommerce?

If you are a business owner making a purchase, you may need to contact your supplier for a GST refund on some of your goods. With many purchases at less than $1000, this can add up fast.

For suppliers, getting ready for the changes in the new GST system is now more important than ever. Your clients may start requesting GST refunds, and compliance with the Australian Tax Office may become an issue for you.

Rankin Event: Preventing Discrimination in Recruitment

Details:
Thursday 26th July, 7.30-9.30am
Foy's Arcade, Level 6, 246 Bourke Street Mall, Melbourne VIC 3004

We are determined to make the law accessible to business. We are reaching out to HR practitioners in business to come along to our Employment Law “Debunking” Group. Why you? Our understanding is that your business, like our own, is invested in transforming to deliver an amazing employee experience.

Attendance is be limited to 20 experienced practitioners and the format designed to inform, explore and deconstruct the complexities of Employment Law. Our very own employment lawyer, Rachel Derrico, plus a very special guest speaker will lead the group bi-monthly through contemporary HR practices and their legal impact, recent legislation and cases and real-life problem situations (names of the innocent removed). There will also be an opportunity for group members to raise an issue “a friend of theirs is having” for the group to explore.

The key topic for our July session will be "Preventing Discrimination in Recruitment" and will cover:

An overview of discrimination laws and how this applies in the recruitment process;
What things you can and cannot ask candidates in a job interview;
Tips and tools for businesses to assist in creating job descriptions, advertising roles, interviewing candidates, selecting candidates and offering positions; and
An overview of recent cases.

We are thrilled to announce that our guest speakers for July will be Andrew Blosfelds and Rachael Davidson from Value Edge Consulting (Management Psychologists). Value Edge are a team of occupational psychologists who provide businesses and managers support selecting and developing their people to realise their full potential.

Find out more or RSVP here

Rankin Business Lawyers: B Corporation Best for the World 2018 Honoree

Honored as Best for Workers - Creating the Most Positive Impact for Employees

We are proud to announce that Rankin Business Lawyers have been selected as part of the 2018 Best For The World Honorees List of nearly 1,000 top performing B Corps released late last month. We made up part of the 69 Australian and New Zealand B Corps that have been recognised.

The Best For Workers list includes businesses that earned a Workers score in the top 10 percent of more than 2,400 Certified B Corporations on the B Impact Assessment. The assessment measures a company's impact on its workers, community, customers and the environment. To certify as B Corporations, companies like us must complete the full assessment and have their answers verified by B Lab.

The Workers section of the B Impact Assessment assesses the company’s relationship with its workforce. It measures how the company treats its workers through compensation, benefits, training and ownership opportunities provided to workers. The category also focuses on the overall work environment within the company by assessing management/worker communication, job flexibility, corporate culture, and worker health and safety practices. Honorees scoring in the top 10 percent set a gold standard for the high impact that business as a force for good can make on employees around the world.

We know treating our employees well is every bit as important as profits, and that’s how we run our business.

Thanks again for reading. If you have any queries or would like to discuss any legal issues please don’t hesitate to contact me on 0422 736 206 or rob@rankinandco.com.