Consultations launched by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), on significant reform proposals to the UK listing regime, and the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), on the development and use of artificial intelligence (AI) foundation models, will be of interest to in-house lawyers. The High Court’s decision to refuse ClientEarth permission for its derivative claim against Shell on its directors’ approach to energy transition and climate risk is noteworthy too.
Practical Law Global Intellectual Property & Technology has published 34 Quick Compare charts, which allow you to review and compare information about IP law and practice across different jurisdictions. The charts provide multi-layered content, allowing you to view “at a glance” summaries, together with more detailed explanations, citations and links to other relevant resources.
Publication of climate change guidance for solicitors and a statement on post COVID-19 AGM practices and shareholder rights are among the key developments this month. In-house lawyers should also be aware of a consultation on the Data Protection and Digital Information (No 2) Bill.
Keeping up with developments in digital technology is essential for an organisation or business to stay relevant. However, a key challenge is the rapidly expanding breadth and depth of regulation and legislation applicable to the use of digital technology. As organisations embrace digital transformation, they may be exposed to unfamiliar regulatory environments.
Practical Law has published a sectors note explaining the concept of digital transformation. The note identifies the principal legal and regulatory issues associated with different aspects of digital transformation in the UK. Among others, the note considers the laws and regulations affecting cloud computing, the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, distributed ledger technology and new supply models.
The Thomson Reuters Institute’s 2023 State of the Corporate Law Department report examines law department leaders’ key priorities for this year. The findings are the result of 1,569 interviews with professionals from corporate law departments of companies with more than $1 billion in global revenue.
Diversity on boards is a key theme this month due to the recent publication of reports by the FTSE Women Leaders Review and the Parker Review Committee. Developments in the electronic execution of documents and UK Immigration Rules are also noteworthy.
In this year’s first Centre for Legal Leadership webinar, hosted in conjunction with Thomson Reuters, the speakers discussed their experiences of working in-house, both in government and in large multinational organisations, and also provided some tips on how to build a successful career as an in-house lawyer.
The Practical Law In-house Consultation Board convened recently and discussed hot topics for 2023. The discussion covered a range of topics, including:
I have reported on the board meeting in more depth in the article Consultation board round table: hot topics 2023.
The Alternative Legal Services Providers 2023 Report, published by the Thomson Reuters Institute, the Center on Ethics and the Legal Profession at Georgetown Law, and the Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford, reveals an evolving market in which the boundaries between alternative legal service providers (ALSPs), law firms, corporate law departments, and even technology and software firms, are rapidly blurring.
The Spring 2023 Budget is on Wednesday 15 March. In-house lawyers should also take note of two developments in the High Court initiated by environmental NGO, ClientEarth, and progress of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill.