The Freshfields Podcast

Essential Antitrust #18: US review of merger guidelines: what could it mean for M&A?

The US FTC and DOJ Antitrust Division recent launch of a process to review the agencies’ merger guidelines comes amid a broader trend of heightened antitrust scrutiny.

In this episode of Essential Antitrust, podcast host Meghan Rissmiller is joined by Justin Stewart-Teitelbaum, partner, and Laura Onken, counsel, in Washington DC to discuss the RFI in the context of this broader trend, the anticipated process for revision of the guidelines, and implications for merger review in the meantime.

Investing in tech: trends to watch in the year ahead

In the latest episode of the Freshfields TQ podcast, partners Natasha Good, Andrea Merediz Basham and Nigel Gleeson provide a global view on the tech investing trends to look out for in 2022. Together they discuss the increasing diversity of investors seeking to gain a foothold in the sector, the impact this is having on deal structuring – and the asset classes to watch in the year ahead.

Managing risk in Asia #5: Investment strategy risk in a dynamic region

You’ll rarely find opportunity without risk. Investing in Asia-Pacific is no exception. The nature and the speed of change in the region impacts the evolution of risk and the significant opportunities open to the best prepared global investors.

Joining Ninette Dodoo for this episode are Arun Balasubramanian (Freshfields), Ken Juster (Freshfields) and Wai Leng Leong (CDPQ Head of Asia Pacific region) who will be unpicking the nuanced risks and the required risk strategies that will assist you in successfully deploying capital across Asia-Pacific. You will also discover how ‘touching an Elephant’ can help you to navigate a specific risk.

UK financial services enforcement in 2021 – Themes and a landmark

In this podcast, Tom Clark and Sharon Grennan consider the themes in UK financial services enforcement in 2021, describe the key decisions and comment on potential future enforcement.

Essential Antitrust #17: Antitrust in 2022: 10 key themes - is your business ready for rapid change?

In 2022 expansive legislation and aggressive enforcement are clearly a priority for governments and authorities around the world.

In this first episode of our Essential Antitrust series for 2022, podcast host Jenn Mellott is joined by Thomas Janssens, Sarah Jensen and Meghan Rissmiller to discuss our recently published annual review of the antitrust landscape, which describes the major trends and developments we expect to see in the year ahead.

Tax matters: German election – what does the new coalition mean to business?

The coalition negotiations have concluded with the “traffic light” coalition being agreed, and so on 8 December 2021 Olaf Scholz was sworn in as the new German Chancellor in the Bundestag, marking the end of Angela Merkel’s 16 year tenure. Now that the coalition is in place, what will this mean for business?

In our latest podcast, senior knowledge lawyer Alison Dickie speaks to David Issmer, Freshfields’ Head of Public Affairs in Germany, and German tax partners David Beutel, Philipp Redeker and Georg Roderburg to discuss the coalition agreement and what it tells us about the priorities of the “traffic light” coalition, for both global and domestic tax policy as well as for businesses with a Germany presence.

Investing in tech: regulation to disrupt tech deal-making?

2021 is set to be a record year for tech investment fuelled by high valuations, strong competition from a broader pool of investors, and no shortage of funding options for tech companies.

This surge in tech M&A activity has prompted global agencies to reconsider the national security, consumer and competition impact of new technologies and evolve the use of their powers to intervene on tech and data-driven transactions.

In this podcast Rafique Bachour discusses with tech M&A partners Natasha Good and Lars Meyer whether regulatory developments targeting tech companies are set to disrupt a record year of tech deal-making. To request a copy of Freshfields’ interactive global tech regulatory report mentioned in this podcast, please contact techconnect@freshfields.com.

The Big Conversation podcast: Future risks

With Dr Mohamed El-Erian, President of Queens' College Cambridge

Few people have the ability to scan the horizon for future risks quite like the world-renowned economist Dr Mohamed El-Erian. We were delighted to welcome Mohamed for the latest episode of our Big Conversation podcast, where Freshfields partners Eric Mahr and Aimen Mir sought Mohamed’s views on the issues every business leader should have on their radar, from US/China relations to the specter of rising inflation.

Spotlight on Africa - The Evolution of our Africa Practice

Senior Associate Maha Osman talks to the Co-Heads of our Africa Practice Gabriel Mpubani and Rob Cant about the progression of our Africa practice and some of the highlights along the way.

We learn about Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’s intentional focus on the African continent and get a snapshot of some of the interesting work that has been done there.

Buyer beware: avoiding privacy and cyber hazards in M&A

No purchaser wants to buy a lawsuit… or a five year privacy investigation and mass claims on three continents.

Our privacy and cyber experts look at the key lessons for M&A from recent cyber attacks and major privacy incidents, and how to address these concerns when doing deals.

This podcast was originally recorded for Freshfields’ Asia In-house Counsel Forum in October 2021.