REUTERS | An Atlantic Puffin is seen among the daisies on Skomer Island, Pembrokeshire, Wales, Britain July 16, 2019. Picture taken July 16, 2019. REUTERS/Rebecca Naden - RC17F20A9AE0
July 13, 2022

Developing a legal and compliance radar

  • by Leanne Geale
  • Executive Vice President, General Counsel, Corporate Governance and Compliance
    • at

The purpose of our legal and compliance function is to enable Nestlé’s business strategy and protect its people, assets and reputation. One important aspect of this work is tracking and monitoring emerging regulatory and legislative developments.

We are the largest food and beverage company in the world, operating in over 185 countries, and it’s a challenge to keep track of new legislation. New laws and regulations are proposed or adopted at an ever-increasing pace on everything from data privacy to packaging to disclosure. For example, in 2021 almost 150 new laws on plastic packaging and its end-of-life were enacted or introduced.

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REUTERS | Vasily Fedosenko
July 11, 2022

Ask Corporate trends

The arrival of new legislative initiatives always attracts interesting and challenging questions, from both in-house and private practitioners. In recent months, the Practical Law Corporate team has addressed questions around the intricacies of the national security and investment regime, corporate transparency and register reform, and the new trust registration service, among others, as those in practice seek to navigate their way through the new and complex requirements. We now also expect to start seeing questions around the government’s proposed audit and corporate governance reforms.

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REUTERS | The sun shines in a field as Belgium is undergoing it's dryest April-May period since the end of the 19th century, according to local media, in Diksmuide, Belgium May 28, 2020. REUTERS/Yves Herman
July 8, 2022

The Hearing podcast: ep.97, Dr Charlotte Proudman (Goldsmith Chambers)

Episode 97 of the Hearing is now available.

In this episode Yasmin catches up with a previous guest – Charlotte Proudman: feminist, family barrister and agent for change. Charlotte talks about her work fighting for the survivors of sexual violence and what the problems are with our current justice system. The pair also discuss the introduction of no-fault divorces in the UK and why this change is long overdue.

REUTERS | Mark Blinch
July 6, 2022

How to write a good NED covering letter

If you are looking to apply for a board vacancy, it is likely that you will be asked to send a covering letter alongside your non-executive director (NED) CV as part of the application process. This post will help if you are struggling to write one or are looking for guidance on “what good looks like”. It will also be useful if you do not know where to start or want to benchmark your draft against best practice.

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REUTERS | Tulips bloom in Bryant Park in New York City, U.S., April 29, 2019. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid - RC15C0A16600
July 4, 2022

Consultation board round table: measuring and communicating the value of the legal department

It’s a common refrain that the business sees the legal function as purely a cost centre, with the real value that in-house lawyers provide going largely under the radar.

The latest In-house Consultation Board meeting focused on how to benchmark and broadcast the success of the legal department, using the report of a recent survey of more than 2,000 senior in-house and private practice lawyers by the Thomson Reuters Institute as a jumping-off point (see Blog post, Thomson Reuters Institute 2022 State of Corporate Law Departments report). As well as examining the upward trend in the level of external legal spend reported by corporate law department leaders, the report discussed how the legal department can avoid being a cost centre, and what metrics it can use to demonstrate its value.

In June’s meeting, board members described their approach to shining a light on the legal work being done behind the scenes and quantifying the elusive benefits of averting crises.

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REUTERS | Gloabl Creative Services (no copyright)
June 29, 2022

UK data protection reform: winners, losers and what to watch

On 17 June 2022 the UK government’s Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) published the outcome of its consultation on reform of the UK’s data protection laws (see Legal update, DCMS publishes outcome of consultation “Data: a new direction”). DCMS has presented the response as a step forward for both businesses and individuals in terms of, for example, cost savings, innovation, and clarity around privacy rights. In practice, the proposals are no great overhaul of UK laws, nor was one wanted by those who responded to the consultation. Organisations will undoubtedly be keen to know how the proposals will affect their business, and whether any of the proposals risks the UK’s adequacy status under the EU GDPR.

So who is set to benefit?

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REUTERS | Boxes of fresh strawberries for sale sit in the summer sun at a farmers' market in Hoboken, New Jersey, June 24, 2015. REUTERS/Mike Segar
June 27, 2022

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.

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REUTERS | Corbis
June 24, 2022

Future now! Please share your views

The “Future of the Legal Profession” is a topic that has come up repeatedly in the past few years and has been looked at through different lenses, from how to train the next generation of lawyers during a pandemic that makes traditional in-person training impossible, through how to recruit diverse candidates into a historically homogenous profession, to whether law represents a solid career choice if much of the job could soon be done by Legal Technology (let alone AI).

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REUTERS | A whirlwind is seen as elephant and zebras walk through the Amboseli National Park, Kenya August 19, 2018. REUTERS/Baz Ratner
June 23, 2022

Reuters Podcast: General Counsel Leadership and Strategy

Download the Reuters podcast, General Counsel Leadership and Strategy – focus on Europe, which gathered three European GCs from different industries to give their insights on operating as a successful and trusted strategic business adviser in disrupted times.

Key discussion points
  • Adding value through proper collaboration with other business stakeholders.
  • Getting your crisis and risk management strategies right to do more with less.
  • Fine tuning and asserting your critical role in your businesses’ post-pandemic strategy.
Speakers
  • Richard J. B. Price, Group General Counsel and Company Secretary, Anglo American.
  • Céline Haye-Kiousis, Group General Counsel, Groupe BPCE.
  • Roel Staes, Senior Vice President Legal, General Counsel Europe, FedEx Express.
REUTERS | A field of sunflowers is seen during a hot, sunny day near the lake Steinsee in Niederseeon, Germany, July 31, 2020. REUTERS/Michael Dalder
June 20, 2022

Data privacy and cybersecurity: Summer agenda 2022

Last week’s publication by DCMS of the outcome of its consultation “Data: a new direction” has the potential to put data protection very much back into the limelight. The document sets out the government’s plans to reform the UK’s data protection regime as part of its National Data Strategy  (see Article, DCMS data protection reforms: summary of consultation proposals). Continue reading →