The Commercial Awareness Compass by AllAboutLaw
The Commercial Awareness Compass by AllAboutLaw helps you build your commercial awareness every week with a beginners, intermediate and advanced breakdown of a story from an expert lawyer and trainee solicitor host.
This story was taken from a live conversation a few months ago. If you don't want to wait for these conversations, head over to the Commercial Awareness Compass to get them straight to your inbox each week.
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Episodes
39 episodes
Understanding public markets in flux with BCLP - Listings fade as bids multiply | Commercial Awareness Compass #39
Public listings in London have plunged to thirty‑year lows even as takeover bids soar.This episode BCLP explores the forces behind stalled IPO pipelines from shifting valuations to regulatory quirks, and reveals how law firms steer clie...
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Season 1
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Episode 39
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34:29
Digital backbone: Unpacking the data centre explosion with Clyde & Co | Commercial Awareness Compass #38
From uninterrupted power supplies to rigorous cooling requirements and airtight security measures, data centre deals have never been more complex. This episode explores the legal strategies that underpin one of Britain’s fastest‑growing industr...
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Season 1
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Episode 38
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29:03
Green foundations: BCLP on the ESG overhaul of real estate | Commercial Awareness Compass #37
With nearly two fifths of the world’s carbon output tied to bricks and mortar, investors, developers and occupiers face a new regulatory era. Our guest from BCLP examines how EPC ratings and MEE standards dictate lettability, the role of green ...
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Season 1
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Episode 37
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31:48
The future of buy-now-pay-later schemes | Commercial Awareness Compass #36
Buy now pay later has revolutionised online spending, especially for younger shoppers seeking interest-free funding but escaped the checks that govern credit cards and loans. The FCA is closing that gap with proposals for affordability testing ...
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Season 1
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Episode 36
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28:23
Follow for fallout: influencer deals and the legal risks | Commercial Awareness Compass #35
The right partnership can drive sales. The wrong one can cause a PR disaster. With influencer marketing reshaping brand strategy, lawyers are managing complex reputational and contractual dynamics.
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Season 1
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Episode 35
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33:04
Data compliance meets commercial risk | Commercial Awareness Compass #34
Law firms, tech platforms and consumer brands are all caught in the data crossfire. With no unified global law, the challenge is staying compliant while staying competitive. Privacy has become a commercial asset—mishandle it, and the damage goe...
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Season 1
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Episode 34
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30:10
War, sanctions, stock shocks: Lawyering in volatile times | Commercial Awareness Compass #33
In this episode, we unpack how politics, law, and global events collide—shaping legal practice in real-time. From the war in Ukraine to data compliance and force majeure clauses, this beginner-friendly session explores how geopolitical developm...
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Season 1
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Episode 33
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29:50
Hype-speed ahead? Or is Tesla heading for a crash landing? | Commercial Awareness Compass #32
Tesla once drove the EV revolution, but is the battery finally running low on the hype? With plummeting sales, a shrinking market share and Elon’s latest headlines more circus than strategy, this week we explore what Tesla’s shifting fortunes m...
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Season 1
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Episode 32
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29:08
Animations assemble: Disney and Universal sue AI firm Midjourney | Commercial Awareness Compass #31
Entertainment giants Disney and Universal have joined forces to take legal action against Midjourney, an AI firm accused of generating unauthorised images of iconic characters including Elsa, Spider-Man, and Darth Vader. With billions at stake,...
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Season 1
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Episode 31
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29:21
From start-up to sale: Hailey Bieber's $1bn Rhode exit | Commercial Awareness Compass #30
Hailey Bieber’s skincare brand Rhode has been snapped up by e.l.f. Beauty in a deal worth up to $1 billion, but this story isn’t just about celebrity clout. It’s about how lawyers help startups grow smart, scale fast, and sell big. From tradema...
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Season 1
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Episode 30
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28:05
Caveat hackers: The proposed Cyber Security and Resilience Bill | Commercial Awareness Compass #29
Cyber risk is no longer just an IT issue, it's a boardroom problem and a legal goldmine. This episode unpacks the proposed Cyber Security and Resilience Bill, exploring how it expands regulatory scope, introduces tougher reporting rules, and cr...
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Season 1
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Episode 29
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29:36
Relationship reset: examining the new UK–EU agreement | Commercial Awareness Compass #28
A new agreement between the UK and EU marks a shift toward closer cooperation, with promises of economic growth, cheaper goods and easier cross-border movement. But for lawyers and businesses, the real story lies in the detail. From contract re...
