Expert Analysis

• EEA Equivalence Statement Is Welcomed By Fund Managers

  

  The recent statement confirming European Economic Area equivalence to undertakings for collective investment in transferable securities for U.K. overseas funds regime purposes removes many managers’ concerns in the wake of Brexit, giving a clear pathway out of temporary marketing permissions and easing the transition from one regime to another, says Catherine Weeks at Simmons & Simmons.

• In Int'l Arbitration Agreements, Be Clear About Governing Law

  

  A trilogy of recent cases in the English High Court and Court of Appeal highlight the importance of parties agreeing to explicit choice of law language at the outset of an arbitration agreement in order to avoid costly legal skirmishes down the road, say lawyers at Faegre Drinker.

• Post Office Scandal Stresses Key Directors Duties Lessons

  

  The Post Office scandal, involving hundreds of wrongful convictions of subpostmasters based on an IT failure, offers lessons for company directors on the magnitude of the impact that a failure to fulfill their duties can have on employees and the company, says Simon Goldberg at Simons Muirhead.

• Employer Tips For Handling Data Subject Access Requests

  

  As employers face numerous employee data-subject access requests — and the attendant risks of complaints to the Information Commissioner's Office — issues such as managing deadlines and sifting through data make compliance more difficult, highlighting the importance of efficient internal processes and clear communication when responding to a request, say Gwynneth Tan and Amy Leech at Shoosmiths.

• Comparing UK And EU's View On 3rd-Party Service Providers

  

  The U.K. is taking welcome steps to address the lack of direct oversight over critical third-party service providers, and although less onerous than that of the EU Digital Operational Resilience Act, the U.K. regime's proportionate approach is designed to make providers more robust and reliable, say lawyers at Shearman.

• CMA Road Map Helps Cos. Prepare For UK Digital Markets Bill

  

  Although only provisional, the recent publication of the Competition and Markets Authority's road map for the implementation of the U.K. Digital Markets Bill demonstrates that the regulator is keen to reassure Parliament that it takes accountability seriously, and that there will be sufficient safeguards in place regarding its decision making, say lawyers at Morgan Lewis.

• Opinion

  European Union Criticisms Of The FCPA Are Misguided

  

  Some in the European Union have criticized U.S. enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act for what they perceive as jurisdictional overreach, but this appears to overlook the crucial fact that jurisdiction is voluntary, and critics should focus instead on the lack of equivalent laws in their own region, say John Joy and YuTong Wang at FTI Law.

• Key Points Of BoE Response To Digital Pound Consultation

  

  Lawyers at Hogan Lovells analyze the recent Bank of England and U.K. government response to a consultation on the launch of a digital pound, finding that the phased approach to evaluating the issues makes sense given the significant potential impact on the U.K. economy.

• Bribery Class Action Ruling May Revive Bifurcated Processes

  

  The Court of Appeal's recent decision allowing the representative bribery action in Commission Recovery v. Marks & Clerk offers renewed hope for claimants to advance class claims using a bifurcated process amid its general absence as of late, say Jon Gale and Justin Browne at Ashurst.

• Goldman Prosecution Delivers A Clear Sign Of FCA Strength

  

  The recent successful prosecution of a former Goldman Sachs analyst for insider dealing and fraud is a reminder to regulated individuals that economic crime will never be tolerated, and that the Financial Conduct Authority is willing to bare its teeth in the exercise of its prosecutorial remit, says Doug Cherry at Fladgate.

• Whistleblower Pay Is A Risky Path For The SFO To Tread

  

  In a recent speech, Serious Fraud Office director Nick Ephgrave supported the payment of whistleblowers, but implementing such an extreme measure is potentially hazardous and could leave the new director a hostage to fortune, says Richard Cannon at Stokoe Partnership.

• The Good, The Bad And The New Of The UK Sanctions Regime

  

  Almost six years after the Sanctions and Money Laundering Act was introduced, the U.K. government has published a strategy paper that outlines its focus points and unveils potential changes to the regime, such as a new humanitarian exception for financial sanctions, highlighting the rapid transformation of the U.K. sanctions landscape, says Josef Rybacki at WilmerHale.

• Businesses Using AI Face Novel Privacy, Cybersecurity Risks

  

  Rapid advancements in artificial intelligence are resulting in complex privacy and cybersecurity challenges for businesses, and with the forthcoming EU AI Act and enhancement of existing laws to ensure a high common level of security, key stakeholders should be empowered to manage associated risks, say lawyers at Goodwin.

• A Look At Environment Agency's New Economic Crime Unit

  

  Sophie Wood at Kingsley Napley explains how the Environment Agency’s newly established Economic Crime Unit will pursue criminal money flows from environmental offenses, and discusses the unit’s civil powers, including the ability to administer account freezing and forfeiture orders, says Sophie Wood at Kingsley Napley.

• Prompt Engineering Skills Are Changing The Legal Profession

  

  With a focus on higher-value work as repetitive tasks are delegated to artificial intelligence, legal roles are set to become more inspiring, and lawyers need not fear the rising demand for prompt engineers that is altering the technology-enabled legal environment, say Eric Crawley, Shah Karim and Paul O’Hagan at Epiq Legal.