Ashurst Legal Outlook Podcast

The Employment Rights Act 2025 is the most transformative shift in UK employment law in a generation. For boards of organisations with UK employees, there’s a lot to get to grips with. In this episode, host Will Chalk is joined by Ashurst colleagues Crowley Woodford and Ruth Buchanan to unpack what the Employment Rights Act means in practice. Crowley certainly doesn’t sugarcoat the sca...

In this episode,  Tony Damian  and  Amelia Morgan  are joined by special guest Emma Rapaport, Co-Editor of the Australian Financial Review's famed (and feared) Street Talk column. Emma reflects on Street Talk's reputation and influence in the Australian market, the unique role it plays, and the responsibility that comes with it. She unpacks a day in the life of a Street Talk jo...

Setting (and delivering) a climate transition plan is about more than regulatory box-ticking or PR spin. Credible plans are fast becoming a key facilitator for any company seeking to raise capital. In this episode, we discuss what investors want and where companies could be falling short. In this episode, host Will Chalk is joined by Ashurst colleague and climate transition expert Becky Clissmann...

Businesses around the globe are facing heightened risk exposure and cost pressures as geopolitical disruption and price volatility continues to rise. In this episode, we pinpoint what to watch out for and we suggest ways to minimise exposure and mitigate the impact of potential disputes. The current geopolitical instability is creating a multitude of legal and compliance risks for businesses globa...

Supply chain risk is nothing new for boards. What’s changed is the sheer speed and scale of this risk – and the board’s elevated accountability for it. In this episode, we look at why geopolitical scenario modelling is now core business planning. Host Will Chalk is joined by Ashurst colleagues Nisha Sanghani , former FTSE 350 board member and Head of Ashurst Risk Advisory Middle...

Ashurst’s Employment partner Jennie Mansfield (Australia) is joined by Employment partner colleagues Clarence Ding (Singapore), Muriel Pariente (France), and Dan Ornstein (United Kingdom) to examine the implications for boards when allegations of misconduct are made against C-suite leaders. As well as sharing an overview of the regulatory environments in their respective jurisdictions, our e...

In this episode, Tony Damian  and  Amelia Morgan talk with John O'Sullivan (affectionately known in the market as "JO’S"), a well-known M&A practitioner, chairman and company director with decades of deal experience. JO'S shares his insights on takeover approaches: how to navigate those critical first steps and the importance of good preparation. He also reflects on the influen...

Six targets initiated either a private sale process, formal sale process or strategic review in the first quarter. We also saw shareholders pushing back on recommended deals. In the latest podcast, Harry, Maria and Jade unpick the reasons behind the uptick in target-led sale processes and the increase in defensive mandates. The episode is intended to sit alongside, and complement, our quarterly pu...

In this episode, Australian M&A partners  Tony Damian  and  Amelia Morgan  discuss pre-bid exclusivity and what target boards should be thinking about when granting exclusivity to a prospective bidder at the pre-bid stage. They discuss the differences between 'hard' and 'soft' exclusivity, look at the current Takeovers Panel guidance and its background, and cover some recen...

In this episode,  Tony Damian  and  Amelia Morgan  meet with  Alyssa Philips , Partner in the Ashurst Competition Team, to discuss how the new Australian merger clearance regime is functioning in practice. What's been catching people out, how is the ACCC managing the volume of applications, and what changes might we expect to see in the future? Watch all of our episodes in...

Our continuing series takes an unflinching look at a vexed issue: how much water is required to keep the world’s data centres running. To illustrate this, we put the UK in the spotlight to consider the nation’s rules, regulations, and innovations designed to minimise water consumption in future. In this episode, finance partner Ruth Harris tackles data centres’ water usage with r...

Europe’s back leverage market has swelled recently. In this episode we consider the limitations of the label “back leverage”, explain what it covers, why it matters, and where it’s headed. We also offer several practical pointers for structuring transactions effectively. Back leverage in European real estate finance has grown rapidly. It attracts serious capital – but...

