Posts by Robert Clay

  • What’s on the agenda for in-house lawyers in August 2024?

    Several Bills contained in the King’s Speech will be of interest to in-house lawyers, including the Audit Reform and Corporate Governance Bill, the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill, and the Employment Rights Bill. Publication of the final UK Listing Rules and the EU AI Act are also noteworthy this month. Read more [subscription required].

  • What’s on the agenda for in-house lawyers in May 2024?

    Sustainability and artificial intelligence are among the key themes for in-house lawyers this month. Noteworthy developments include the European Parliament’s formal adoption at first reading of the final text of the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive and the TUC’s publication of a draft Artificial Intelligence (Employment and Regulation) Bill. Read more [subscription required].

  • What’s on the agenda for in-house lawyers in April 2024?

    The headline development this month is the SRA’s publication of a suite of draft guidance to clarify the role of in-house solicitors. Another high-profile development is the European Parliament’s publication of the Artificial Intelligence Act. Read more [subscription required].

  • What’s on the agenda for in-house lawyers in March 2024?

    The Spring 2024 Budget is on Wednesday 6 March 2024. Publication of guidance on the 2024 UK Corporate Governance Code, the launch of a consultation on digital assets and the government response to its AI White Paper consultation are also noteworthy. Read more [subscription required].

  • What’s on the agenda for in-house lawyers in February 2024?

    Highlights this month include the publication of a new version of the UK Corporate Governance Code and a call for views on a draft Cyber Governance Code of Practice. The government has also published a Critical Imports and Supply Chains Strategy. Read more [subscription required].

  • What’s on the agenda for in-house lawyers in January 2024?

    The Financial Reporting Council is expected to publish a revised UK Corporate Governance Code in January 2024. In-house lawyers are also likely to be interested in the UAE Consensus, the main outcome of COP 28, and recent developments in greenwashing and artificial intelligence. Read more [subscription required].

  • What’s on the agenda for in-house lawyers in November 2023?

    The Chancellor will deliver the 2023 Autumn Statement on 22 November 2023. In-house lawyers should also take note of the withdrawal of the draft Companies (Strategic Report and Directors’ Report) (Amendment) Regulations 2023, publication of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, and consultations on non-financial reporting, regulatory reform, audit reform and atypical working.

  • What’s on the agenda for in-house lawyers in August 2023?

    Publication of the draft Companies (Strategic Report and Directors’ Report) (Amendment) Regulations 2023 and the first two IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards are among the most noteworthy recent developments. The Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Bill has also received Royal Assent and in-house lawyers should be aware of two related consultations on flexible working arrangements.

  • What’s on the agenda for in-house lawyers in July 2023?

    A consultation on the UK Corporate Governance Code is the most high-profile development to keep track of this month. In-house lawyers should also be aware of a call for evidence for the non-financial reporting information review and another on the role that lawyers’ conduct can play in the misuse of non-disclosure agreements.

  • Building and leading an in-house legal team

    The latest Centre for Legal Leadership webinar, hosted in conjunction with Thomson Reuters, focused on how to build and lead an in-house legal team. The discussion touched on a variety of topics, including client focus, collaboration, teamwork, recruitment, career development and hybrid working.

  • What’s on the agenda for in-house lawyers in May 2023?

    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.

  • Themes from the 2023 State of the Corporate Law Department report

    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.

  • What’s on the agenda for in-house lawyers in April 2023?

    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.

  • Building a career as an in-house lawyer

    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.

  • What’s on the agenda for in-house lawyers in March 2023?

    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.

  • What’s on the agenda for in-house lawyers in February 2023?

    The progress of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill, a review into the government’s net zero target, two employment-related consultations and an investigation into greenwashing are among the key developments for in-house lawyers to track this month.

  • What’s on the agenda for in-house lawyers in January 2023?

    HM Treasury’s Edinburgh Reforms, and in particular how the government will make its proposed changes to the existing prospectus and public offers regime, are likely to be of interest to many in-house lawyers. Publication of directives on corporate sustainability reporting and the gender balance of boards of listed companies are noteworthy too.

