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26 May 2020
Australian Federal Government eases continuous disclosure rules
Yesterday, the Australian Federal Government modified the continuous disclosure provisions of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) ( Corporations Act ) in an effort to provide temporary relief to companies and officers for a six month period from today.
22 May 2020
COVID-19: Initial responses of certain African countries (Africa)
More than 2 months after the WHO declared the novel coronavirus a pandemic on 11 March 2020, the epicentre of the outbreak has shifted from Asia, where it first appeared in late 2019, to the USA, which still has the highest number of COVID-19 cases and deaths. While initial fears were focused on...
04 May 2020
COVID-19: Pressure Points: The Global Impact on the Mining Industry
The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented humanitarian and economic crisis. The mining industry has sought to respond quickly to protect the health of its employees and its communities. These steps are in response to (and often ahead of) emergency measures and lockdowns implemented by governments...
09 April 2020
COVID-19: Pressure Points: Managing competition issues whilst allowing businesses to collaborate (Australia)
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a rush of applications to the ACCC seeking to authorise coordination as between competitors which might otherwise contravene provisions of the Competition and Consumer Act ( CCA ) .
03 April 2020
COVID-19: People: Temporary amendments to Modern Awards concerning leave entitlements (Australia)
The Fair Work Commission ( FWC ) announced that it proposes to temporarily vary 103 modern awards to: provide all employees (including full-time, part-time and casual employees) with a new entitlement of up to 2 weeks’ unpaid pandemic leave; and provide for employees, by agreement with their...
20 March 2020
COVID-19: Pressure Points: Measures adopted by the Spanish Government for the energy sector (Spain)
In recent days the Spanish Government has approved a series of provisions to tackle the crisis caused by the COVID-19 outbreak. Those provisions adopt a set of measures that have differing impact on a number of business sectors.
18 March 2020
COVID-19: Governance: Plan now to manage environmental compliance during the crisis (Australia)
Australian companies should plan now to ensure environmental compliance as the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds. This is particularly the case for licensed facilities and businesses with the potential for material environmental impacts or other obligations in respect of emission, discharges and waste...
03 March 2020
Directors walking tightrope on ESG disclosure
In the context of BlackRock’s climate ‘epiphany’ last month, as well as clear indications from significant fund managers such as Sir Christopher Hohn’s TCI Funds Management that they will be taking more overtly activist steps to catalyse climate action in future, listed company boards have never...
18 February 2020
Covid-19: Governance: Insurance losses and considerations for policyholders (Australia)
The various restrictions being put in place to contain the spread of COVID-19 are causing significant disruption to supply chain logistics for businesses all over the world. Many Australian policyholders are asking: can the adverse financial consequences of the interruption be claimed on insurance...
30 January 2020
Unfolding privacy class actions in Australia
Claimants in Australia face a number of challenges to successfully bringing a privacy class action, including the absence of a clear cause of action and difficulties in quantifying loss. Despite the challenges, on 9 December 2019, the Supreme Court of NSW in Evans v Health Administration...
29 January 2020
Is US government inaction on climate change a breach of the constitution?
A United States court has recently been asked to consider whether the federal government’s inaction in relation to climate change breaches the United States constitution. The court (by a majority of two to one) reluctantly found that they did not have jurisdiction to order the government to redress...
21 January 2020
The new environment for climate change litigation
The Dutch Supreme Court (the Court ) has recently affirmed a decision of the District Court to issue an order directing the State of the Netherlands to reduce it's greenhouse gas emissions by the end of 2020 by at least 25% of the emissions as at 1990. The order issued by the District Court now...
11 December 2019
Big data is transforming investigations
Big data is rapidly changing the way in which regulators and law enforcement conduct an investigation and build a case. New technology reduces compliance costs, but also increases regulatory expectations of businesses' monitoring, detection and reporting capabilities. And, as technology evolves,...
10 December 2019
The ACCC pilots its first ‘effect test’ in misuse of market power proceedings
On 6 December 2019, the ACCC launched its first enforcement proceedings under the new ‘effects test’ prohibition on misuse of market power. The proceedings will provide much needed guidance as to how the much-debated ‘effects test’ will apply to unilateral conduct. It is noteworthy that the two...
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07 September 2020
London International Disputes Week 2020
We are pleased to announce that London International Disputes Week (LIDW) is returning for a second year in September 2020. Herbert Smith Freehills is proud to be associated with this key event, which celebrates London as a global centre for dispute resolution. 7 – 11 September 2020 For more...
26 May 2020
Australian Federal Government eases continuous disclosure rules
Yesterday, the Australian Federal Government modified the continuous disclosure provisions of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) ( Corporations Act ) in an effort to provide temporary relief to companies and officers for a six month period from today.
26 May 2020
Has the Full Court 'Rokt' the boat
Commissioner of Patents v Rokt Pte Ltd [2020] FCAFC 86 is the most recent in a string of decisions by the Full Court of the Federal Court in which the Court has yet again rejected a computer-implemented invention in this instance a digital advertising system and method as patentable subject matter.
22 May 2020
Insurance articles for The In-House Lawyer magazine, Spring 2020 edition
The insurance team at Herbert Smith Freehills has contributed two articles to the latest edition of The In-House Lawyer magazine. The articles consider important insurance issues that in-house lawyers should be aware of, especially in the current market.
22 May 2020
COVID-19: Initial responses of certain African countries (Africa)
More than 2 months after the WHO declared the novel coronavirus a pandemic on 11 March 2020, the epicentre of the outbreak has shifted from Asia, where it first appeared in late 2019, to the USA, which still has the highest number of COVID-19 cases and deaths. While initial fears were focused on...
22 May 2020
COVID-19: People: Job Retention Scheme (UK)
On 22 May 2020 the UK Government issued a new Direction amending the legal framework for claims under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. We have updated our briefing on the Scheme below to reflect the changes, which are also highlighted in our blog post here .
21 May 2020
COVID-19: Governance: Corporate Insolvency and Governance Bill – major insolvency reforms proposed (UK)
The Government on 20 May 2020 published the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Bill, which contains the most far-reaching reforms to UK insolvency law in over 30 years. The Bill has been introduced on an emergency basis in an attempt to ensure that otherwise financially viable companies survive...
21 May 2020
COVID-19: Pressure Points: foreign direct investment regulation – drawbridges continue to rise in response to the pandemic (Global)
Foreign direct investment (“ FDI ”) regulation has featured increasingly on the radar for cross-border M&A, against a backdrop of amplified protectionist rhetoric. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of countries which have traditionally been seen as open to foreign investment were...
21 May 2020
COVID-19: Governance: practical issues around signing and completion (UK)
Given the current restrictions on interaction which have been imposed by the UK Government and with a large number of people now working from home, it is not always possible to adopt the usual methods for signing and completing deals. We have summarised below some practical points to ensure...
