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.

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

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.

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.

Consultation board round table: hot topics for 2023
The Practical Law In-house Consultation Board convened recently and discussed hot topics for 2023. The discussion covered a range of topics, including:
- Inclusion of environmental, social and governance (ESG) clauses in standard contracts.
- Dealing with the reality of approaching ESG deadlines.
- Managing the growing burden of ESG due diligence and reporting requirements.
- Technology implementation.
- Regulatory burden.
- Recruitment and the effects of Brexit.
- Managing the effects of hybrid working.
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.

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.

Legal Leaders Programme: a career as an in-house lawyer
Please join us on 22 February 2023 (2.00pm – 3.00pm) for a webinar hosted by The Centre for Legal Leadership on planning a career as an in-house lawyer.
In-house lawyers work for a huge range of organisations in many different sectors. They may work alone, in a small team, or in a very large one. It may be a centralised team or be co-located with clients, including in different legal jurisdictions. Given this variety, the webinar will discuss the key attributes that in-house lawyers require in 2023 and beyond, and how to plan a rewarding in-house career.
The discussion will be led by our speakers, Elizabeth Messud, Group General Counsel, Kingfisher and Linda Dann, CBE, National Security Law Director, Microsoft UK.