Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Podcasts

This is the first in our series exploring the findings in ACICA’s Australia Arbitration Survey. The survey unearthed some really promising data regarding the scale of arbitration activity occurring in Australia – most notably, it found evidence of 223 unique arbitrations active over a 3 year period with a combined value in dispute estimated at around $35 billion.  However, the survey also revealed...

This episode will explore issues around the possible patent waiver of IP rights related to COVID-19 vaccines by the WTO including what is actually being proposed and the complexities in providing equitable access to the vaccines.

Workplace Mental Wellness: Thoughts and experiences on how to lead and motivate in times of such uncertainty. To mark Mental Health Awareness Week #MHAW21, Tim Leaver is joined by Sam Brown, a partner in our Pensions team and UK Regional Head of Employment, Pensions & Incentives for a discussion on workplace mental health and wellness, how the pandemic has impacted our wellbeing and awareness...

In the latest episode in our public M&A podcast series, we discuss when an approach to a target about a possible takeover offer has to be announced.  This is a topic that has been discussed in the press recently, amid complaints from shareholders, who only discovered once a firm offer was announced that the target had received a number of approaches prior to the firm offer announcement, and re...

The Covid-19 pandemic has had an inevitable impact on operational challenges for businesses, including commonly covered issues such as technical limitations and maintaining business continuity. But there has also been a significant spike in compliance issues which have arisen due to the shift to remote or agile working globally, which could have equally serious ramifications for businesses if not...

In our next episode, the team looks at non-competes; the current status of the law in this area and the proposed changes the Government is considering; what are the practical implications of these changes? Speakers: Tim Leaver, Partner, Employment, Christine Young, Partner, Employment and Nick Wright, Senior Associate, Employment.

In this podcast, Caroline Escott, Trustee of the Standard Life Master Trust, shares her views on diversity in the pensions and financial services sectors with Professional Support Consultant, Tim Smith. During the conversation, Caroline discusses:- her career journey to date- her views on how the pensions and financial services industries are performing when it comes to diversity and inclusion- ob...

There are a number of key issues that businesses need to be mindful of when considering strategic realignment of their supply chain. In this video we explore these issues, together with predictions in light of Covid-19. Speakers: Chad Catterwell, Partner, Melbourne and Kathryn Sanger, Partner, Hong Kong

In our monthly update podcast, we look at key recent judgments likely to be of interest to financial institutions. This episode is hosted by John Corrie , a partner in our banking litigation team, who is joined by Ceri Morgan and special guest Mannat Sabhikhi . You can find links to our blog posts on the cases covered in this podcast below: High Court determines that reliance issues in context of...

The latest edition of our Regulation in Focus podcast series features Clive Cunningham and Andrew Procter, both partners in our FSR practice, in conversation about the milestone publication of the UK regulators’ final policies on operational resilience . The discussion ranges from the challenges for senior managers to the nuances of setting impact tolerances in dual regulated firms to the wider gl...

Huge swathes of column inches have been dedicated to the UK government’s business interruption loan support schemes, but little has been said to date about the implications of these schemes unwinding. Jenny Stainsby is joined by James Palmer and John Chetwood to discuss the dual challenges of recapitalisation and managing financial distress.

Huge swathes of column inches have been dedicated to the UK government’s business interruption loan support schemes, but little has been said to date about the implications of these schemes unwinding. Jenny Stainsby is joined by James Palmer and John Chetwood to discuss the dual challenges of recapitalisation and managing financial distress.

Natalie Gaspar, Partner, Melbourne and Fatim Jumabhoy, Partner, Singapore 2021 and beyond will likely see a rise in workplace complaints from employees. We discuss how to prepare, and how the union movement might respond more generally to ESG issues.

Join Herbert Smith Freehills’ Employment team for a coffee catch up as they discuss current hot topics impacting the employment sphere. In this, first episode, the team looks at returning to work in the UK following the Covid-19 pandemic. They tackle issues including the roadmap for returning to work; the implications of a no jab no job policy and whether employers should be focussing on getting n...

In this episode, Alan Mitchell and Aoife Xuereb discuss the recent introduction of group costs orders in class actions commenced in Victoria and issues that arise in security for costs applications in class action proceedings.

In the latest episode in our public M&A podcast series, we discuss the changes to the Takeover Code that will come into force on 5 July 2021. The changes will: update the rules on regulatory clearances, including removing the historical, special status for EU merger clearance and UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) clearance; simplify the timetable for contractual offers; and introduce...

This podcast is a deep dive into an issue that impacts you, and all FCA regulated firms – treating vulnerable customers fairly.  It features Karen Anderson, Cat Dankos and Ben Goodman from our contentious financial services regulatory practice in London, discussing the FCA’s aim of ensuring that vulnerable consumers experience outcomes as good as other consumers and receive consistently fair treat...

What do the Government's audit and corporate governance reform proposals mean for companies? In this podcast, we discuss the UK Government's long awaited consultation paper on audit and governance reform with the Financial Reporting Council's Kate O'Neill, Director of Stakeholder Engagement and Corporate Affairs, and Miranda Craig, Director of Strategy and Change. The consultat...

Businesses who deal with consumers will generally wish to have a good relationship with Government, regulators and other public authorities. However, there are times when a company’s interests are such that they come into conflict. At those times companies may wish to consider how that conflict might be resolved if it were to reach court. Last June, we created a guide to Regulatory Disputes in the...

In the latest episode in our public M&A podcast series, we look at recent situations where we have seen shareholders influence a bid situation, whether by: encouraging M&A affecting M&A or threatening M&A. Speakers: Antonia Kirkby , Professional Support Lawyer and Greg Mulley , Partner

Businesses who deal with consumers will generally wish to have a good relationship with Government, regulators and other public authorities. However, there are times when a company’s interests are such that they come into conflict. At those times companies may wish to consider how that conflict might be resolved if it were to reach court. Last June, we created a guide to Regulatory Disputes in the...

In this seventh episode of our series of commercial litigation update podcasts, we consider: developments relating to disclosure and witness evidence, including an update on reforms in both areas; some recent cases relating to class actions; and the impact of Brexit in the insolvency context. This episode is hosted by Anna Pertoldi , a partner in our litigation team, who is joined by Maura McIntos...

In the second episode in our series on diversity in pensions, Samantha Brown Head of Employment, Pensions and Incentives at Herbert Smith Freehills, is joined by Tracy Blackwell, CEO of Pension Insurance Corporation (PIC) and they discuss: the purpose of finance the importance of businesses having a purpose and how impacts on their culture and on diversity how PIC has defined its own purpose and c...

In 2020, the AHRC Respect@Work report called out sexual harassment as fundamentally a WHS issue, to which safety policy makers and regulators ought to take a greater education and compliance role. Following on from the release of that report, SafeWork Australia has released its 2021 guidance material on Preventing Workplace Sexual Harassment. Partners Aaron Anderson (Brisbane) and Drew Pearson (Sy...

In this latest podcast in our series on Pensions and ESG, Michael Aherne, Of Counsel, discusses what it means to implement a responsible investment strategy in practice with Caroline Escott, Senior Investment Manager at RPMI Railpen.  In particular, Caroline shares: how her interest in responsible investment and stewardship began and her career journey to date how RPMI Railpen is preparing for the...