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Season 1
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Episode 28
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26:19
The name game: the legal play behind stadium sponsorship deals | Commercial Awareness Compass #27
Stadium naming rights are more than a branding exercise. Behind every headline deal is a legal minefield of exclusivity clauses, IP protections, reputational risk planning and regulatory hoops. This week’s episode breaks down the contracts that...
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Season 1
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Episode 27
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29:05
Rising rates, tighter budgets: navigating 2025’s wage and tax hikes | Commercial Awareness Compass #26
Wage rises usually sound like good news, but the 2025 increases to the UK’s minimum wage and National Insurance contributions are creating real challenges for businesses, especially those with tight margins. In this episode, we explore how the ...
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Season 1
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Episode 26
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27:38
Garfield AI: the SRA’s green light for robot lawyering | Commercial Awareness Compass #25
This week’s episode dives into Garfield AI, the UK’s first ever SRA-approved law firm run by artificial intelligence. Focused on debt recovery for SMEs, its approval marks a turning point for legal regulation, pricing models and professional re...
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Season 1
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Episode 25
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25:13
Princes, payouts and class actions: unpacking legal settlements | Commercial Awareness Compass #24
Legal settlements might seem like quiet agreements behind closed doors, but they’re strategic decisions that shape reputations, finances and futures. In this episode, we explore the human stories behind high-profile cases like Prince Harry’s pr...
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33:44
From GenAI to general counsel: how clients are driving law firm innovation | Commercial Awareness Compass #23
Corporate clients are no longer asking if law firms use AI, they’re demanding to know how. As clients begin measuring AI-readiness as a key scoring point, firms are under pressure to adopt tools that promise efficiency, value, and competitive e...
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Season 1
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Episode 23
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26:34
Malware in aisle five: M&S cyber attack causes chaos | Commercial Awareness Compass #22
Easter brought more than chocolate eggs for M&S this year, as a cyber attack left stores without contactless payments, VPNs down, and legal teams in overdrive. From missed sales to GDPR duties, this episode unpacks how cyber attacks trigger...
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Season 1
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Episode 22
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26:51
Cookie crumbles – Google's ad-tech throne wobbles | Commercial Awareness Compass #21
A US judge has ruled that Google’s online advertising empire is less fairground, more monopoly board, finding the tech giant guilty of anti-competitive practices across its ad-tech stack. With regulators circling on both sides of the Atlantic, ...
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Season 1
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Episode 21
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26:13
A licence to thrill: inside Universal's £50bn UK theme park | Commercial Awareness Compass #20
Universal’s plan to build a 476-acre resort near Bedford isn’t just a playground for James Bond, wizards and dinosaurs, it’s a six-year case study in IP licensing, land assembly, environmental compliance and employment strategy. Behind the them...
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Season 1
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Episode 20
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31:15
Cuthbert on trial: how supermarket IP wars make for legal drama | Commercial Awareness Compass #19
From Colin to Cuthbert, supermarket shelves have become a legal battleground over copycat products. That’s because disputes over logos, packaging and lookalike cakes are dragging major retailers like M&S, Aldi, Tesco and Lidl into court. Wi...
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Season 1
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Episode 19
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27:36
Champagne super-probe: CMA investigates Ticketmaster over Oasis ticket sales | Commercial Awareness Compass #18
From Wonderwall to wallet woes, Ticketmaster’s handling of Oasis ticket sales has hit a sour note. That’s because the CMA is now investigating Ticketmaster following complaints about platinum pricing, unclear ticket categories and a lack of tra...
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Season 1
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Episode 18
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27:02
Not so Forever 21: Is fast fashion losing its speed? | Commercial Awareness Compass #17
The world of restructuring and insolvency can be a fascinating but unforgiving space. Last week, it was fast fashion giant, Forever 21 who finally ran out of road, filing for bankruptcy and announcing the closure of its 350 U.S. stores. The com...
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Season 1
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Episode 17
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27:35
From zero (hours) to hero: the government bill shaking up employment law | Commercial Awareness Compass #16
The new Employment Rights Bill is shaking things up in the workplace. Among the most significant changes is that zero-hour and agency workers may soon have the right to request contracts that match their working hours – after 12 weeks of consis...
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Season 1
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Episode 16
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30:23
Unpacking Man United's new £2bn stadium: glamour meets law | Commercial Awareness Compass #15
Renowned football club Manchester United have confirmed ambitious plans for a new £2 billion stadium, aiming to build the largest sporting arena in the UK. Though touted as Britain’s answer to the French's Eiffel tower, some would argue the cur...
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Season 1
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Episode 15
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27:03
