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31 March 2021
SPACs and de-SPACing – What Australian companies need to know
In 2020, SPACs overtook traditional IPOs in the US by number and each of them will need to find acquisition targets or be liquidated within a set time frame. Increasingly, Australian companies are on the radar as acquisition targets for SPACs. In this article we examine what they are, why...
26 March 2021
Major foreign investment reforms in Australia – what you need to know
Significant amendments to Australia’s foreign investment regime commenced on 1 January 2021. Nearly three months after their commencement, we are beginning to see evidence of a more cautious approach by applicants seeking foreign investment approval. However, 2021 has also brought some positive...
24 March 2021
Workplace change for the Covid recovery
Australian Industrial Relations reforms In May 2020, the government announced its intention to introduce workplace changes to support the rebuilding of a post-Covid economy. Join our Employment, Industrial Relations and Safety team as we unpack the headlines and follow the latest developments on...
26 February 2021
Flexible and bespoke bid conditions – protecting against material risks
In E&P Financial Group Limited [2021] ATP 1, the Takeovers Panel has confirmed that bidders have considerable latitude to craft and impose bid conditions that are designed to protect against material risks – subject always to the conditions not being prohibited by law or policy, such as...
19 February 2021
Australian Federal Government seeks to permanently ease continuous disclosure rules
On 17 February 2021, the Australian Federal Government proposed new laws which, if enacted, will make permanent the temporary relief from liability for certain breaches of a listed entity’s continuous disclosure obligations.
21 January 2021
Proposals by the Indian Ministry of Corporate Affairs for a new Prepackaged Insolvency Resolution Process
Background and purpose of the proposals On 8 th January proposals for a new ‘Prepackaged Insolvency Resolution Process’ ("PIRP") were issued by the Indian Ministry of Corporate Affairs for public consultation, and we have considered them from a foreign perspective. The proposals are continuing...
11 December 2020
Australian foreign investment reform legislation passed by Parliament
The Foreign Investment Reform (Protecting Australia’s National Security) Act 2020 ( Reform Act ) and the Foreign Acquisitions and Takeovers Fees Imposition Amendment Act 2020 ( Fees Act ) received Royal Assent on 10 December 2020, confirming that the Commonwealth Government’s changes to Australia’s...
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10 May 2021
London International Disputes Week 2021
10 – 14 May 2021 Herbert Smith Freehills is a proud founding member of LIDW. London International Disputes Week 2021 comes at a significant period for the UK legal sector, in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, post-Brexit and amid an uncertain global political environment. Through a programme of...
08 April 2021
Real estate transfer tax (“RETT”) reform likely to be implemented on short notice
The German RETT reform is gaining momentum and an updated draft bill is contemplated to be voted on by the German parliament as early as mid-April. While a draft bill has not yet been published, with a few exceptions, the new rules are expected to be largely similar to a previous draft published in...
31 March 2021
SPACs and de-SPACing – What Australian companies need to know
In 2020, SPACs overtook traditional IPOs in the US by number and each of them will need to find acquisition targets or be liquidated within a set time frame. Increasingly, Australian companies are on the radar as acquisition targets for SPACs. In this article we examine what they are, why...
31 March 2021
Policyholder successfully challenges insurer’s refusal to cover ‘securities claim’
In good news for policyholders defending class actions, the Federal Court of Australia has rejected an insurer’s arguments that a class action settlement was not covered because: the units in an ASX-listed trust the subject of the proceedings were not “securities”; and the proceedings arose from...
31 March 2021
The Bettor's Verdict – a Herbert Smith Freehills podcast on gambling law
This podcast, hosted by Steven Jacobs , will focus on unwinding the tangled web of US gambling laws past and present, telling the stories of the people affected by this sometimes-impenetrable and often-changing landscape, and providing insight on what will come next.
30 March 2021
New ACICA 2021 Arbitration Rules
The Australian Centre of International Commercial Arbitration ( ACICA ) has unveiled revised Arbitration Rules due to enter into force in April 2021. As arbitration continues to be on the rise in Australia, and ACICA enjoys record caseloads, the 2021 ACICA Rules set out ACICA’s vision for the...
29 March 2021
UAE Cabinet approves the establishment of the Executive Office for AML and CFT
The UAE Cabinet has approved the establishment of the Executive Office of the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism to oversee the implementation of the UAE’s National AML/CFT Strategy and National Action Plan ( NAP ).
29 March 2021
Pressure points: The light at the end of the Covid-19 tunnel? the landscape for arbitration and disputes in a time of uncertainty and hope
The approval and rollout of mass Covid 19 vaccinations across many parts of the world has prompted many to look ahead to a “post-Covid” world. For clients and practitioners of arbitration who have witnessed the almost overnight shift of arbitral practice into the virtual arena, that quest for a...
26 March 2021
Major foreign investment reforms in Australia – what you need to know
Significant amendments to Australia’s foreign investment regime commenced on 1 January 2021. Nearly three months after their commencement, we are beginning to see evidence of a more cautious approach by applicants seeking foreign investment approval. However, 2021 has also brought some positive...
24 March 2021
Australian Employment, Industrial Relations and Safety Podcasts
Join our experts as they discuss and share their views on the latest developments we are seeing in the employment, industrial relations and workplace healthy and safety space covering areas such as underpayment compliance, annualised salary provisions, industrial manslaughter laws and what key...