REUTERS | Ognen Teofilovski

Episode 60 of the Hearing has been released and is available here.

In this episode I talk with Radd Seiger, the spokesperson for the family of Harry Dunn, Co-Founder and Principal of Confluence Crisis Management Services, and an old friend and colleague.

Continue reading

REUTERS | Luke MacGregor

The traditional quiet time of summer was upended this year. The tumult of COVID-19 and Brexit have scarcely been consigned to the background. However, it is the ECJ’s unexpected decision in Data Protection Commissioner v Facebook Ireland and Maximillian Schrems C-311/18 (Schrems II) that has probably stolen the headlines, adding to the unease for those looking after their company’s personal data governance. Continue reading

REUTERS | Amr Abdallah Dalsh

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.

Continue reading

REUTERS | Dominic Ebenbichler

As lawyers we deal with systems of justice on a daily basis. This is true whether we are working as in-house lawyers, criminal barristers or paralegals. However, the connection of our work to justice is often obscured by the detail of our work or sometimes its remoteness. Reviewing a data room for a share acquisition can seem worlds away from the Black Lives Matter movement, but these are all connected by systems of justice.

Continue reading

REUTERS | Amit Dave

Last year we created a new group coaching programme designed for aspiring leaders in one of their most significant career transitions: from management to leadership. Since it was conceived in 2019, things have changed rather a lot. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way that we work and the way we deliver our group coaching.

We’ve shifted from in-person, face-to-face sessions, to working within a Zoom gallery view box. This shift has pushed us to ask some important questions before launching into the virtual world:

Continue reading

REUTERS | Surfers watch the sun set after surfing along the coast of Kiritimati Island, part of the Pacific Island nation of Kiribati, April 5, 2016. To match Feature PACIFIC-JUSTICE/ REUTERS/Lincoln Feast - RTX2BSQ0

On 20 July 2020, the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) unveiled an update to its 2013 Three Lines of Defense model for managing risk and facilitating strong governance, including a change of name to the Three Lines Model. This is an improvement on the original in each of name, structure and effect and worth noting for those with responsibilities for, or simply an interest, in governance, risk and compliance.

Continue reading

REUTERS | Ricardo Moraes

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.

Continue reading

REUTERS |

UK businesses battling the COVID-19 pandemic may be forgiven for having neglected Brexit over the spring. But Brexit planning should now resume its place at the top of board agendas: the extension deadline has expired, the negotiations for a deal are creeping along slowly and there is every sign that a no-deal Brexit will be conducted amidst quarantines, local lockdowns and a decimated economy.

This blog examines ways in which companies may need to adjust their Brexit planning to take account of the disruption caused by COVID-19 and the possibility of a second wave.

Continue reading

REUTERS |

Boards and non-executive directors (NEDs) have a key role to play in helping organisations build more diverse and inclusive environments and workforces that are more representative of society. NEDs, chairs and nominations committees also have the power and influence to increase the number of under-represented groups in the boardroom, including professionals from BAME backgrounds.

Continue reading

REUTERS | People run past Tower Bridge in the early morning autumnal sunshine, in London, Britain, October 24, 2018. REUTERS/Simon Dawson - RC129ACEEA00

There are reasons to be cheerful both sides of the Atlantic this 4th of July. American friends will be enjoying Independence Day celebrations while the UK will be enjoying a bit more of their own independence with the further easing of lockdown restrictions… perhaps most excitingly, the long-awaited reopening of our beloved pubs, bars, cafes and restaurants. Is anyone else fed up of their own cooking and desperate for a cold pint?

The UK Prime Minister’s announcement that parts of the hospitality sector (and parts of other sectors like hotels/accommodation and personal care) can reopen on 4 July will undoubtedly have brought a huge sigh of relief to landlords, restauranteurs and hoteliers. But it has left them with hefty to-do lists before they can safely reopen. Continue reading