The Archive (2020-2023)

Office occupation trends - post COVID

COVID will have a lasting impact on how we work and our requirements for office space. Jane Edwarde, John Nevin and Graham Rounce discuss the effect of COVID on the office letting market and focus on which trends are emerging, from a human as well as a legal perspective.

COVID-19: Energy, Water and Communications Sectors in Extraordinary Times

In this podcast, Jessica Staples, Sarah Jackson, Poppy Smith and Rosalind Kenward from the Competition and Regulatory group, compare the responses of regulators in the UK energy, water and communications sectors to the COVID-19 crisis. They discuss how regulators in these sectors are taking an increasingly pragmatic approach to enforcement and competitor collaboration, where this is necessary to allow suppliers to protect vulnerable consumers and continue to deliver essential services. They also look at how COVID-19 is likely to impact regulatory priorities going forward.

The impact of COVID-19 on Executive Remuneration

In this podcast, Gillian Fairfield and Ian Brown discuss Executive Remuneration and the issues facing Remuneration Committees in the current crisis.

Equity Capital Markets in the COVID-19 crisis

COVID's impact on cash flows has seen many companies turn to the equity markets to address liquidity problems. In this podcast, Richard Smith,  James Cook and Gillian Fairfield consider which trends are emerging and focuses on what issuers need to know when contemplating an equity raise.

Foreign Direct Investment in the COVID-19 crisis

National governments across the world are adopting a range of measures to deal with the economic distress caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of these measures seek the tightening of foreign direct investment (FDI) regimes to prevent a sell-off of strategic businesses to foreign investors.
 
In this podcast, Lisa Wright, a partner in our competition group, examines the EU's existing FDI framework and the European Commission's recent guidance to EU Member States on deploying FDI screening to protect critical businesses, as discussed in our client briefing on 27 March 2020. She also discusses the new FDI measures adopted by certain jurisdictions, both within and outside the EU, and the use of existing FDI screening regimes by those that have not (yet) introduced new measures to respond to the crisis.

COVID-19: How the market is interacting with the CCFF

Matthew Tobin and Ed Fife, partners in our Financing Group, discuss the Bank of England’s Covid Corporate Financing Facility (CCFF).

From eligibility issues, timing to access the scheme to the potential of business restrictions and how to manage the publicity of receiving CCFF support. Tobin and Fife share thoughts from our experience in advising H.M. Treasury and working with multiple corporates applying for CCFF.