Artificial intelligence is upon us, but are schemes ready? Like it or not, members are already turning to AI to guide their pension decisions. In the first of two episodes, we focus on the opportunities and challenges for trustees. Thomas Joy, ...

Our M&A and Trade experts from the UK (Alex Kay), Europe (Morris Schonberg), Asia (Nanda Lau) and Australia (Andrew Rich) discuss the current economic and geopolitical headwinds impacting M&A activity in the consumer sector, reflect on ...

In our first episode of The Third Wheel for 2025, Tim Stutt, Anna Coroneo and Suzannah Hewson explore the key themes and latest trends in climate and sustainability reporting both globally and in Australia. They offer practical advice for compa...

As part of Government's relentless drive to grow the economy, regulators have been challenged on how they can support the growth agenda. In Episode 5 of the FSR Brief, Jon Ford and Michael Tan are joined by Jenny Stainsby and Tim Parkes to disc...

In this Easter edition of the public law podcast, Jasveer Randhawa is joined by HSF partners Nusrat Zar and James Wood. Together, they discuss the application and availability of public law in a contractual context. They then delve into the cas...

Reforms to the ‘tipping off’ offence under section 123 of the Australian Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 (Cth) came into force from the 31st of March. The revised offence differs significantly from the fo...

In this episode, we cross examine Mark Rigotti, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD), technically the largest director institute in the world with 53,000 members.Mark has h...

In this episode we discuss "bear hugs", that is where a potential bidder for a target goes public about its possible offer without the target board's consent and appeals directly to the target's shareholders.We talk about: why ...

Join our experts as they discuss how to approach legal professional privilege in the context of collaboration platforms such as Microsoft Teams, Slack and WhatsApp, particularly in light of possible requirements to produce documents to regulato...

Recorded 31 March 2025This election special of Inside IR looks at the upcoming 2025 Australian Federal Election through an industrial relations and employment lens. Given the vast amount of reform over the last 3 years, what does the ne...

In this edition of the Herbert Smith Freehills Public Law Podcast, Andrew Lidbetter and Hannah Lau explore the issue of transparency in driven decision-making which involves AI public bodies and regulators.With AI being used increasingly...

In this latest episode of Insurance Bites, partners Greig Anderson and Antonia Pegden and associate Meena Mariadassou explore the insurance implications of the motor finance broker commission cases (Johnson v FirstRand Bank; Wrench v FirstRand ...

Given the recent commencement of criminal wage thefts laws, increase in the maximum civil penalties that can be awarded for wage non-compliance, and focus of the Fair Work Ombudsman on prosecuting wage non-compliance, it is more important than ...

In our second episode on DC consolidation, we look overseas. The Government has held up Australia as a role model. We discuss the rise of the Australian "supers", and the way in which they invest. What are the lessons for the UK consolidation j...

This episode brings together our CC&I and ESG teams to consider supply chain risks, both in the context of failure to prevent fraud and of broader sustainability issues. Elizabeth Head, Kate Meakin and Rebecca Chin discuss whether suppliers...

In this 30th episode of our series of commercial litigation update podcasts, we will discuss some recent decisions on privilege, a couple of high-profile cases on aspects of insolvency litigation, and some interesting cases on assignment and re...

The Adverb that Changed Everything: Arbitration, State Immunity and the case of General Dynamics v Libya Join Liz Kantor, Vanessa Naish, and guest, Andrew Cannon, as they explore the fascinating intersection of arbitration ...

In this episode we talk about the Primary Market Bulletin 54 published by the FCA on the leaking of inside information on M&A transactions.We discuss:•the issues that the FCA identifies;•how the leaking of information may be unlawful disclosure un...

The Regulator has wide-ranging powers of investigation. Among other things, it can issue a "section 72 notice" – a demand for documents and information. In this episode, we discuss when the Regulator can come knocking, and how trustees or emplo...

On the inaugural episode of the Inside Employment podcast series, hosts Anthony Wood, Partner, and Lucy Boyd, Executive Counsel, welcomed Katie Bull, Senior Associate, for a discussion on their top 5 predictions for major issues and development...

The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has announced its decision to drop its controversial proposals published last year to name firms it is investigating at an early stage and before any findings of misconduct have been made (sometimes refe...

In this SPECIAL EDITION of our banking litigation podcast, we consider a key risk area for financial institutions handling client payments – the so-called Quincecare duty of care. This episode is hosted by John Corrie, who is joined by Ceri Morgan...

The Government's megafund proposals have sparked plenty of debate. This episode focuses on the investment piece. Are schemes under-invested in the UK? If so, what are the relevant obstacles and opportunities? And will consolidation really move ...

In this episode of our public M&A podcast series, we talk about the themes and trends we saw in public M&A activity in 2024. In the episode, we discuss:activity levels generally; trends we saw in public M&A...

Veronica Roberts (UK Head of Competition, Regulation and Trade), Peter Rowland (Of Counsel) and Ruth Allen (Knowledge Lawyer) share their insights into navigating competition law and FDI regulation in the pharmaceutical sector. Looking ahead to...