A&O Shearman Europe insights

The European Commission is proposing to fundamentally reshape the regulatory framework on sustainability, and the implications reach from large multinationals down to smaller companies across their value chains.   Which elements of the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) and the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) are being modified? What does simplification ac...

Italy's mediation landscape has changed. What has the Correttivo Cartabia actually amended, and how accessible, flexible, and effective does mediation look in practice?   What are the real implications for businesses facing commercial disputes? And how can organizations use the new framework to preserve relationships rather than escalate conflict?  Martina Rossi and  Piermaurizio Tafuni , senior a...

Episode 1: When a lender takes control of a borrower in a restructuring, competition law is rarely the first issue on the agenda. But should it be?   At what point does exercising control in a restructuring scenario create legal exposure under competition rules? And what do legal advisers and in-house counsel need to understand before any restructuring crosses the threshold?  Agnieszka Kolasińska-...

Cyber threats in private equity are no longer just a technology problem, they are a strategic, operational, and regulatory one.   How are leading private equity firms approaching cyber risk governance? What does an increasingly complex regulatory environment mean for how firms manage their portfolio? And what should organizations be doing right now to prepare for the threats coming in the next few...

Episode 4: Directors and officers face growing personal exposure from the decisions they make in their corporate roles.   What does D&O insurance actually cover? What should boards and their advisers be weighing when purchasing or reviewing coverage? And how do defense costs and compensation payments work in practice when a claim is made?  Charlie Weston-Simons , insurance litigation and cyber...

This podcast is the second episode dedicated to the "EU Listing Act". Alessandra Pala , counsel of the Global Financial Markets group, discusses the most significant changes made by the Listing Act to the Market Abuse Regulation.  This podcast is recorded in Italian.

In a market where top talent is in constant motion, a poorly drafted restrictive covenant is not just a legal risk. It is a commercial liability. As workforce mobility intensifies and employers face the prospect of departing employees taking clients, confidential data, and competitive intelligence to rivals, the case for robust business protection has never been stronger.  Kate Pumfrey , partner i...

Climate litigation is no longer a peripheral legal risk. Courts around the world are issuing rulings that set precedents with direct consequences for governments, corporations, and their advisers. The recent decision by the Hague Court of Appeal is one of the most consequential yet, and understanding its implications is essential for anyone operating at the intersection of law, business, and clima...

Does legal professional privilege protect tax advice in the EU? The answer, until recently, depended entirely on where you practiced. A landmark ruling from the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) has changed that calculation for Luxembourg and, potentially, beyond.  A&O Shearman specialists who acted in the case examine the ruling in detail. The case arose from an order requiring a Luxembourg l...

Autumn 2024 delivered one of the busiest legislative periods for UK employment law in years. A new obligation requiring employers to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment came into force. At the same time, the Employment Rights Bill introduced sweeping changes to fire and rehire practices, third-party harassment obligations, and trade union law. For HR professionals and employment law...

Transition finance is one of the hottest topics in the climate arena, and the role that insurers have to play is multi-layered. In our latest podcast, Kate McInerney (a partner in our insurance group) and Ying-Peng Chin (a senior knowledge lawyer in our environmental and climate law group) discuss transition finance, the U.K. Transition Finance Market Review (TFMR) and what it means for the insura...

The EU Listing Act, adopted on October 8, 2024, is the most significant overhaul of EU capital markets regulation in years. Its ambition is clear: make European markets more attractive for businesses, reduce friction for issuers, and improve access to capital for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). But what does it actually change for debt capital markets practitioners?  Cristiano Tommasi ,...

From November 12, 2024, any individual registered, or required to be registered, in the records of a Luxembourg Trade and Companies Register (RCS) entity must obtain or request a Luxembourg National Identification Number (LNIN). For the thousands of entities registered in Luxembourg, this is a significant operational change with a tight compliance window.  Laurent Goyer , counsel at A&O Shearm...

The asset management industry is consolidating at pace. Rising costs, regulatory pressure, and investor demands are pushing firms toward scale. But while the strategic logic of mergers in this sector is often compelling, the legal, operational, and investor-relations challenges that follow a deal can make or break the outcome. What does it take to execute a successful asset management merger?  Mia...

With investor expectations shifting, regulatory requirements evolving, and sustainability reporting gaining formal legal weight, preparing an annual report and AGM has become a more complex undertaking than ever. For company secretaries and governance professionals heading into 2025, this episode is essential preparation.  In this podcast, a panel of A&O Shearman specialists provide a comprehe...

Remote work is a permanent feature of the modern workplace. But the tax implications of employees working across borders remain poorly understood, inconsistently applied, and frequently underestimated by businesses. The risks, including permanent establishment exposure, double taxation, and social security complications, are both real and growing.  Brin Rajathurai , knowledge counsel for Europe le...

Episode 4: When a group of companies faces insolvency, legal complexity multiplies. Italian law has historically struggled to address group insolvencies in a coherent and coordinated way. The third amendment to the Italian Business Crisis and Insolvency Code changes that, and understanding the new framework is essential for anyone advising companies with group structures operating in Italy.  Here,...

Episode 3: Concordato preventivo is one of Italy's most widely used restructuring tools. Its ability to allow a company to propose a reorganization plan while protected from creditor action has made it a cornerstone of Italian insolvency practice.   The third amendment to the Italian Business Crisis and Insolvency Code introduces significant changes to how concordato preventivo operates, with impl...

Episode 2: Italy's restructuring landscape has been redesigned. The third amendment to the Italian Business Crisis and Insolvency Code has modified, expanded, and in some cases fundamentally altered the toolkit available to companies facing financial difficulty. For legal advisers and corporate directors navigating this environment, clarity on which tools remain available, which have changed, and...

Episode 1: The third amendment to the Italian Business Crisis and Insolvency Code is now in force. Its reach extends across the full range of restructuring procedures, altering the conditions, requirements, and strategic value of each one. For companies in financial difficulty and the advisers guiding them, understanding what has changed, and what it means in practice, is now urgent.  A&O Shea...

Episode 1: Workplace investigations have never been more legally complex. Employees today are acutely aware of their procedural rights and more likely to challenge the integrity and fairness of the process, especially when the outcome does not go in their favor. Every phase of an investigation is now potentially subject to legal scrutiny, and a misstep at any point can unravel an otherwise well-fo...

Episode 2: The matching adjustment attestation regime is new. The legal and practical questions it raises for UK insurers are not. How firms prepare for and manage attestation obligations has significant consequences for governance, capital planning, and regulatory relationships. Drawing on the experience of comparable regimes elsewhere in financial services offers a head start.  What are the prac...

Fifteen years ago, Luxembourg was a notable but secondary player in international mergers and acquisitions. Today it is a strategic jurisdiction for complex, multi-party transactions across Europe and beyond. What drove that transformation, and what does the next chapter look like?  M&A partners  Fabien Beullekens  and Jacques Graas trace the evolution of Luxembourg as a key M&A jurisdicti...

Episode 1: The matching adjustment reforms that came into effect on June 30, 2024 represent one of the most significant changes to the regulatory landscape for UK insurers since the original implementation of Solvency II.   For firms seeking investment from insurers, and for insurers themselves managing expanded asset eligibility and new governance requirements, the implications span capital strat...

Italy's Data Protection Authority (Garante) has now published its ruling on the timing and limits of processing metadata contained in employees' work emails. For employers managing email systems in Italy, the ruling closes a period of uncertainty but opens a new set of compliance questions.  Livio Bossotto , partner and head of A&O Shearman's Employment practice in Italy, and counsel  Giorgia...