The Freshfields Podcast

Essential Antitrust #9: Antitrust in 2021: is your business prepared for a tougher enforcement environment?

Antitrust policy and enforcement is now mainstream news: it is front and centre in discussions about large tech players and digital markets, it is a core issue in the debate on sustainability, and it remains a key consideration in global trade negotiations.

This central role for antitrust is expected to continue into 2021, and in our first episode of the year Jenn Mellott speaks with Thomas Janssens and Sarah Jensen about these major trends and developments, and why a sophisticated understanding of the global antitrust environment is more important than ever in 2021.

Mass claims in Germany – Lessons learned and latest developments

In this podcast, Martina de Lind van Wijngaarden, Martin Mekat and Jan-Henning Buschfeld discuss legislative developments in the field of mass claims on both a national and European level. 

Focal point of this edition of the podcast is the European Directive on representative actions and what impact the Directive will have on Germany and other EU member states. Moreover, the assignment models prevailing in the German market are discussed, including the latest legal trends on this topic and whether these models will be able to compete with the new Directive in Germany.

Sanctions and international trade #4: where next for Russia sanctions?

Sanctions on Russia have evolved significantly in the past six years.  Where are sanctions on Russia going with the Biden administration, the US Congress, and other jurisdictions?

In this podcast, Mark Goldberg joins Nabeel Yousef to discuss President-Elect Biden’s approach to Russia based on recent statements, past actions, and appointees, as well as how the US Congress, the executive branch, and other countries might respond.

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UAE employee monitoring and compliance #1: remote working

Despite the gradual return of employees to the workplace, employers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) face continuing challenges around improving productivity and compliance with company policies among their remote workers.

Freshfields’ global investigations lawyer Zara Merali in Dubai is joined by Sundaraparipurnan Narayanan from business advisory firm Nexdigm (SKP) and Shiraz Sethi from law firm DWF to discuss the:

• challenges employers are facing;
• regulatory framework, pitfalls and responses; and
• best practices for employers to focus on now.

Sanctions and international trade #3: US policy trends and outlook under a Biden administration

US international trade policy looked very different in 2020. So what should we expect in 2021? In the latest edition of the Freshfields podcast, Aimen Mir joins Nabeel Yousef to discuss the expected international trade, foreign policy, CFIUS and national security direction under a Biden administration - and the trends to watch in the year ahead.

Essential Antitrust #8: nascent competition – crystal ball gazing or a principled approach to regulatory oversight?

Competition authorities’ global quest to oversee a greater number of deals involving nascent competition looks set to intensify in the year ahead, making deal-making even more complex. Jenn Mellott speaks with Ninette Dodoo, Jan Rybnicek and Sharon Malhi to discuss the evolution of an increasingly interventionist approach to nascent competition across the US, UK, Europe and Asia and how multi-national companies can best navigate the heightened global scrutiny.

Tech transactions in the spotlight

But tech deals aren’t like other types of transactions – their value resides in an unusual combination of assets, and the rapidly evolving antitrust and national security landscape makes them challenging to execute. In this podcast – part of our 2021 board memo series – partners John Fisher, Aimen Mir and Alan Ryan explain what directors need to know.

The governance capsule collection #6: the secrets of board evaluations

Board evaluations are a vital way to gauge the health of a company. But what does a good evaluation look like? How are they best implemented? And should you disclose the results? In the latest instalment of our governance mini-series, Pamela Marcogliese and Leza Bieber reveal all.

The governance capsule collection #5: human capital management

Few issues have grabbed the attention of investors in recent years quite like human capital management. In episode no. 5 of our governance capsule collection, Pamela Marcogliese, Leza Bieber and Maj Vaseghi discuss why you should be engaging with stakeholders now rather than waiting for proxy season, the role of the board in managing human capital – and whether HCM should be a metric when setting executive compensation.

The governance capsule collection #4: intercompany communications

As more employees are paid in stock – and social media gives everyone a voice - employee activism is on the rise. So what’s the best way to engage with this vital stakeholder group?

In the latest edition of our governance capsule collection, Sarah Solum joins Pamela Marcogliese and Leza Bieber to discuss the tricky topic of intercompany communications.