In this session Danielle Kelly, our Director of Culture & Inclusion at Herbert Smith Freehills joins leading expert on Dementia Dr Jason Karlawish for an important and enlightening conversation on dementia and Alzheimers.

During this session Dr Karlawish breaks the disease down for us by exploring the types of Dementia, the role of a caregiver, the early signs of Dementia, the typical stages of Dementia and the medical tests used for dementia diagnosis. 

For local resources in Australia, Dementia Australia represents the over 450,000 Australians living with dementia and the almost 1.6 million Australians involved in their care. Visit Dementia Australia website: www.dementia.org.au

The recent year has seen the world undergo unprecedented change with its impact on how and where we work, and the use of Artificial Intelligence and remote working environments continuing to evolve.  

According to the recent Australian Human Rights Commission on the launch of its Report on Technology, 50% of Australian companies are already using AI to aid decision making.

To help successfully respond to these forces in both the public and private sectors, hear from Mark Rigotti, Partner and Senior Adviser in our Sydney office, in conversation with Michael Priddis, CEO of Faethm on the impact of automation on the workforce as a whole and demystify common theories.

Huge swathes of column inches have been dedicated to the UK government’s business interruption loan support schemes, but little has been said to date about the implications of these schemes unwinding. Jenny Stainsby is joined by James Palmer and John Chetwood to discuss the dual challenges of recapitalisation and managing financial distress.

With many of our clients preparing for or in the process of returning their workforce to their Australian-based offices, our Catalyst series is returning for 2021 to discuss the role of organisations and implications for the roll out of a COVID vaccine. Dr Andrew Ebringer, Regional Medical Director and Consulting Lead for Australasia at International SOS and Nerida Jessup, Special Counsel from our Sydney Safety team join host Drew Pearson, Partner in our Sydney Employment and Industrial Relations team to explore the complex considerations for employers considering the issue of COVID-19 vaccinations.

The final Catalyst podcast of 2020 focuses on:

• managing employment and IR issues in our new flexible working environment (Drew Pearson, Partner, Employment, IR and Safety);
• the disruption to class actions in Australia in the last 12 months (Christine Tran, Partner, Disputes);
• geopolitics and impacts on Australia (Rebecca Maslen-Stannage, Partner, Corporate) and
• optimism driven by record government infrastructure spending and fast-tracked demand for technology (Nicholas Carney, Partner, Projects).

This can be viewed as a Webinar here.

Greg Mulley, corporate partner in our London office, speaks to Sir Lynton Crosby of C|T Group on the outlook for politics and policy as 2020 draws to a close. Discussion includes:

• lessons and implications from the US elections for the rest of the world in terms of voting patterns and behaviour;
• prospects for Biden's build back better green agenda and its impact globally;
• the enduring impact of the pandemic on politics and public policy;
• what makes a great leader, what makes a great politician and what is the difference.

Leon Chung, partner in our Sydney office hosts international partners Weina Ye, Kewei, China and Joseph Falcone, New York, to discuss how political unrest has contributed to growing uncertainty in international trade and how this has affected Australian companies and what might happen next.

The issue of judicial appointments has attracted a lot of attention recently, with the expedited senate confirmation hearings for Amy Coney Barrett following the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in the US and discussion about the appointment of Australia's next 2 High Court judges. These recent events have highlighted significant differences between Australia and the US in terms of the public and political attention given to judicial appointments.

Given the importance of the issues considered by judges on the Australian High Court and US Supreme Court, these issues have the potential to significantly impact civil, political and economic issues (such as border lockdowns, voting rights and reproductive rights) in both countries.

Join Leon Chung, Amelia Loughland, Graeme Johnson and Theo Varvaressos as they explore how judges are appointed in Australia and the USA, factors that impact on judicial appointments, and attempts to influence the court through judicial appointment and whether those have been successful.

In support of the National Breast Cancer Foundation, our Catalyst Webinar/Podcast series was taken over by our virtual Pink Ribbon event where we heard from three remarkable guests who work in the medical innovation and wellness spaces.  Our guest speakers were:

Prof Sarah Hosking - CEO of the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
 In continuing our tradition of our Pink Ribbon event, Prof Hosking updated us on NBCF’s current focus and gave an insight into the challenges and achievements in running a not-for-profit business during Covid-19.

Prof Sandra O’Toole - Head of Translational Breast Cancer Research, The Garvan Institute of Medical Research & Senior Staff Specialist, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.
 Prof O'Toole shared her story and firsthand experiences of hospital life and continuing breast cancer research during Covid-19. - See accompanying slides here

Dr Jemma King - Founder BioPsychAnaltyics, Research Fellow University Queensland and Lecturer Sydney University MBA.
Dr King is a specialist in the field of Human Behaviour, Stress and Emotional Intelligence. She shared her top 4 practical, science based hacks, that you can start using right away to support you in living a healthier lifestyle. - See accompanying slides here

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australia. The National Breast Cancer Foundation funds world-class research into the detection, prevention and a cure of breast cancer. The NBCF is committed to funding research to reach one determined goal: zero deaths from breast cancer by 2030.
 
 Watchers and listeners are invited to donate to the National Breast Cancer Foundation to help further research into prevention and cure.  Herbert Smith Freehills will make our usual gift donation to the Foundation.

Note: This is an audio recording of a live webinar in our Catalyst series of webinars. As markets move from response to recovery, our focus is shifting too. We understand that navigating the pace of change, and defining your new normal can be overwhelming, so we are continuing to develop insights to help you recover, rebuild and reform. To watch the webinar on demand and access the resource materials, please visit our dedicated Catalyst // Webinar Series page.

In our final session covering the challenges and opportunities emerging from the Covid-19 pandemic and the impact on M&A in particular, this episode looks at merger control and foreign investment controls across EMEA and what effect the pandemic is having on transactions. This episode covers:

• The direction of travel in European merger control and how regulators have adapted to the pandemic;
• FDI regimes around the world and how governments have strengthened and used them during the pandemic;
• Issues for parties to M&A transactions to focus on in light of this;
• Tactical considerations for deals around the upcoming Brexit changes; and
• What the new UK national security and investment regime might look like and the possible impact on transactions.

This episode is chaired by Caroline Rae and she is joined by Veronica Roberts and Hubert Segain of Herbert Smith Freehills and Gregor Irwin of Global Counsel who share their experiences and views.