Expert Analysis

• Whistleblower Pay Is A Risky Path For The SFO To Tread

  

  In a recent speech, Serious Fraud Office director Nick Ephgrave supported the payment of whistleblowers, but implementing such an extreme measure is potentially hazardous and could leave the new director a hostage to fortune, says Richard Cannon at Stokoe Partnership.

• The Good, The Bad And The New Of The UK Sanctions Regime

  

  Almost six years after the Sanctions and Money Laundering Act was introduced, the U.K. government has published a strategy paper that outlines its focus points and unveils potential changes to the regime, such as a new humanitarian exception for financial sanctions, highlighting the rapid transformation of the U.K. sanctions landscape, says Josef Rybacki at WilmerHale.

• Businesses Using AI Face Novel Privacy, Cybersecurity Risks

  

  Rapid advancements in artificial intelligence are resulting in complex privacy and cybersecurity challenges for businesses, and with the forthcoming EU AI Act and enhancement of existing laws to ensure a high common level of security, key stakeholders should be empowered to manage associated risks, say lawyers at Goodwin.

• A Look At Environment Agency's New Economic Crime Unit

  

  Sophie Wood at Kingsley Napley explains how the Environment Agency’s newly established Economic Crime Unit will pursue criminal money flows from environmental offenses, and discusses the unit’s civil powers, including the ability to administer account freezing and forfeiture orders, says Sophie Wood at Kingsley Napley.

• Prompt Engineering Skills Are Changing The Legal Profession

  

  With a focus on higher-value work as repetitive tasks are delegated to artificial intelligence, legal roles are set to become more inspiring, and lawyers need not fear the rising demand for prompt engineers that is altering the technology-enabled legal environment, say Eric Crawley, Shah Karim and Paul O’Hagan at Epiq Legal.

• Opinion

  UK Whistleblowers Flock To The US For Good Reason

  

  The U.K. Serious Fraud Office director recently brought renewed attention to the differences between the U.K. and U.S. whistleblower regimes — differences that may make reporting to U.S. agencies a better and safer option for U.K. whistleblowers, and show why U.K. whistleblower laws need to be improved, say Benjamin Calitri and Kate Reeves at Kohn Kohn.

• 4 Ways To Prepare For EU's Digital Finance Security Law

  

  Companies that will fall under the scope of the Digital Operational Resilience Act when it goes into effect next January should take several proactive steps as they prepare for new corporate governance, risk management, incident reporting and third-party contracting obligations, says Edward Machin at Ropes & Gray.

• 4 Legal Privilege Lessons From Dechert Disclosure Ruling

  

  The Court of Appeal's recent decision in Al Sadeq v. Dechert LLP, finding that evidence may have been incorrectly withheld, provides welcome clarification of the scope of legal professional privilege, including the application of the iniquity exception, says Tim Knight at Travers Smith.

• BT Case May Shape UK Class Action Landscape

  

  The first opt-out collective action trial commenced in Le Patourel v. BT in the U.K. Competition Appeal Tribunal last month, regarding BT's abuse of dominance by overcharging millions of customers, will likely provide clarification on damages and funder returns in collective actions, which could significantly affect the class action regime, say lawyers at RPC.

• No-Poach Agreements Face Greater EU Antitrust Scrutiny

  

  EU competition authorities are increasingly viewing employer no-poach agreements as anti-competitive and an enforcement priority, demonstrating that such provisions are no longer without risk in Europe, and proving the importance of understanding EU antitrust law concerns and implications, says Robert Hardy at Greenberg Traurig.

• Key Points From EC Economic Security Screening Initiatives

  

  Lawyers at Herbert Smith analyze the European Commission's five recently announced initiatives aimed at de-risking the EU's trade and investment links with third countries, including the implementation of mandatory screening mechanisms and extending coverage to investments made by EU companies that are controlled subsidiaries of non-EU investors.

• Following The Road Map Toward Quantum Security

  

  With the Financial Conduct Authority’s recent publication of a white paper on a quantum-secure financial sector, firms should begin to consider the quantum transition early — before the process is driven by regulatory obligations — with the goal of developing a cybersecurity architecture that is agile while also allowing for quantum security, say lawyers at Cleary.

• Why EU Ruling On Beneficial Ownership May Affect The UK

  

  Following the EU judgment in Sovim v. Luxembourg that public access to beneficial ownership information conflicts with data protection rights, several British overseas territories and dependencies have recently reversed their commitment to introduce unrestricted access, and challenges to the U.K.’s liberal stance may be on the cards, says Rupert Cullen at Allectus Law.

• UK Gov't Response Clarifies AI Regulation Approach

  

  Although the U.K. government’s recent response to its artificial intelligence consultation is a clear signal of its continuing pro-innovation approach to AI regulation, high-level systems are likely to be the focus of scrutiny and organizations may consider reviewing measures they have implemented to help identify risks, say Christopher Foo and Edward Machin at Ropes & Gray.

• Key Changes In FRC Code Aim To Promote Good Governance

  

  The focus of the recently published Financial Reporting Council Corporate Governance Code on risk management and internal controls is to ensure the competitiveness of the U.K. listing regime while not compromising on governance standards, and issuers may wish to consider updating their policies in order to follow best practice, say lawyers at Debevoise.