The Archive (2020-2023)

In the third podcast of the series, Jonny Cotton, Sir David Green and Holly Ware discuss the criminal investigations and enforcement outlook for 2021. In particular they look at the Serious Fraud Office’s (SFO) recent activity, the possible changes to the corporate criminal liability regime, the impact of Brexit and other likely international developments.

In this podcast we consider the impact on the new requirements on climate related risk governance and reporting requirements in the Pension Schemes Act 2021.  We cover the detailed new requirements for trustees of larger occupational pension schemes, which will come into force in October 2021, and how schemes of all sizes will need to take into account the new requirements.

In the second podcast of the series, Jan Putnis, Ewan Brown and Ella Williams discuss the outlook for financial institutions enforcement in 2021. In particular they focus on the expected areas of increased activity for the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the reported drop in criminal investigations conducted by the FCA, the likelihood of the FCA pursuing civil resolutions and the impact of...

In this podcast, part of our Regulating Digital series, Natalie Donovan interviews Rob Sumroy and Duncan Blaikie about whether our current privacy rules are fit-for-purpose in an increasingly digital age, whether the ICO is doing enough to encourage innovation in the digital space and how, in practice, businesses can innovate in a privacy compliant way.

In this podcast Camilla Sanger, Damian Taylor and Tim Blanchard discuss the UK Supreme Court’s much-anticipated judgment in Merricks v Mastercard and its wider implications. The judgment is one of the most important commercial judgments of 2020 and represents a significant development in the future of the UK’s collective proceedings regime.

In the first podcast of our Investigations and Enforcement Outlook 2021 series, Jonathan Cotton, Richard Jeens and Rebecca Cousin discuss the outlook for data privacy-related enforcement and litigation in 2021. In particular they focus on the increased (and varied) risks of regulatory enforcement and follow on civil litigation arising from breaches of data protection and privacy legislation.

In this podcast Richard Sargeant (both COO of Faculty, a leading applied AI company, and a board member of the UK’s Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation) and Rob Sumroy (Head of Technology Group and co-head of Global Privacy practice at Slaughter and May) discuss the use, ownership and regulation of data in an increasingly digital world, what blockers and value drivers exist for businesses wantin...

In the first podcast of our Regulating Digital series, Ariel Ezrachi (Professor of Competition Law at the University of Oxford) and Jordan Ellison (Competition Partner at Slaughter and May) discuss the relationship between privacy and competition considerations, and debate whether the GDPR is anticompetitive.

In this podcast, Clare Fletcher and Philippa O’Malley discuss the employment implications of COVID testing and vaccination. They reflect on the developments since their podcast on COVID testing back in July, and how workplace testing is likely to evolve as we move into a new stage of the pandemic. They also consider the employment implications of a COVID-19 vaccine and highlight key areas for empl...

Brexit planning should now firmly be on everyone’s agendas as the end of the transition period looms closer. This podcast discusses the implications of Brexit on data privacy and considers the key, practical steps that organisations need to put in place as part of their Brexit preparations. As well as considering the importance of adequacy of transfers of personal data from the EEA to the UK in li...

In the fifth and final episode of our ‘Redundancies in focus’ podcast series, Padraig Cronin and Clare Fletcher discuss the aftermath of redundancies. They consider the recent extension of the furlough scheme and postponement of the Job Retention Bonus, dealing with survivors guilt, and an important recent European decision about consultation on successive redundancies.

In the fourth episode of our ‘Redundancies in focus’ podcast series, Richard Goldstein, Ian Brown and Clare Fletcher discuss the pensions and incentives aspects of redundancy. They consider the potential implications for pension schemes, the approach taken by employers and what this means for their employees.

This podcast explores how business strategy can align with ESG. Azadeh Nassiri and Jeff Twentyman walk us through the key issues in demonstrating authenticity. 

In the third episode of our ‘Redundancies in focus’ podcast series, Philippa O’Malley, Dave Rintoul and Clare Fletcher discuss some key issues for employers and insolvency practitioners when facing the prospect of redundancies. These include timing issues in the run up to insolvency, the potential discrimination risk faced by administrators, and changes introduced by the Corporate Insolvency and G...

In this podcast Roland Turnill, Camilla Sanger and Efstathios Michael discuss the rise of shareholder group litigation and some of the issues listed companies should be thinking about, including how to avoid it in the first place.

In the second episode of our ‘Redundancies in focus’ podcast series, Lizzie Twigger, Katherine Flower and Clare Fletcher discuss the ‘people’ angle, and consider how traditional labels, terminology and mindset on redundancies need to adapt in the current climate.

In August 2020 the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) published proposals for legislation and statutory guidance on governance and reporting of climate change issues in line with the Recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). In this podcast we discuss different aspects of the consultation, including translating the TCFD Recommendations into law and guid...

COVID-19 has forced corporates to re-evaluate their recovery plans and consider alternative measures to protect their long-term futures. One such measure is redundancies. In the first of a new, five-part podcast series addressing business-critical areas for employers to consider in the current climate, Phil Linnard and Clare Fletcher share their insights on how Brexit and COVID-19 is shaping the l...

Last year saw EMEA corporate sale and leaseback transactions hit a record high. With such transactions seen as an effective source of capital raising, and in the midst of the COVID crisis, is this upward curve set to continue? In this podcast, Michael Evans and Nick Compton of JLL, and Jane Edwarde discuss how sale and leaseback transactions have been used this year to raise capital, the sector op...

COVID-19 has forced London workers to abandon their office desks and adjust at home. After nearly six months of doing so, a gradual return to work is on the horizon for many. However, employees may find a different work space from the one they left. How has the pandemic changed employers’ thinking about their working environments? What do occupiers now want from their HQs and from their landlords?...

There is no doubt that retailers have been heavily impacted by COVID-19 – both physically and financially. With retailers having to change their set-up by introducing plexi-glass screens at the tills, social distancing markings on floors, and the enforced wearing of masks – the physical shopping experience and the way consumers behave has dramatically changed.  David Kozack of Ocado, John Nevin an...

In this podcast, Matthew Tobin and Kathrine Meloni discuss key issues for companies contemplating debt financings, refinancings or restructurings in the coming months and some of the themes that are starting to emerge.

Following the European elections in May of 2019, and amidst the uncertainty of the COVID-19, the European Commission laid out its plan for the next five years. These plans will affect businesses across a diverse range of areas; including FDI, data, competition, environment and tax. In this podcast, a number of our experts explain the potential effects and impacts of the plans moving forward.

In his latest podcast Richard Goldstein focuses on Brexit - specifically the actions pension schemes should be taking now in preparation for 1 January 2021, when the transition period comes to an end.

In this podcast, Tim Blanchard, Filippo de Falco, Sir David Green CB QC and Ella Williams assess bribery and corruption risk and successor liability in the context of distressed M&A in COVID-19 times. Our team discuss the potential for enforcement actions relevant to those transactions and how purchasers might spot red flags and manage or mitigate those risks.