Fighting talk

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Litigation is increasing as ESG commitments and promises come under increasing scrutiny from activists, consumers and investors. It is a trajectory that will increase upwards, with the introduction of more ESG-related regulation and the proposed extension of the ‘failure to prevent’ remit. In this roundtable, we asked some of the UK’s most prominent in-house lawyers …

The Corporate diplomat: Debating the value of hard power vs soft power as a GC

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Douglas Alexander, Pinsent Masons: I will first contextualise and attempt to define ‘soft power’ because, it is more often discussed than defined, and in that sense, I should probably declare an interest. In addition to many roles I hold, I have been a senior fellow at the Belfer Center in the Kennedy School of Government …

A perfect storm

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The insurance litigation world promises to be a busy one in 2023; an uptick in interest across novel areas – particularly ESG and technology – combined with the squeeze of an economic downturn provides the dramatic backdrop to a period which is likely to see a huge amount of activity.

Catch me if you can

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One of the greatest challenges that in-house legal teams confront from a data protection and cyber security perspective is staying up to date with trends and threats that seem to develop at an almost exponential rate. DLA Piper’s data protection and cyber security specialist Ross McKean explains: ‘Life was relatively simple in the early days …

Reputation management in the digital age

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The struggle to remain up to date with new developments, to identify and stop the spread of harmful information and protect against increasingly sophisticated cyber-attacks can feel daunting and unrelenting. For in-house legal teams, though, a range of tools and strategies are available to help regain and retain control.

Significant matters – Winter 2023

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Firms reappointed to provide core legal services on FSCS’s panel Eight law firms have been reappointed to provide core legal services on the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) second legal panel, following a six-month procurement exercise.

‘Game-changers’– why in-house counsel must take ownership of ESG

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‘You are all climate lawyers now.’ So declared John Kerry, the US special presidential envoy for climate, at the General Assembly of the 2021 American Bar Association hybrid annual meeting in Chicago. Fast forward to 2023, and the veracity of this statement far exceeds even Kerry’s predictions.

‘There are landmines out there for companies’– corporate crime issues to stay on top of in 2023

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2022 may have disappeared into the rear-view mirror but the economic and geopolitical strife and uncertainty that came with it have carried over into 2023. Amid the ongoing war in Ukraine, soaring inflation and energy costs and increasing scrutiny of their processes, businesses continue to face challenges that threaten both their balance sheets and their …

Action stations

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The world has been turned on its axis over the last few years of unprecedented economic, social and geopolitical disruption. Emerging trends and ongoing developments continue to take the real estate market by storm, and preparation will be the key to success for general counsel and senior in-house lawyers to combat these headwinds.