  • Notes on The Economist’s 19th annual General Counsel Summit

    Thomson Reuters was the lead sponsor of The Economist’s 19th annual General Counsel (GC) Summit, where risk, resilience and leadership were the headline topics for discussion. Here are my thoughts on the themes from across the day.

  • What’s on the agenda for in-house lawyers in November 2022?

    The Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, has confirmed that an Autumn Statement, rather than a “Medium-term Fiscal Plan”, will be delivered in November. This month, in-house lawyers should also keep track of the progress of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill, and climate change and data protection developments.

  • Building a Better Life in the Law: key takeaways

    LawCare held its inaugural conference, Building a Better Life in the Law, at the end of September. Speakers and panellists from across the profession gave their thoughts on how to make the law a happier place to work. Here are my key takeaways.

  • What’s on the agenda for in-house lawyers in October 2022?

    This month, in-house lawyers will be assessing the impact of the announcements made in the government’s “Growth Plan 2022”. They should also take note of the publication of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill, and two reports by the FRC Lab.

  • What’s on the agenda for in-house lawyers in September 2022?

    An emergency budget is likely in September due to the forthcoming change in leadership of the Conservative Party and therefore the country. In-house lawyers should also take note of recent developments in relation to climate change, digital assets and employment law.

  • What’s on the agenda for in-house lawyers in July 2022?

    Publication of the government’s response to the BEIS consultation on restoring trust in audit and corporate governance is likely to be of interest to many businesses. In addition, the FRC has published a consultation on public reporting of audit firms’ firm-level audit quality indicators and updated its guidance on the strategic report.

  • Strategies for progressing your legal career

    The Centre for Legal Leadership’s latest webinar, hosted in conjunction with Thomson Reuters, focused on strategies for progressing your career. This post highlights the key talking points from the session.

  • Notes from The Alternative In-house Technology Summit 2022

    Last month I attended my first Alternative In-house Technology Summit. One of the aims of the event is to help GCs and heads of legal operations build the internal business case for technology investment by gathering success stories from their industry peers. Here are some themes that resonated with me.

  • What’s on the agenda for in-house lawyers in June 2022?

    Several Bills included in the Queen’s Speech are likely to be of significance to in-house lawyers. They may also be interested in a bribery case brought by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) and recent developments in narrative reporting.

  • What’s on the agenda for in-house lawyers in May 2022?

    This month in-house lawyers should keep an eye on developments in corporate reporting, changes to the UK Immigration Rules, guidance on reducing the spread of respiratory infections (including COVID-19) in the workplace, and consultations on improving mental health and wellbeing.

  • What’s on the agenda for in-house lawyers in April 2022?

    The crisis in Ukraine (and the associated developing regime of sanctions against Russia) remains at the top of the agenda for businesses this month. In-house lawyers should also keep track of developments in economic crime, corporate transparency and corporate governance.

  • How to be influential within your organisation

    The Centre for Legal Leadership’s first webinar of 2022, hosted in conjunction with Thomson Reuters, considered how in-house lawyers can be influential within their organisations, why this is so important and why it is sometimes difficult to achieve.

  • What’s on the agenda for in-house lawyers in February 2022?

    Following the government’s removal of its work from home guidance, many businesses are likely to be organising another return to the office push in February. This month, in-house lawyers should also take note of the forthcoming introduction of mandatory climate-related financial disclosures and consultations on corporate taxation and environmental protection.

  • What’s on the agenda for in-house lawyers in January 2022?

    COVID-19 returned to the top of the business agenda this month, with the possibility of further restrictions on commercial activity in January. In-house lawyers should also take note of two significant fines for anti-money laundering failings and a large fine for a data breach.

  • What’s on the agenda for in-house lawyers in December 2021?

    In-house lawyers should be aware of several key climate change announcements made during COP26 and of the publication of the Environment Act 2021. In addition, this month there have been noteworthy developments in diversity and inclusion, and corporate governance.

  • Notes from The Economist 2021 General Counsel Summit

    At the beginning of the month, I attended The Economist’s General Counsel (GC) summit in London, which brought together a cross-section of senior in-house counsel from a range of industry sectors. Here are some of the themes discussed across the day.

  • What’s on the agenda for in-house lawyers in November 2021?

