The Freshfields Podcast

Essential Antitrust #22: Global focus on labor: not necessarily business as usual

Antitrust Authorities worldwide have been very vocal on their increasing focus on antitrust violations in the labor market – but what does this actually mean for businesses?

In this latest Essential Antitrust podcast, host Meghan Rissmiller is joined by Holly Insley, a partner in Freshfields’ People and Reward practice in London, and Ermelinda Spinelli and Bruce McCulloch, antitrust partners in Milan and Washington DC. They discuss trends in antitrust labor enforcement and some practical implications for businesses looking to ensure compliance amidst the ever-evolving enforcement regimes.

Does the proposed UK corporate re-domiciliation regime measure up?

The introduction of an inward UK corporate re-domiciliation regime has been given the green light in the responses to an initial consultation - but otherwise the detail of the regime remains subject to consideration by the UK government and further consultations on the design of the regime are expected in due course.

In this podcast Joshua Critchlow interviews tax partner Jill Gatehouse, corporate partner George Swan and senior knowledge lawyer Alison Dickie to discuss some of the key UK corporate and tax aspects of the proposals as well as what we can expect in terms of next steps.

This includes discussion of the rationale for introducing a UK corporate re-domiciliation regime and whether the proposals deliver on the objective of making it easy to re-domicile to the UK. Key tax implications of the proposals are also considered, including the interaction with existing UK corporate tax residence and stamp duty/SDRT rules and the potential impact on the base cost of capital gains and intangible assets for companies re-domiciling to the UK.

Essential Antitrust #21: New EU and UK distribution rules for the next decade: check for compliance and new opportunities

On 1 June new EU and UK rules on agreements for the supply and distribution of goods and services enter into force.

In this latest Essential Antitrust podcast, host Meghan Rissmiller is joined by Tone Oeyen and Alex Potter, partners in Brussels and London, to discuss the implications for businesses as they look to ensure compliance with the new regimes and adapt their strategies to take advantage of some of the changes.

Essential Foreign Investment #4: Expanding areas of global regulation

In our fourth podcast in this series, partner Alastair Mordaunt is joined by Michele Davis, partner in London, Aimen Mir, partner in Washington, DC, and Felix Roscam Abbing, senior associate in Amsterdam to look at developments in some of the fastest changing areas of global regulation.

Together they share their initial impressions of the UK’s new National Security and Investment Act, provide an update on enforcement activity in the US by CFIUS, and discuss risks for limited partners in financial sponsor deals.

Essential Antitrust Asia #6: Key updates and enforcement trends in Hong Kong

This episode focuses on the key updates and enforcement trends in Hong Kong.

It features Hong Kong-based partner Alastair Mordaunt, co-head of Freshfields’ Antitrust, Competition and Trade practice in Asia, and senior associate Laurent Bougard, moderated by Hazel Yin, co-head of the Antitrust, Competition and Trade practice in China.

In this episode, our experts cover:

• An overview of Hong Kong competition regime, including the latest developments and enforcement trends
• Practical tips when doing businesses in Hong Kong

Fintech in focus: Buy now, pay later

Driven by accelerated digitalisation, evolving consumer demand and merchant adoption since the onset of COVID-19, the buy now, pay later sector is growing rapidly with emerging business models, new payments providers and increased interests from investors as well as incumbents.

In this podcast, Matt O’Callaghan (Head of Financial Services Asia), Janina Heinz (Counsel) and Eugene McQuaid (Senior Consultant, EU Regulatory and Public Affairs) provide an update on the market landscape and how different regulators around the globe are approaching this topic. We explore how the regulatory trends will shape the market in 2022 and beyond, and what new entrants and investors interested in this space need to be mindful of.

Navigating risks: tax disputes and privilege

In this podcast senior knowledge lawyer Alison Dickie speaks to partner Sarah Bond, senior associate Simon Murray, and associate David Haughey about the relevance and practical application of legal professional privilege in the context of contentious tax matters. Our cross-practice team explain how and when the different categories of privilege under English law will be relevant as a tax dispute progresses, as well as discussing some common areas of difficulty and pointers for dealing with privilege issues in practice.

Future trends in MedTech

In the first of a new podcast series exploring the fast-evolving world of MedTech, Freshfields Partner Vinita Kailasanath sits down with Matthew Holt – MedTech blogger, trend-spotter and self-confessed ‘healthcare curmudgeon’ – to talk about the future of machine learning in healthcare, telemedicine, digital therapeutics and much more.

Essential Antitrust #20: Innovation-driven deals: plan for success (part 2)

Data issues are increasingly in the spotlight in the tech and life sciences sectors, requiring a holistic approach to antitrust and data protection considerations.

The second of a two-part series covering the regulatory landscape in innovation-driven industries, in this episode of the Essential Antitrust podcast our host Meghan Rissmiller is joined by Christine Lyon, partner in Silicon Valley, Kaori Yamada, partner in Tokyo and Rikki Haria, senior associate in London to discuss the increasingly key data issues and remedies which frequently arise in innovation-driven deals and the complex interplay between antitrust and data protection in this sphere.

Essential Antitrust #19: Innovation-driven deals: plan for success (part 1)

Licensing and collaboration agreements, integral to the life sciences and tech industries, are increasingly complex from an antitrust perspective.

First in a two-part series covering the regulatory landscape in innovation-driven industries, in this episode of the Essential Antitrust podcast our host Meghan Rissmiller is joined by Tone Oeyen, partner in Brussels, Jenny Leahy, senior associate in London and Kristen Riemenschneider, partner in Washington DC to discuss the cross-border regulatory considerations that arise throughout the lifespan of licensing and collaboration agreements.