I recently found out that I will be a father. My firm offers fairly generous shared parental leave, but I am worried about the return to work – I have heard stories of other male partners mocked for taking the time off and even had their clients taken from them. I’m terrified about coming back […]
It’s about this time of year that I will usually opine some thoughts about embracing the new year and making changes that will positively impact on your performance in the presentation room in the coming months. However, that all sounds quaintly old fashioned (not to mention deliciously carefree) against the backdrop of January 2021. As […]
2020 was a challenging year, an extraordinary year. A year replete with unimaginable change, the impacts of which will be felt for decades to come. As the new year begins, we turn to our future and shape a new beginning, a fresh start. What will we give up for 2021? What will we put behind […]
I’m an NQ in a large City firm. I work primarily with one quite senior partner – he’s a great lawyer and he’s not a bad man but he’s not the most emotionally open person. Since March, a number of minor incidents have given the impression that he’s not had a great pandemic and that […]
It’s something that we all do – 24 hours a day, seven days a week, each and every year that we spend on this planet – and we do it without thinking about it. It can be effortless and silent or laboured and loud, particularly in the dead of night and much to the annoyance […]
This free to watch webinar on the challenges and risks behind working remotely, and how companies are managing this in practice was part of the virtual conference Managing Risk and Litigation that took place on the 18-19 November. Complete the fields below to access the 40-minute recording of this discussion. The webinar starts with the speakers discussing whether productivity levels within their teams and within their companies have been maintained, increased or dwindled while working remotely. The discussion also touches on the return to the office, surveillance monitoring to check productivity, whether there are any privacy and human rights legal issues in doing so, and how organisations have tackled risk management in general. Other issues include: What are the impacts of companies having their core teams and senior management working remotely for most of 2020? Understanding the main risk areas of remote working and the challenges behind managing regulatory risks in this context: what type of work can and cannot be sensibly done from home? How have organisations dealt with the issue of decreased monitoring? What is the regulator’s expected response to issues arising from the decrease in monitoring? What strategies should in-house teams have in place ahead of a more significant return to the office? Speakers: James Blendis, General Counsel & Company Secretary, Nissan/Renault Joanne Winship, Director Legal Compliance, Tata Steel Europe Anthony Kenny, Assistant General Counsel Corporate and CBS, GSK Moderator: Sarah Walker, Vice President & Global Deputy General Counsel, Aon
The webinar features 4 inspirational women working in litigation and the lessons they have to share with the rest of the industry, with the discussion moderated by The Lawyer editor Catrin Griffiths. Empathy, confidence and assertiveness should not just be the burden of women. Nevertheless, there are particular traits that seem to be associated with gender and an expectation that all women must have impostor syndrome. In fact, the panel stresses how the idea that all women “are going around feeling like they’re incapable of doing their job effectively” can be quite damaging. Other interesting concepts discussed in this webinar include the notion of “guarding your voice” and how it’s all about choice: you are the one deciding when to speak, but also when to be silent. Often for those with impostor syndrome, the issue is about making the choice not to speak when they know they should speak. “So don’t hold back, because you will have something important to say, something highly relevant that needs to be factored into the decision making”. And if people don’t really want to listen to your advice, it’s because it might be difficult advice to take on board, and not a reflection on you as an individual.
Virtual court hearings and trials are concepts that at the start of 2020 seemed futuristic to most of us. But the last 9 months have shown us that the technology is there, and the issue is mostly with culture and our willingness to embrace change. So, what are the permanent long-term changes we can expect from this year’s tech revolution? Can technology truly make things more efficient? Watching a screen all day is quite different from being in the courtroom. It is almost impossible to pick up the nuances, and there are genuine concerns when it comes to witnesses not being in the same room, despite the fact that it has been commonplace in English trials for a while now for certain witnesses to give their evidence by video. The conclusion is that we should expect a more institutionalised change around the optimal way of running a trial, now that we’ve seen what can be achieved through the use of technology. Watch the full webinar for further thoughts and predictions from Sir Nigel Teare, 10 Fleet Street and Dorothy Cory-Wright, Partner at Dechert.
Businesses are having to operate in a global environment of heightened regulatory accountability and scrutiny, with regulators increasingly focusing on cultural change and on issues that only a few years ago would not have been seen as a regulatory priority area. Despite the fact that most businesses operate in an environment of rules and principles, this hasn’t delivered better outcomes so perhaps dealing with the root cause of bad behaviour, culture and conduct, is the way forward. The temptation for organizations is to only look at how to fix the problems, instead of what is actually causing them. This session aims to shed some light on how regulators and organisations are looking at culture, the connection to litigation risk, and how companies are managing this. The role of regulation in corporate culture: can a rulebook dictate culture? Why do regulators care about culture and can they influence this through their policies? Is the regulatory focus on culture leading to a reluctance to take responsibility?
In today’s increasingly politicised world, companies often find themselves forced to “take a side” and join the political discourse. This session, therefore, touches on some of the non-COVID related big issues for 2020, such as the killing of George Floyd, the BLM movement worldwide, the impact of the US elections and some of the campaigns led by people like Marcus Rashford; huge societal issues that very difficult for current global organizations not to engage with. As a result, a lot of companies that are traditionally apolitical have found themselves getting involved in such issues, either out of choice or because they were compelled to as a result of the pressure received from their employees, shareholders or other stakeholders. Taking a stance is not enough though – it is important for companies to do so in a way that’s authentic while being aware of the potential backlash and how to respond to it. As an international business operating in multiple jurisdictions, sometimes with opposing political agendas, how do you define and uphold your company values when something that is right in one country might not be in another? Can companies remain apolitical, when their employees are increasingly political, expecting and demanding a reaction?
Ashurst Advance’s Rachel Barnes on embracing and encouraging curiosity, being comfortably uncomfortable and not taking things personally.
Law firms can play a pivotal and rewarding role in helping clients achieve sustainable business transformation, but many are at a loss with where to start. Below are six ways to approach this important task.