    Key developments for in-house lawyers this month focus on climate change, with the 26th conference of the parties (COP 26) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) being held in Glasgow on 1-12 November 2021. In advance of COP 26, the government has published its long-awaited Net Zero Strategy.

  • Legal Geek 2021

    Last week I attended Legal Geek and, embracing the new hybrid working world, my first day was online and the second was at the venue in Brick Lane, London. Although Legal Geek continues to focus on legal tech, and in particular start-ups, this year there were some interesting sessions that examined the legal industry more … Continue reading Legal Geek 2021

  • What’s on the agenda for in-house lawyers in October 2021?

    The Autumn 2021 Budget will be delivered on 27 October, while changes to the Immigration Rules come into force on 1 October and the extended deadline for gender pay gap reporting ends on 5 October. The government has also published a consultation proposing reforms to the current right for employees to request flexible working.

  • Building your resilience, reputation and personal networks

    Last week The Centre for Legal Leadership hosted the latest in its series of webinars in conjunction with Practical Law on building your resilience, reputation and personal networks. This post discusses the key themes that were covered during the session.

  • What’s on the agenda for in-house lawyers in August 2021?

    This month, in-house lawyers should be aware of consultations on the National Security and Investment Act and the UK prospectus regime. They should also take note of the government’s response to the consultation on workplace sexual harassment.

  • Developing your career in-house

    At the end of June, The Centre for Legal Leadership hosted the third in a series of webinars in conjunction with Practical Law on developing your career in-house. This post explores some of the themes that the panellists discussed during the session and that were raised in questions from an online audience.

  • What’s on the agenda for in-house lawyers in July 2021?

    Businesses will be anticipating England’s expected move from Step 3 to Step 4 of its roadmap out of lockdown on 19 July 2021. In-house lawyers should also take note of the Law Commission’s recently-launched consultation on corporate criminal liability.

  • Structuring and resourcing your legal team

    Last month, The Centre for Legal Leadership hosted the second in a series of webinars in conjunction with Practical Law on structuring and resourcing your legal team. This post highlights some of the themes discussed.

  • What’s on the agenda for in-house lawyers in April 2021?

    Lockdown restrictions are expected to be eased in England from 12 April 2021. Restart Grants will be available in England from 1 April and, from 6 April, the Recovery Loan Scheme will open to all UK businesses and most changes to the Immigration Rules will come into force.

  • Ethics and the in-house lawyer

    At the start of the month, The Centre for Legal Leadership hosted the first of a series of webinars in conjunction with Practical Law on ethics and the in-house lawyer. Here is a summary of the key themes that were discussed at the event. What are legal ethics? In the “standard conception of legal ethics”, … Continue reading Ethics and the in-house lawyer

  • What’s on the agenda for in-house lawyers in February 2021?

    Current COVID-19 lockdown restrictions are likely to continue throughout February and many businesses affected by the restrictions will be interested in the recent Supreme Court decision concerning business interruption insurance. In-house lawyers should also keep their eye on recent developments in corporate governance and climate change.

  • What’s on the agenda for in-house lawyers in December 2020?

    The Brexit transition period will end at 11.00 pm on 31 December 2020. In addition, England’s 28-day lockdown ends on 2 December 2020, and the majority of the upcoming changes to the immigration rules will take effect on 1 December 2020.

  • What’s on the agenda for in-house lawyers in November 2020?

    Further COVID-19 related restrictions were introduced in October and more restrictions on commercial activity during November are possible. The COVID-19 Job Support Scheme opens on 1 November 2020, while Brexit negotiations are also likely to continue throughout the month.

  • What’s on the agenda for in-house lawyers in September 2020?

    Further changes to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme come into effect from 1 September 2020. Organisations will also need to continue to assess the impact of the European Court of Justice’s decision invalidating the EU-US Privacy Shield.

  • What’s on the agenda for in-house lawyers in August 2020?

    Changes to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme come into effect from 1 August 2020, while two Brexit-related consultations close this month too. In-house lawyers will also need to consider the impact of the ECJ decision on the EU-US Privacy Shield.

  • What’s on the agenda for in-house lawyers in April 2020?

    The 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) will dominate the agenda for all businesses in April 2020 and the months ahead. Separately, in-house lawyers should also take note of a raft of employment law changes that take effect this month.

