The Freshfields Podcast

Apps that show the number of commuters on trains, passenger control systems that make offices look like airports, travellers put in military quarantine camps… as COVID-19 restrictions are eased we share lockdown stories from across the world - and discuss how workplaces are being adapted to allow people to return

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an unprecedented change in the way we work. As global lockdown measures begin to lift, the question of what the ‘new normal’ will look like is at the forefront of employers’ and employees’ minds. As part of the WorkLife 2.0 series, we will explore the future working landscape, and the challenges and opportunities it presents, through a series of blog posts, briefings and podcasts.

In this session, speakers Timothy Wilkins, Holly Insley, Karin Buzanich-Sommeregger and Oliver Dudok van Heel discuss changing attitudes to working from home, and the challenges employers and employees may face when returning to the workplace.

Competition for assets in the payments space has been fierce in recent years. In our latest podcast, partners Cyrus Pocha, Keir MacLennan and Martin McElwee discuss what’s driving the run of deal activity, what buyers need to look out for – and how to approach antitrust regulators as the sector consolidates.

The US Federal Trade Commission has been highly successful in blocking mergers in court over the past several years, but it recently lost its challenge to the Evonik/PeroxyChem merger. Jenn Mellott speaks with Eric Mahr, Andrew Ewalt, and Laura Onken, members of the Freshfields antitrust team who worked on the litigation, about the case and what businesses should take away from this significant win against the FTC.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has delivered his first Budget as Chancellor. Freshfields partners Helen Buchanan, Jill Gatehouse and Paul Davison join associate Josh Critchlow to discuss the key takeaways for companies, including the digital services tax, entrepreneurs’ relief, new compliance and disclosure rules and reliefs for intellectual property.

In this podcast, following on from his recent blog post - The turning of the year – UK financial services enforcement trends in 2019 and the year ahead - Tom Clark, a partner in our dispute resolution practice, summarises key themes from recent FCA enforcement activity in the UK and gives an insight into what the future for UK enforcement may hold.

The past few years have seen a renewed interest in vertical merger enforcement in the US. Jenn Mellott speaks with US antitrust partner Tom Ensign and counsel Jan Rybnicek, who break down the most significant investigations and discuss what companies should take away from the draft vertical merger guidelines published by the FTC and DOJ last month. 

After an eventful 2019, we look at sanctions and international trade trends to watch for in 2020.  In this podcast, Stephanie Brown Cripps joins Nabeel Yousef to discuss Iran-related sanctions, export control restrictions on Huawei and Chinese technology, and the impact of sanctions and trade on transactions.

Leading businesses are rethinking how they manage risk by taking a more holistic approach and focusing on conduct. In this episode, Matthew Bruce, Holly Insley and Bruce McCulloch discuss the increased focus on principles and behaviours, bringing compliance training to life and tactical considerations for overcoming resource constraints.

Today, the newly-appointed EU Commission published its “A Europe Fit for the Digital Age” strategy, which includes its Artificial Intelligence (AI) White Paper. So what is the Commission proposing? What does this mean for the future of Europe’s liability framework, and how should tech companies respond? Join Freshfields’ Natasha Good, Andrew Austin, and Eugene McQuaid to find out.