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].
We would like to invite you to join a Future Forum meeting on the topic of “presenting yourself” for early-career in-house lawyers, at 1300-1400 on Wednesday 13 December, via Teams webinar. Continue reading
Corporate reporting is a big theme this month, with the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) publishing an update on its consultation on revisions to the UK Corporate Governance Code and its annual review of corporate governance. In-house lawyers will also be digesting the implications of the 2023 Autumn Statement and the King’s Speech. Read more. [subscription required]
Please join us on 22 November 2023 (2.00pm – 3.00pm) for a webinar hosted by The Centre for Legal Leadership that will look at the current challenges facing in-house lawyers.
In recent years, in-house lawyers have navigated an array of financial, political, environmental and pandemic events that impacted their organisations. In responding to these challenges, in-house lawyers have had to reconsider their roles and sometimes alter the ways in which they work. This webinar will examine the extent to which these changes have been temporary, borne of necessity, and those which are likely to become business as usual. It will focus on whether an in-house lawyer’s ethical responsibilities have changed, the scope of their role and the impact of new technology.
The discussion will be led by our speakers, Sonya Branch, General Counsel, Bank of England and Richard Hill, General Counsel for Downstream and Renewables at Shell.
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.
The latest Centre for Legal Leadership webinar, hosted in conjunction with Thomson Reuters, focused on environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues. Jenny Block, General Counsel and Board Secretary at Ofwat, the economic regulator of the privatised water and sewerage industries, offered a regulator’s perspective. Christy Baker, General Counsel and Data Protection Officer at the multinational transport company, FirstGroup, provided a view from a regulated business. Read more.
In-house lawyers are likely to be taking stock of the impact on their organisations of the significant changes to the UK government’s net zero targets and commitments this month. Two reports on the development of artificial intelligence and the imposition of a large fine by Ireland’s data protection regulator for a breach of the GDPR are also noteworthy.
Since launch of the In-house Future Forum last year, its members have discussed a variety of topics affecting the legal profession from the perspective of those in the early stages of their careers (see Practical Law In-house Future Forum: shaping the direction of the legal profession).
Meetings to date have focused on:
The latest Legal Leaders webinar, hosted by The Centre for Legal Leadership, is on 27 September 2023 (2:00 – 3:00pm). The topic for discussion is environmental, social and governance (ESG).
The webinar will explore how ESG factors are impacting the role and the work of GCs and in-house counsel generally, some of the challenges they face and some of the opportunities. The impact will vary depending on the sector and the nature of the organisation’s business, but typical areas of activity include:
The discussion will be led by our speakers, Jenny Block, GC at OfWat, and Christy Baker, GC and DPO at FirstGroup plc.
In September, the FRC consultation on proposed revisions to the UK Corporate Governance Code closes and the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) is expected to publish its final disclosure framework. In-house lawyers should also take note of the launch of a consultation by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) on its draft guidance on biometric data.