Shoosmiths’ AI lead and partner Alex Kirkhope attended the Data Ethics Summit, focused on exploring the fundamental principles of ethical technology, the agenda evolved to delve into the practical applications of ethics, spanning from private sector strategies to policy and regulatory development, many of which are now being put into practice ...
Shoosmiths’ head of technology sector Joe Stephenson attended the Tech and Innovation Summit, focused on how public and private sector organisations are supercharging innovation into action. In today's rapidly evolving technological landscape, staying ahead of the curve is crucial for businesses and governments alike. Below, we reveal our key takeaways from the event: Data Centres: Meeting the Demand for Growth The digital age has ushered in a surge in data generation and consumption ...
This February saw the largest Energy Storage Summit in the UK so far, as over 1500 delegates, exhibitors and speakers converged on West London to discuss the key issues in storage, both in the UK and overseas. Chris Pritchett, energy and infrastructure partner has been a prominent figure in Energy Storage since 2015 and was asked to chair day two of the conference ...
UK law firm Shoosmiths has been mobilising its legal advisors and support staff to keep its clients up-to-date on the many potential impacts of the coronavirus outbreak. Its free, online COVID-19 hub is already packed with a wealth of information on topics that might have both short and long-term effects on business ...
Shoosmiths has submitted a comprehensive response for the proposed Automated Vehicles Bill (AV Bill) to the House of Commons. It outlines crucial insights from the firm into the expanding connected and automated mobility sector, to support with new legislation ...
Suzanne Burrell is joined by Adam Davis, Managing Director of K3 Advisory, and Becky Wood, Trustee Director at Vidett, to discuss recent risk transfer market experience, preparing for buy in or buy out, and some common issues in those projects. Last year, 2022, saw the completion of around 200 risk transfer transactions, representing around £30bn in liabilities moving from pension schemes to insurers ...
In response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) we continue to undertake a series of measures to: 1. protect our employees; 2. provide continuity of support to our clients; and 3. work with critical elements of our supply chain to enable us to fulfil 1 and 2 Shoosmiths senior leadership, including our Chairperson, CEO, COO, business support Directors and business unit heads, are meeting as and when required to consider and act upon developments regarding COVID-19 ...
In recent months, colleagues in Scotland have been working closely with Glasgow City of Science and Innovation to partner in raising the profile of the Glasgow City Region on a national and international scale, showcasing its potential as a world-class hub for research and innovation ...
WSG member Simon McArdle, Partner at Shoosmiths, shares his advice for GCs looking to implement tech for the first time, his predictions around the next big thing in legal tech and how to ensure that the legal system and/or tech you invest in doesn’t get retired and replaced shortly after ...
Tech London Advocates (TLA) Scale Up Group hosted a virtual event with expert speakers, UK Tech on the World Stage, as a partner event for Scaleup Week: The Business Plan held on 18-20 May 2021. A panel of international tech leaders shared insights and opinions regarding UK technology on the world stage, exploring the growth of UK digital businesses and what it takes for them to expand into overseas markets ...
The Law Commission recently released its third and final consultation paper on autonomous vehicles. The paper launched a consultation process with the aim of developing policy and seeking regulatory recommendations for the deployment of autonomous vehicles on British roads. Earlier consultation papers sought to collate views on overall vehicle safety and the regulation of automated passenger services (e.g. driverless buses, trains, and taxis) ...
The recently released Rose Review progress report 2023 found that female founders defied a challenging economic climate to build more new businesses last year than ever before. The data insight and tracking that built on the inaugural findings of 2019, discovered that women-led companies had used ‘innovation and entrepreneurialism’ to tackle higher inflation and macroeconomic uncertainty to launch over 150,000 new companies in 2022 – more than twice as many as in 2018 ...
Our Shoospeak HR podcast welcomes special guests Peter Morris (Partner in the Shoosmiths' family team) and Mahdiya Malik (HR and CSR Manager at Vaultex). Shoosmiths colleague Andy Graham chats to special guests Peter Morris (Partner in the Shoosmiths family team) and Mahdiya Malik (HR and CSR Manager at Vaultex) about Vaultex's recent introduction of a domestic violence policy ...
Our Shoospeak HR podcast welcomes special guest Jonathan Naylor (Partner in the Shoosmiths' employment team) to discuss trade union communication strategies ...
Our Shoospeak HR podcast welcomes special guest Pavan Sumal who explains the options open to Ukrainians looking to flee the current conflict. Shoosmiths colleagues Andy Graham and Amy Leech are joined by special guest Pavan Sumal (Associate within Shoosmiths’ Immigration Team) to discuss visa options and other immigration support available for Ukrainians fleeing the current conflict ...
A new licensing scheme is coming into force in Scotland to regulate short-term lets. The scheme requires hosts of self-catering accommodation to have a licence in place to accept bookings and welcome guests. This article explains who needs to apply for a licence, when the deadlines are, and how to apply ...
As the licencing scheme for short-term lets comes into force in Scotland on 1 October 2022, hosts will need to understand the various conditions they must meet to obtain a licence. This article explains when planning permission may be necessary and details the series of conditions that hosts must meet to obtain a licence. If you are wondering if you need to apply for a licence, when the deadlines are, and how to apply, read the first article in our series to find out more ...
Clearview AI has escaped punishment in the UK for its global facial recognition database. The reasons why are crucial and will potentially affect the future of privacy for everyone in the UK. Alongside Cambridge Analytica, Clearview AI has emerged as probably the best-known maverick of data analytics based on recent reports. It has been fined by data protection regulators around the world, including in the UK, for developing what regulators consider unlawful facial recognition technology ...
Legal Duties of Directors and Guidelines for Insulating Them From Liability After Sarbanes-Oxley
In an 8-1 decision delivered by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in the much-anticipated BOOKING.COM case, the U.S. Supreme Court has held that in some circumstances, a generic word combined with “.com” can be a protectable trademark. Generic marks are not eligible for trademark protection and are not actually marks at all. Instead, they are essentially the name for the product/service or type of product/service at issue ...
Merger control constitutes the analysis carried out by the Office for Competition (the ‘Office’) in its assessment of those corporate transactions notifiable to it. The aim behind such an assessment is for the Office to consider whether that transaction – taking the form of the creation of a ‘concentration’ – is likely to impede effective competition ...
‘The right to disconnect’ was a popular topic during 2021 and provides for an interesting discussion - should there be a legal right in the UK for employees to disconnect from their workplace? The phrase which may bring joy to an employee’s ears but potentially not so much to those of an employer is the ‘right to disconnect’ ...
In early April, the United States approved the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”) authorizing $349 billion in a small business lending program called the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”). For franchising, this relief package seemed like a no-lose program ...
The Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) is a new federally-funded program providing emergency assistance for eligible venues adversely affected by COVID-19. The program, administered by the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Office of Disaster Assistance, will offer over $16 billion in grants to shuttered venues, providing economic relief to eligible entities. This legal update summarizes the requirements and additional information related to the grant application process ...