  • CLOC: building resilient teams

    The Corporate Legal Operations Consortium (CLOC) hosted its third annual event in London last week attracting over 400 attendees from more than 25 countries. Although legal operations is not as well established here as it is in the United States, the size and scale of this event highlights its growing significance in the UK legal … Continue reading CLOC: building resilient teams

  • What’s on the agenda for in-house lawyers in February 2020?

    The UK will leave the EU at 11pm (UK time) on 31 January 2020. Brexit planning will remain at the top of the agenda for in-house lawyers in February, and for the remainder of the year, as they prepare for the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020.

  • What’s on the agenda for in-house lawyers in January 2020?

    Following the Conservative Party’s decisive general election victory, the likelihood is that the UK will leave the EU on 31 January 2020 with a withdrawal agreement. This month, in-house lawyers should also keep an eye on developments on the future of audit, climate change and artificial intelligence.

  • What’s on the agenda for in-house lawyers in October 2019?

    With the UK due to leave the EU on 31 October 2019, Brexit planning remains top of the agenda for in-house lawyers this month. Other developments of note concern the supply of statutory audit services and Good Work Plan proposals to help working parents.

  • What’s on the agenda for in-house lawyers in August 2019?

    In addition to “no deal” Brexit planning, key items on the agenda this month include the large fines imposed for breaching the GDPR, some climate change developments, and consultations on the future of audit and gender equality.

  • What’s on the agenda for in-house lawyers in July 2019?

    With the announcement of a new Prime Minister due in July, Brexit remains at the top of the agenda for businesses. This month there are also some corporate governance developments to keep an eye on and Thomson Reuters is hosting its annual GC Leadership Summit.

  • Brexit: April 2019 round-up

    The key Brexit development this month was the agreement reached on 11 April 2019 between the European Council and the UK government to extend the Article 50 period for a second time.

  • Brexit: March 2019 round-up

    On 29 March 2019, the House of Commons voted against a government motion for the approval of the withdrawal agreement (but not the political declaration). This means that the UK is now due to leave the EU on 12 April 2019 without a deal. No-deal Brexit planning guidance continued to be published throughout March.

  • What’s on the agenda for in-house lawyers in April 2019?

    Continued uncertainty surrounding the date of Brexit ensures it remains at the top of the agenda for in-house lawyers this month. Other areas of focus include corporate governance reform and a consultation on the use of confidentiality clauses in situations of workplace harassment or discrimination.

  • Brexit: February 2019 round-up

    On 26 February 2019, the Prime Minister gave a statement to the House of Commons (HoC) in which she confirmed that a second meaningful vote on her Brexit deal would take place no later than 12 March 2019. Guidance on no-deal Brexit planning continued to be published throughout February.

  • What’s on the agenda for in-house lawyers in March 2019?

    With the UK scheduled to leave the EU on 29 March 2019, Brexit planning remains paramount for in-house lawyers this month. Nevertheless, they should also be keeping abreast of developments in corporate governance, environmental reporting and gender pay gap reporting.

  • Brexit: January 2019 round-up

    The House of Commons (HoC) delivered the biggest parliamentary defeat of any Prime Minister in British history as MPs emphatically rejected Theresa May’s Brexit deal on 15 January 2019. No-deal Brexit planning continued throughout the month.

  • Brexit: December 2018 round-up

    Prime Minister Theresa May was forced to defer the meaningful vote on her Brexit deal in December and the vote will now take place during the week commencing 14 January 2019. In another key development, the ECJ gave hope to the anti-Brexit lobby by ruling on 10 December 2018 that the UK could unilaterally revoke … Continue reading Brexit: December 2018 round-up

  • Brexit: November 2018 round-up

    November was a pivotal month for Brexit negotiations with the publication  of the full text of the draft UK-EU withdrawal agreement, and the political declaration on the framework for the future UK-EU relationship (the deal). The House of Commons will debate and vote on a motion to approve the deal over five days, with the … Continue reading Brexit: November 2018 round-up

  • Legal and Technology Procurement Conference: top ten takeaways

    Earlier this month I attended Practical Law’s inaugural Legal and Technology Procurement Conference. Many of the themes highlighted in my Legal Geek 2018 post were again hot topics of debate and there were engaging sessions on legal procurement strategy, improving operational efficiency and overcoming the challenges of implementing legal tech. Here are my top ten takeaways.

