“I’ve been involved in ESG and sustainability for over 20 years and in the last few years the focus has increased significantly,” says Rich Hall, Head of Sustainability at leading accountancy and professional services firm RSM, on the shift in perception of ESG-related risk within corporate organisations. “Even before the pandemic, we were beginning to see more commentary on ESG issues, mainly centred around the environmental side ...
Shoosmiths has launched ESG 360, a free online compliance audit tool to enable organisations to understand their Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) performance. ESG 360 users receive a personalised report providing red, amber or green ratings in relation to various elements of ESG compliance performance, alongside commentary and suggestions for improvement. Built around an online questionnaire, ESG 360 allows users to assess their general ESG performance or focus on specific aspects ...
On March 28, the Minister of Labour introduced Bill 19, an Act respecting the regulation of work by children (the ?Bill?), which establishes in particular a minimum working age of 14 and a maximum number of hours of work for children subject to compulsory school attendance. This Bill is presented in the wake of massive and noticeable entry of young workers into the market in the context of shortage of unskilled workers exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic ...
On March 31, 2023, Governor Andy Beshear signed Senate Bill 47 making medical marijuana use and sale legal in Kentucky, effective January 1, 2025. [i] Kentucky now joins at least 37 other states that have legalized medical marijuana. The newest piece of legislation comes on the heels of Governor Beshear signing two executive orders related to cannabis in November of 2022 ...
Contents Please click on the links below to jump to the relevant section: Overview FAQ 1: Are SPV trustees in scope? FAQ 2: What about SPVs that aren’t trustees? Do you need to have a “customer” or “third party” to be in scope? FAQ 3: I do have “customers” or “third parties” ...
On the 2nd of February 2023, the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (hereinafter referred to as “EIOPA”) published a Supervisory Statement on the use of governance arrangements in third countries to perform functions or activities (hereinafter referred to as the “Statement”) ...
Simonsen Vogt Wiig is ranked a top tier firm in the following categories: Dispute resolution EU and competition Fishing and aquaculture Insolvency and corporate recovery Maritime law Offshore construction and shipbuilding Energy: Oil and gas TMT We have more than 50 lawyers acknowledged in this year’s guide, and want to highlight the following new rankings: Espen Tøndel: Hall of Fame – TMT Thomas Talén: Leading Individuals – Employment Espen Ba
Earlier this year, the government announced its support for the passing of the Workers (Predictable Terms and Conditions) Bill. Should it become law, the Bill is set to bring huge change for tens of millions of employees in the UK who do not currently have a statutory right to request a predictable working pattern ...
Americans have increasingly accepted meat and dairy alternatives as staples in their daily diets. For example, recent market research shows that two out of every five U.S. consumers plan to purchase plant-based meat products in 2023. The prevalence of these forms of alternative protein has set the stage for a semantic — and potentially paradigm-shifting — dispute over the very meaning of the terms "meat," "milk" and "dairy ...
At a time when some are demanding that artificial intelligence (AI) research and advanced systems development be temporarily suspended and others want to close Pandora?s box, it is appropriate to ask what effect chat technology (ChatGPT, Bard and others) will have on businesses and workplaces. Some companies support its use, others prohibit it, but many have yet to take a stand. We believe that all companies should adopt a clear position and guide their employees in the use of such technology ...
As schools and institutions of higher education anticipate the release of new Title IX regulations this May, on Thursday, April 6, the U.S. Department of Education (the “Department”) released a new notice of proposed rulemaking relating to athletic eligibility under Title IX (the “Athletics NPRM”). The Athletics NPRM was forecast by the Department in its proposed Title IX regulations published in July 2022 ...
April 5, 2023 By: Julian Gurule Turmoil in the tech ecosystem and escalating sentiment that a recession in the U.S. might occur in the near-term, indicate that startups, their lenders, and investors may soon confront extreme financial challenges – and will force all stakeholders in a troubled venture to consider strategic options ...
Previously, the Government issued Decree No. 03/2023/ND-CP dated 10 February 2023 on the functions, tasks, powers and organizational structure of the Vietnam Competition Commission (“VCC”) (“Decree 03”). The Prime Minister has now issued Decision No. 310/QD-TTg dated 29 March 2023 appointing Mr. Le Trieu Dung to hold the position of Chairman of the VCC (“Decision 310”). Before being appointed as the Chairman of VCC, Mr ...
A summary of the key takeaways from a recent webinar on 2023 Changes to the Immigration Rules. The webinar was hosted by Pavan Sumal and Rachel Harvey and a recording of the webinar can be found below along with a summary of the key takeaways ...
To mark the launch of EG's latest UK Cities Investor Guide at MIPIM 2023, Shoosmiths real estate partner Patrick Duffy joined a panel discussion on public-private partnerships. The session explored the opportunities and challenges that will affect the growth of UK cities, as well as what more can be done to attract innovation and investment ...
The Limited Partnerships (Jersey) Law 1994 (the “Law”) governs Jersey limited partnerships. A limited partnership seeks to combine the flexibility and “tax transparency” offered by a partnership structure with the benefits, for limited partners, of limited liability offered by a company ...
Approval process The Jersey Financial Services Commission (“JFSC”) does not need to review the fund structure, documentation or the promoter. Instead the fund administrator certifies to the JFSC that the fund complies with the EF Guide and once the certification and the fund’s offer document are filed the JFSC aims for a 3 day turnaround on the application for approval ...
The development of Bermuda's insurance regime is a result of prevailing market conditions and considerations. Recent enhancements to Bermuda's insurance regime have focused on commercial insurers (particularly in the life sector) and this trend looks to continue through and beyond 2023. That said, the BMA recently updated the Insurance Code of Conduct (the Code) in September 2022 ...
The first hearings for the official UK Covid-19 Inquiry are fast approaching – though less quickly than originally anticipated, with the start date now delayed to Tuesday 13 June. Although public hearings are yet to get under way, the Inquiry has nonetheless had a busy February and March, with preliminary hearings for Modules 1 (pandemic preparedness and resilience), 2 (political and administrative decision-making) and 3 (impact on the healthcare sector) all taking place ...
Facilitating whistleblowing and supporting those who do raise concerns is a very important health check for charities, who are judged not just on the basis of what they do, but also how they do it, and who need to remain mindful of “walking the talk ...
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the UK body responsible for consumer protection, has increased its focus on tackling misleading online sales practices ahead of the introduction of new legislation, expected later this year. The CMA has launched a new campaign to help consumers identify and report misleading online sales practices, including pressure selling, hidden charges, subscription traps and fake or misleading reviews ...
