PODCAST

The Freshfields Podcast

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer

We are a global law firm with a long-standing track record of successfully supporting the world’s leading national and multinational corporations, financial institutions and governments on ground-breaking and business-critical mandates.

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The challenges and opportunities of payments deals

16-04-2020

16 mins

The challenges and opportunities of payments deals

Competition for assets in the payments space has been fierce in recent years. In our latest podcast, partners Cyrus Pocha, Keir MacLennan and Martin McElwee discuss what’s driving the run of deal activity, what buyers need to look out for – and how to approach antitrust regulators as the sector consolidates.

16-04-2020

16 mins

Worklife 2.0: exploring the new normal for the workforce

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an unprecedented change in the way we work. As global lockdown measures begin to lift, the question of what the ‘new normal’ will look like is at the forefront of employers’ and employees’ minds. As part of the WorkLife 2.0 series, we will explore the future working landscape, and the challenges and opportunities it presents, through a series of blog posts, briefings and podcasts. In this session, speakers Timothy Wilkins, Holly Insley, Karin Buzanich-Sommeregger and Oliver Dudok van Heel discuss changing attitudes to working from home, and the challenges employers and employees may face when returning to the workplace.

29-05-2020

22 mins

WorkLife 2.0: office life – but not as we know it

Apps that show the number of commuters on trains, passenger control systems that make offices look like airports, travellers put in military quarantine camps… as COVID-19 restrictions are eased we share lockdown stories from across the world - and discuss how workplaces are being adapted to allow people to return

11-06-2020

18 mins

Essential Antitrust #5: the politics of global M&A – navigating foreign investment controls

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in rapid changes to the global foreign direct investment landscape as governments re-evaluate which assets will be critical to national security in the future. Many of these changes are here to stay. Jenn Mellott speaks with partners Michele Davis, Aimen Mir and Hazel Yin about the most significant changes across Europe, the United States and Asia and discuss what deal-makers can do to navigate through this increasingly complex global regulatory landscape.

23-06-2020

40 mins

International arbitration #4: data protection and cyber security in arbitration proceedings

Data protection and cybersecurity are gaining more prominence in international arbitration and we expect this to continue, not least because the threat of significant fines has proved real. Welcome industry guidance has recently been published, and we should see increased awareness of personal data and cybersecurity issues as well as heightened efforts to ensure compliance. In this podcast, partner Patrick Schroeder in Hamburg, and principal associates Niamh Leinwather and Désirée Prantl in Vienna, examine how the proliferation of modern data protection regimes has added complexity to cross-border disputes, pushing arbitration users to increasingly consider data protection obligations in arbitration proceedings.

29-06-2020

15 mins

WorkLife 2.0: Oversight and compliance challenges

Employers are considering keeping the working from home set-up for some time to come, and (in some cases) possibly for good. There has been a lot of discussion about what that might mean from an oversight perspective, and how it might change employers’ risk profile. In this session, Ben Morgan, Caroline Stroud, Holly Insley and Olivia Radin consider how companies are approaching their compliance and oversight arrangements and the impact of the new working environment on whistleblowing. They also discuss the possible approach of regulators when it comes to evaluating oversight standards, as well as the challenges that the new working environment holds for in-house lawyers and compliance officers.

01-07-2020

28 mins

Essential Antitrust #6: COVID-19 and M&A – merger control during the pandemic

The economic hardship caused by COVID-19 has resulted in an increase in firms in financial distress looking for a path forward through M&A. Jenn Mellott speaks with partners Alastair Chapman, Mary Lehner and Tone Oeyen to discuss how enforcement agencies view distressed firm transactions, how the agencies have responded to the unique financial conditions caused by the pandemic and what policies have been introduced to prevent hostile foreign takeovers of critical assets and technologies.

13-07-2020

40 mins

View from the Valley #1: the impact of COVID-19

In the first of a series of dispatches from our team in northern California, Boris Feldman, Sarah Solum, Maj Vaseghi, John Fisher and Doru Gavril explore the impact of the COVID crisis on everything from shareholder activism to securities litigation.

29-07-2020

26 mins

View from the Valley #2: diversity, IPOs and director compensation

In the second of a series of regular updates from our team in northern California, Boris Feldman, Sarah Solum, Maj Vaseghi, John Fisher and Doru Gavril take a look at three of the hottest issues in tech and life sciences – diversity, exit options and board pay.

29-07-2020

19 mins

Asia Essential Antitrust #1: Singapore update with Allen & Gledhill

This is the first in our series of Asia Essential Antitrust podcasts with our StrongerTogether partner firms in the region, this time focusing on Singapore. This episode features Freshfields partner Alastair Mordaunt and Singapore law firm Allen & Gledhill partners Daren Shiau, co-head of its competition and antitrust practice, and Scott Clements, a leading competition law specialist. They explore the current competition law landscape in Singapore, giving an overview of the merger control regime and the local competition authority’s current enforcement levels, as well as offering some practical tips on what clients should look out for when navigating through the competition arena.