  • What’s on the agenda for in-house lawyers in December 2018?

    Brexit planning dominates the agenda this month but in-house lawyers should also keep an eye on corporate governance reforms,  new regulations introducing personal liability for  directors for unlawful direct marketing, and two consultations on the future of audit.

  • Brexit: September 2018 round-up

    This month the government published the second and third tranches of technical notices giving guidance to UK businesses and citizens on how to prepare for a no-deal Brexit. The Migration Advisory Committee also published its recommendations for the UK’s post-Brexit work immigration system.

  • What’s on the agenda for in-house lawyers in October 2018?

    Key items on the agenda for in-house lawyers this month include digesting the second tranche of no deal Brexit technical notices, the launch of a consultation on electronically executed documents, and a key decision on litigation privilege in internal investigations.

  • What’s on the agenda for in-house lawyers in September 2018?

    Key items on the agenda for businesses this month include a consultation on a new Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation, the launch of an independent review of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, a report on gender pay gap reporting and publication of revised guidance on the strategic report.

  • Brexit: July 2018 round-up

    The most significant developments in July were the publication of two government white papers: the first on the future UK-EU relationship, and the second on legislating for the withdrawal agreement between the UK and EU.

  • What’s on the agenda for in-house lawyers in August 2018?

    This month, in-house lawyers will be continuing to digest the new version of the UK Corporate Governance Code, which was published in July, together with the Financial Reporting Council’s (FRC) revised version of its Guidance on Board Effectiveness.

  • Brexit: June 2018 round-up

    Key developments in June included the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 being given Royal Assent and the government’s publication of a UK proposal for an Ireland border backstop option in the withdrawal agreement.

  • Brexit: May 2018 round-up

    The European Union (Withdrawal) Bill 2017-19 completed its passage through the House of Lords this month. The Department for Exiting the European Union and the European Commission also jointly published a document setting out the topics for discussion in the negotiations on the framework for the future UK-EU relationship.

  • Brexit: April 2018 round-up

    The most significant Brexit developments this month centred around the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill 2017-19, which reached the Report Stage in the House of Lords.

  • What’s on the agenda for in-house lawyers in May 2018?

    By far the most significant developments this month surround data protection and privacy. On 25 May 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation ((EU) 2016/679) (GDPR) will become directly applicable in all EU member states.

  • Brexit: March 2018 round-up

    The key development this month was the publication of a revised version of the draft Article 50 withdrawal agreement, which highlights the areas on which the European Commission and the UK government now agree.

  • What’s on the agenda for in-house lawyers in April 2018?

    Key items on the agenda for businesses this month include the due date for publication of the first gender pay gap reports and the continuing countdown to implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation ((EU) 2016/679) (GDPR).

  • Brexit: February 2018 round-up

    The most significant development in February came right at the end of the month when the European Commission published a draft text of the UK-EU withdrawal agreement.

  • What’s on the agenda for in-house lawyers in March 2018?

    Key items on the agenda for businesses this month include the countdown to implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation ((EU) 2016/679) (GDPR) and the government’s response to the Taylor Review of Modern Working Practices.

  • Brexit: January 2018 round-up

    Several Brexit-related Bills continued their passage through Parliament during January, including the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill 2017-19, the Trade Bill 2017-2019 and the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Bill. Near the end of the month, the General Council (Article 50) adopted a Council Decision and supplementary negotiating directives for the Brexit negotiations, which set out the … Continue reading Brexit: January 2018 round-up

  • What’s on the agenda for in-house lawyers in February 2018?

    Key items on the agenda for businesses this month include the expected publication of secondary legislation on corporate governance reform and the deadline for responses to the FRC consultation on proposed revisions to the UK Corporate Governance Code.

  • Brexit: December 2017 round-up

    The breakthrough in Brexit negotiations which enabled the European Commission to recommend that sufficient progress had been made to proceed to the next phase of Article 50 negotiations was by far the most significant development in December.