In this episode of Taxed Out, Tax Controversy Partners Vanja Podinic and Colin Little examine YTL and Newmont, the first major Federal Court tests of Division 855 and the principal asset test. Both cases reject the Commissioner’s push for an expansive, physical reading of “real property”, confirming instead that the definition turns on technical legal estates, statutory severance...

Welcome to Ahead of the Deal . Each month, we explore the latest news and developments in M&A to help you stay Ahead of the Deal. We cover trends in M&A activity, topical deal issues and changes in the regulatory landscape. In the first episode of our new series,  Tony Damian  and  Amelia Morgan  unpack the key findings from Ashurst's recently released  M&A Dea...

AI is nothing new but everything changed when ChatGPT landed. Now that agentic AI is moving at speed through every economy, it’s incumbent on boards to ensure their organisations can, if not outpace change, then at least try to keep up with it. In this episode, we trace AI’s trajectory – from leaps in technology to regulatory dilemmas – and we flag up issues and actions for...

For many boards, the era of the passive shareholder register is over. So what should boards do when activists come knocking? Our latest episode suggests some answers. In this episode of our UK Governance & Compliance, Board Priorities mini-series, we get a view of shareholder activism from two hemispheres. Host Will Chalk is joined by Ashurst colleagues Miriam Kleiner from Sydney and Harry Thi...

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is better equipped and more determined than ever to address tax avoidance and evasion. In this episode, we explore what companies need to know when an enquiry notice arrives and how to respond transparently and promptly, without letting things spiral out of control. Ashurst’s Neil Donovan and Sophie Suri are back for the first Corporate Crime & Investigati...

In this episode of Taxed Out, Vanja Podinic and Colin Little explore why data centre arrangements are attracting intensive and coordinated scrutiny across jurisdictions. They discuss the rise of whole-of-code reviews blending permenant establishment (PE), transfer pricing, intangible licensing and anti-avoidance, and how digitalised business models challenge traditional concepts like “fixed...

The construction phase of wind projects can be fraught with time, cost and quality issues. In this episode, we speak with two industry insiders about some of the common pinch points in the construction of a wind project and explore steps that help minimise the likelihood of contractor/developer disputes occurring. Ashurst Perkins Coie's Michael Weatherley is joined by two special guests to discuss...

Cyber readiness is rocketing up the agenda for boards in 2026. We explore cyber readiness including new regulatory developments, trends in cyber threats, and practical defences against attacks. In this episode of our UK Governance & Compliance mini-series, we explore cyber readiness as one of the top risk-related priorities for boards in 2026. We look at the sobering costs of large disruptions...

In this opening episode of Ashurst’s Taxed Out series, partners Vanja Podinic and Colin Little unpack the dominant Australian tax controversy themes from 2025 and what they signal for the year ahead. They explore the ATO’s whole-of-code approach, the escalation of scrutiny on financing and marketing hubs, related-party arrangements and private capital, and the continued interplay betwe...

2025 followed a year of unprecedented geo-political change. While the markets demonstrated resilience, global tensions, and ongoing conflicts in Europe and in the Middle East continued to have an impact. In the latest podcast the trio describes the trends they are seeing in the market and what to expect in 2026. The episode is intended to sit alongside, and complement, our annual publication which...

Following the Government's recent call for the CMA to help drive economic growth, what developments can we expect to see in UK merger control? In this episode, hosted by Fiona Garside , Nigel Parr , Chris Eberhardt and Tom Punton reflect on the political context driving changes to the Competition and Markets Authority’s ( CMA ) approach to merger control. The discussion then looks at what th...

Having dissected the latest round of company AGMs at the Ashurst Governance & Compliance (AGC) Conference, our experts regroup to pinpoint the trends that boards and execs should watch out for in 2026. In the first 2026 episode of our UK Governance & Compliance mini-series, we reflect on the hot topics and key takeaways from company AGMs held across the UK in 2025. We cover a lot of ground...

With more than 500 operational data centres, Germany could be described as the European capital of data centres. But it’s the fit-out and flexibility that will make or break Germany’s data centres aspirations. In this episode, we explore the market in detail and highlight the issues that investors need to know. Ashurst’s Ruth Harris and Rebecca Clarke are joined by expert colleag...