Listen to the inaugural podcast launching our Women in Tech series.

In this monthly interview series we host a virtual fireside chat with a leading female figure in the technology sector to discuss their personal experience of working in the industry and their take on current opportunities and potential challenges. This month Alexandra Neri has had the pleasure of speaking with Google's Maria Gomri who shares her views on steps taken to support the growth of women within the industry and how one can flourish in today's environment.

Watch the video version here.

Speakers: Alexandra Neri, Partner, Head of IP/IT, Herbert Smith Freehills and Maria Gomri, Head of Legal France, Middle East and North Africa, Google

In this episode, Alex Cravero, Digital Law Lead – UK/US & EMEA is joined by partner Caroline Rae and senior associates Terence Lau, Wendy Saunders and Rich Woods to explore the various strategies that financial institutions may use to source technology capability and accelerate their digital transformation.

This episode is chaired by Alex Cravero UK/US & EMEA Lead for our Digital Law Group [https://www.herbertsmithfreehills.com/our-expertise/services/digital-law-group], who is joined by Nick Pantlin, David Coulling, Miriam Everett and Rachel Lidgate all of whom are leading practitioners from across the firm's Technology, Digital & Data and Disputes practices.

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.https://www.herbertsmithfreehills.com/latest-thinking/catalyst-webinar-seriesDigital transformation was high on the board agenda before Covid-19, but the pandemic has placed even greater emphasis on the benefits that technology can bring. Optimising existing business models, generating new sources of revenue and building operational resilience are now, more than ever, imperatives for all businesses.This has driven many to rethink and accelerate their digital strategies. However, to succeed with their digital transformation, businesses need to successfully navigate a range of legal, regulatory and ethical challenges relating to both the technologies that businesses are looking to adopt and the broader business transformation that must take place – to people, processes and property – to embed that technological change.

Dorothy Livingston, Andrew Moir and Charlie Morgan discuss the UKJT legal statement on cryptoassets and smart contracts and a recent decision from the English court, which builds upon the conclusions of the legal statement. 

They comment on some of the possible impacts of cryptoassets and smart contracts for businesses and what these new technologies mean for the evolving skillsets that lawyers will need in the future. 

Speakers: Dorothy Livingston, Consultant, Andrew Moir, Partner and Charlie Morgan, Digital Law Lead (UK).

Susannah Wilkinson, Ariane Garside, Anna Jaffe and Holli Sargeant discuss the challenges presented by the velocity, complexity and convergence of emerging digital technologies and consider the potential individual and societal benefits.

Annalisa Heger and Amalia Stone discuss some concerns raised by the ACCC in relation to how algorithms are likely to impact on Australian competition and consumer law, and suggest some areas for business to think about in relation to use of algorithms, given the ACCC’s approach.

Amalia Stone and Michael Coutts discuss some potential competition implications that arise in the context of pricing algorithms, and use of big data, and suggest some areas to think about both for business using algorithms, and consumers shopping online.