  • LawTech: what can be digitised will be commoditised

    “Although automation is having an impact on legal services, LawTech is lagging behind other sectors, such as FinTech and RegTech.” This was one of my key takeaways from a recent AI for professional services event that helped contextualise the progress that the legal sector has made in adopting new technology.

  • What’s on the agenda for in-house lawyers in January 2018?

    Corporate governance remains near the top of the agenda for businesses following the FRC’s publication of its consultation on proposed revisions to the UK Corporate Governance Code. Companies will also be interested in the publication of the new UK Anti-corruption Strategy and upcoming changes to the UK Immigration Rules.

  • Brexit: November round-up

    Two key Brexit-related Bills were introduced into Parliament in November: the Taxation (Cross-border Trade) Bill 2017-19 and the Trade Bill 2017-2019. David Davis also announced that a Withdrawal Agreement and Implementation Bill (which will implement into UK law the major policies in any withdrawal agreement agreed between the UK and the EU) will be brought … Continue reading Brexit: November round-up

  • What’s on the agenda for in-house lawyers in December 2017?

    Key items on the agenda for businesses this month include responding to the FRC’s review of the UK Corporate Governance Code, maintaining a focus on improving gender diversity at leadership level and continuing to prepare for the GDPR.

  • Brexit: October round-up

    The European Council’s conclusion that sufficient progress had not yet been achieved in Brexit negotiations on withdrawal matters to move on to discussing the framework for the future relationship and transitional arrangements was the most significant development in October.

  • What’s on the agenda for in-house lawyers in November 2017?

    Key items on the agenda for businesses this month include helping your organisation take action to improve ethnic diversity at leadership level, considering whether to make a voluntary modern slavery statement and continuing to prepare for the GDPR.

  • Brexit: September round-up

    Theresa May’s Brexit speech in Florence and the fourth round of negotiations between the UK and the EU were the key developments in September. Earlier in the month, the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill 2017-19 received its second reading in the House of Commons.

  • Brexit: August round-up

    The UK government published a flurry of Brexit position papers in August, including papers on continuity in availability of goods and confidentiality, and access to documents; the exchange and protection of personal data; cross-border civil judicial cooperation; and enforcement and dispute resolution.

  • What’s on the agenda for in-house lawyers in September 2017?

    Key items on the agenda for businesses this month include the expected publication of the Data Protection Bill, the coming into force of the corporate offence of failure to prevent facilitation of tax evasion and dealing with the implications of the Supreme Court’s judgment on employment tribunal fees.

  • Brexit: July round-up

    The key developments this month were the government’s introduction of the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill 2017-19 and publication of a joint UK-EU technical note on citizen’s rights.

  • Brexit: June round-up

    The key developments this month were the formal start of Brexit negotiations and the publication of several Brexit-related Bills in the 2017 Queen’s Speech.

  • What’s on the agenda for in-house lawyers in July 2017?

    Key items on the agenda for businesses this month include digesting the implications of the new Bills and proposals announced in the Queen’s Speech, reviewing a report on directors’ remuneration voting trends and continuing preparations for GDPR.

  • What’s on the agenda for in-house lawyers in June 2017?

    The key event this month is the general election on 8 June. In-house lawyers may also be interested in new research highlighting an increase in legal cases against FTSE100 companies and the expected publication of the Taylor review on modern employment practices.

  • Brexit: April round-up

    Key developments in April included the European Council’s adoption of EU negotiating guidelines for Brexit and the publication of a report by the House of Commons Exiting the European Union Committee on the UK government’s negotiating objectives.

  • Brexit: March round-up

    Key developments in March included the government triggering Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union and publication of the government’s White Paper: Legislating for the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union.

  • Brexit: February round-up

    Key developments in February included publication of the White Paper setting out what the UK government seeks to achieve in negotiating the UK’s exit from the EU and the progress of the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill 2017 through Parliament.

  • What’s on the agenda for in-house lawyers in February 2017?

    Key themes and developments on the agenda for businesses in February include a consultation on the reform of corporate criminal liability, guidance on the duty to report on payment practices and performance, and assistance with complying with the General Data Protection Regulation.