27-08-2020

37 mins

Capital raising in the time of COVID-19

The coronavirus pandemic has had a huge impact on the startup financing landscape. In the latest episode of the Freshfields digital podcast, Nigel Gleeson, David Schwintowski and Andrea Basham discuss the additional risks founders and investors now face when raising capital around the world.

01-09-2020

34 mins

Emerging risks and strategic considerations for financial services firms

In this podcast Georgia Dawson, Meredith Kotler, Tom Clark and Elisabeth Weber comment on a few trends in US securities class actions of importance to financial institutions around the world, discuss the impact of regulator-led redress and ADR on mass claims (using the UK as an example), and set out some considerations when using technology to help manage mass claims. These points were covered in our recent webinar on emerging risks and strategic considerations for financial services firms, which is part of our global webinar series on class and mass claims challenges.

17-09-2020

12 mins

Fintech in focus: digital identity

There’s never been a better time to shape the debate on digital identity. As the pandemic has accelerated digitalisation for all, digital identity is high on the agenda at a government level, an international level and regulator level. Done properly, digital identity systems could unlock the potential for greater financial inclusion, enable frictionless payments and mitigate the disruptive effects of COVID-19. In this podcast, part of our 'Fintech in focus' series, Matt O’Callaghan (Head of financial services Asia and co-head of Asia fintech), Cyrus Pocha (Co-head of global fintech) and Theresa Ehlen (Principal Associate specialising in the TMT sector) look at what digital identity could mean for businesses and consumers that are crossing borders, discuss the danger of bias, highlight the importance of data privacy and protection, and consider what firms can do now to make sure new AML systems and regulations strike the right balance.

22-09-2020

21 mins

The IP mistakes founders make

Can you trademark software? Will a patent in one jurisdiction protect your idea elsewhere? And what rights can you assert over data? Nothing’s more important than safeguarding what’s valuable in an innovative company, yet it’s surprising how many mis-steps founders make. Here, Partner Richard Bird, principal associate Theresa Ehlen and special counsel Peter Jaffe discuss the most common errors.

24-09-2020

23 mins

View from the Valley #3: the human capital edition

In the latest update from Menlo Park, our Silicon Valley founding partners Boris Feldman, Pamela Marcogliese, Maj Vaseghi and Doru Gavril are joined by Alice Greenwell in London to talk people issues. They look at California’s new board diversity legislation and ask whether more states might follow suit, take a deeper dive into the merits of recent diversity-related litigation – and ponder whether the trend towards home working could drive down pay.

24-09-2020

41 mins

What every startup should know about corporate governance

Done well it’s the key to a successful IPO, but done poorly it can lead to a founder losing control of their business or being unable to attract new investors. Corporate governance is one of the most important considerations for a fast-growing startup, but often isn’t addressed until it’s too late. Kate Cooper in London is joined by fellow partners Sarah Solum and Pamela Marcogliese in Silicon Valley, who explain what founders the world over can learn from the West Coast experience.

25-09-2020

23 mins

Mass claims - the European perspective: recent developments and future implications for businesses

Nathalie Colin, Dimitri Lecat, Sabine Prossinger, Patrick Schroeder and Jeroen van Hezewijk summarise our recent webinar on mass claims in Europe, which is part of our global webinar series on class and mass claims challenges, and answer questions we didn't have time to cover during the event.

02-10-2020

19 mins

Essential Antitrust #7: new EU framework on screening of foreign direct investments fully applicable

The EU framework for the screening of FDI is now fully applicable. Jenn Mellott discusses the political background and practical implications of the new framework with Frank Röhling and Amaryllis Müller. When structuring transactions and planning deal timetables, deal makers must now consider the impact of increased levels of cooperation between EU member states and the European Commission on investments in certain critical sectors.

12-10-2020

21 mins

WorkLife 2.0 – employee activism and the new world of labour relations

Employee activism has been making headlines since 2018, when the employees of a large tech company in the US staged a walkout from their employer in a protest at claims of sexual harassment, gender inequality and racism. What has now become a trend in tech is impacting other industries and changing the classic labour relations landscape. The COVID-19 pandemic has not stopped it, although it has slightly changed its focus. In this session, Boris Dzida, David Mendel, Olivia Radin, Sarah Solum and Caroline Stroud discuss the reputational and financial risks for businesses, and explore how employers might best manage employee activism.

12-10-2020

24 mins

FS market conduct #3: a look at market manipulation enforcement in the US, Hong Kong and Germany

In this podcast in our series on market conduct topics intended for a financial services audience, Tim Mak in Hong Kong, Kim Zelnick in New York and Daniel Travers in Dusseldorf discuss recent developments in market manipulation enforcement, common themes and differences between jurisdictions and the regulatory approach to market abuse more generally.

15-10-2020

17 mins