It has been well recognised that the solution to the social challenges which intersect poverty such as migration climate change and wealth inequality must involve a lawyer’s commitment to a high moral imperative.

Presented by the Intellectual Property and Entertainment Law Committee, Arts, Cultural Institutions and Heritage Law Committee, Space Law Committee, Media Law Committee, Technology law Committee and Communications Law Committee.

Recurring initiatives in multiple jurisdictions to amend the taxation of partnerships leads to opportunities and risks for the industry. This applies to sponsors, investors, and the vehicles themselves facilitating or obstructing cross-border investments.

However, to meet the needs of both large-scale and complex infrastructure contracts, often involving cutting-edge processes and technologies, and the plethora of other construction and engineering projects which require to be delivered, there is an increase in popularity of non-traditional forms of contracting – framework agreements, multi-party contracts and alliancing contracting.

Cybersecurity, data privacy and artificial intelligence are all over the news these days.  Incidents are frequent and regulations evolve rapidly. 
How should companies that do business internationally track developments, and what is the organisational and compliance standard that stakeholders may expect?  Is compliance with the rules sufficient to avoid reputational harm and - if not - how do you deal with this aspect?

The role of the intermediary is critical to the distribution and placement of insurance. That role includes acting for insureds as well as at times acting for insurers. The intermediary function can lead to disputes on duties, authorities, and conflicts. This session will examine these questions and consider the expected evolution of the intermediary's role.

There are multiple challenges and opportunities for the oil and gas industry in the current decarbonisation context whilst the demand for energy resources continues to grow. How can nimble and progressive regulatory and contractual frameworks contribute to making this transition fast, fair, equitable, sustainable and efficient, achieving climate, development and energy objectives? Discussion will focus on the regulatory/contractual challenges of the energy transition and on the role of oil and gas lawyers as they help develop social, technological, financial, fiscal and contractual frameworks and tools for decarbonisation.

Whistleblowing complaints are becoming more and important on employee relations. The implementation of the EU Whistleblower Directive, and the development of extra-territorial rules for US based companies have created a new set of legal rules and practices that will be discussed on this session.

This session will explore common challenges franchise and distribution companies face when conducting business in Latin America.

SustainabilityFocusYoungLawyersClients and prospective clients want to see law firms “walk the walk and talk the talk”. They are more interested than ever in a business’s commitment to the environment, its people and the running of its business in an ethical and sustainable manner. Although law firms might be part of the services industry with a lighter environmental footprint than other industries, a law firm's impact on the environment goes beyond its energy usage and paper waste. It extends to the clients it works with, the example it sets to its employees and especially young lawyers and the impact of its work within communities and industries.

We will take a look behind the scene and give valuable insight into key considerations and concerns driving the negotiations with Private Equity investors from an entrepreneurial standpoint. The experience to share with the audience will be different in respect to various jurisdictions and economies worldwide. However, there will also be similarities when talking about key challenges and benefits to be considered - and lessons learned, to be shared with the audience.

Cross-border and remote work has significantly increased in the post-Covid19 world. Protecting confidential information and enforcing restrictions not to compete, now have a number of challenges, when employees are not bound by a specific territory and can work from anywhere (WFA), thanks to the digital age. Drafting of non-disclosure agreements and restrictive covenants will now need to reflect the new WFA scenario.

This session will explore the challenges posed to independent law firms by the recent disruptions caused by global trade wars, rising nationalism and public-health risks among others.  Representatives of independent law firms from around the world will discuss their approach to meeting the cross-border needs of their clients as they seek out opportunities in rapidly changing markets.

While law firm partners have typically enjoyed a high degree of autonomy and independence, during these times of uncertainty (and arguably in any event) the need for a coordinated approach to strategy and performance is without doubt.

Even the simplest planning and coordination amongst partners can be difficult.

This session will address the current state of international economic sanctions laws, including the impact on trade, financial services, technology, and transportation. The panel will focus, in particular, on the impact of counter-sanctions and blocking programmes, including those of the People’s Republic of China and European Union, and how to navigate circumstances in which such laws conflict. As part of that discussion, this panel will address the role of the attorney in advising on sanctions compliance, particularly where there is a conflict of laws, and how attorneys can mitigate their own professional risk under such circumstances.

Most organisations regarded the initial sudden shift to remote working as a temporary emergency measure, often implementing major changes without a systematic assessment of the risks and opportunities. This panel will explore key practical and compliance implications of remote and hybrid work, including employment law considerations, cybersecurity, data protection, and dependence on cloud services.

Anti-corruption violations can impact materially the value and appropriateness of M&A and other transactions. Each potential investment poses its own unique constellation of anti-corruption and other compliance risks and therefore requires a tailored approach to ensuring appropriate due diligence. This panel will discuss best practices for assessing and mitigating anti-corruption risk in the transactional context, leading to better results for clients.

Carve-out transactions and sunset asset divestitures have become regular occurrences in the current M&A climate.  For some they are messy and desperate, and give Buyer significant leverage to profit; but in other cases clever sellers will be able to turn the tables. This panel will discuss the particularities of these transactions as compared to traditional M&A as well as common pitfalls and points for attention, and ways to turn superior insight into tactical advantage.