  • Brexit: January round-up

    There have been several important Brexit developments in the past few weeks, including the Supreme Court’s decision on triggering Article 50 and publication of the government’s European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill.

  • What’s on the agenda for in-house lawyers in January 2017?

    Key themes and developments on the agenda for businesses in January include the government’s Green Paper on corporate governance reform, the duty to report on payment practices and performance and the rise of the “gig economy”.

  • Legal advice privilege: High Court applies Three Rivers

    The High Court has applied the controversial Court of Appeal decision in Three Rivers (No 5) holding that certain employees of the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) did not form part of the “client” for the purposes of legal advice privilege.

  • In-house round-up: autumn 2016

    This round-up summarises the developments that generated the most interest from in-house lawyers in the past three months, including government proposals on corporate governance, preparing for the GDPR, the EU-US Privacy Shield, Brexit and several interesting High Court decisions.

  • In-house agenda: December 2016

    Key themes and developments on the agenda for businesses in December include government proposals on corporate governance reform, reports on improving board diversity, ending quarterly reporting and continuing preparations for GDPR. There are also some developments to look out for which are expected in early 2017.

  • In-house agenda: November 2016

    Key themes and developments on the agenda for businesses in November include the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement, evaluating the first international anti-bribery management system standard and reviewing the Criminal Finances Bill. All in-house lawyers should also be aware that the new CPD regime will become compulsory on 1 November.

  • Employment round-up: autumn 2016

    This round-up summarises the employment-related developments that generated the most interest from in-house lawyers in the past three months, including the delay of the gender pay gap reporting regulations, the introduction of the illegal working offence and the implications of Brexit on employment law in the UK. It also highlights several key employment cases.

  • In-house agenda: October 2016

    Key themes and developments on the agenda for businesses in October include a likely consultation on a proposed Criminal Finances Bill, an inquiry into corporate governance and new minimum wage rates.

  • In-house agenda: September 2016

    Key themes and developments on the agenda for businesses in September include reviewing revised directors’ remuneration reporting guidance, analysing the issues for boards to consider in the light of Brexit and keeping track of EU-US Privacy Shield developments.

  • In-house agenda: August 2016

    Key themes and developments on the agenda for businesses in August include dealing with the aftermath of the EU referendum result, managing the compliance requirements of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and implementing guidance on the Market Abuse Regulation.

  • In-house round-up: Summer 2016

    This round-up summarises the developments that generated the most interest from in-house lawyers in the past three months, including Brexit, the formal approval of the General Data Protection Regulation, the implementation of the Market Abuse Regulation, the anti-corruption summit, the first compensation order for workers kept in modern slavery, and a number of interesting commercial … Continue reading In-house round-up: Summer 2016

  • In-house agenda: July 2016

    Key themes and developments on the agenda for businesses in July include dealing with the implications of the EU referendum result, the introduction of the new EU market abuse regime and the publication of the Briggs review of the civil courts structure.

  • In-house agenda: June 2016

    Key themes and developments on the agenda for businesses in June include the EU referendum, responding to announcements made at the anti-corruption summit, changes to company filing requirements and starting preparations for the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation.

  • E.ON and Pinsent Masons: creative law firm partnering

    I recently read Tom Bangay’s blog post on how the UK arm of international energy company E.ON reduced its pool of external legal advisors from around 40 to just one: Pinsent Masons. The post highlights four key themes that will resonate with businesses.

  • In-house agenda: May 2016

    Key developments on the agenda for businesses in May include the approval of a new EU Trade Secrets Directive, a consultation on the E-Privacy Directive and changes in the recruitment industry.

  • In-house round-up: Spring 2016

    This round-up summarises the developments that generated the most interest with in-house lawyers in the first three months of 2016, including the new PSC register requirements, Brexit, gender pay gap reporting, EU and US privacy shield and the 2016 Budget.

  • In-house agenda: April 2016

    Key developments on the agenda for businesses in April 2016 include the introduction of the PSC register and the national living wage, and the adoption of a new directive on trade secrets. The adoption of the new General Data Protection Regulation is now not expected until the summer.

  • In-house agenda: March 2016

    Key developments on the agenda for businesses in March 2016 include the publication of gender pay gap regulations, the start of modern slavery reporting and the UK Budget.