Christian Vestheim focuses on mergers and acquisitions (M&A), investments, and Private Equity. He has extensive experience with Private Equity and venture capital transactions, and has assisted numerous national and international clients with investments and acquisitions. Christian has worked on transactions across various sectors, with a particular focus on technology in recent years ...
In our second article in the series focusing on discrimination in the workplace, we consider race, one of the nine protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010, including what the term covers and what issues commonly arise in the workplace. What is race? Race is defined in the Equality Act 2010 as including colour, nationality and ethnic or national origins ...
Liverpool’s impressive Spine building was the backdrop for the North West Hydrogen Alliance’s conference focussed on delivering the hydrogen economy. Appropriately, for an event with such an ambitious title, the occasion drew participants and presenters from various segments of the value chain. On the production side, BP and Cadent announced plans for a new 250MW plant ...
Practise What You Preach Governance + Compliance Magazine Joanne Sear, Principal Associate Barrister, Shoosmiths February 2024 Companies in the legal services industry may be advising clients on the risks and opportunities around corporate responsibility, but are they living up to those recommendations? For more than a decade, corporate responsibility (CR) has been a key risk and opportunity for businesses ...
Following the UK Government’s announcement in August 2023 of plans to extend the recognition of the CE marking ‘indefinitely’, the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has announced its intention to propose legislation in the spring of 2024 that will indefinitely recognise CE marking for many types of products sold in Great Britain (GB) ...
The Department for Transport today announced that design work on the £1.75 billion Midlands Rail Hub can commence with an injection of £123 million. The Midlands Rail Hub project is poised to transform rail connectivity in the heart of England, promising significant benefits for commuters and travellers alike. This is a comprehensive upgrade project that aims to enhance rail services across the Midlands region ...
Christian and his team represented a father who appealed the case to Nav, which ultimately ended in victory in the Supreme Court. In addition to Legal Achievement of the Year, SVW has once again been named Norway’s leading law firm in Data Protection ...
On 22 February 2024, The Equality and Human Rights Commission published their first guidance on menopause in the workplace (the Guidance). This is a welcomed move in the right direction, but it remains to be seen how far this will change things in practice ...
Employers are likely to have experienced some of their employees losing a baby before the 24 week mark. Employees may have been open about it with their employers; others may not have been especially if their pregnancy was in the early stages. The Government has just launched a new scheme for parents who experience a loss of pregnancy before 24 weeks. The scheme went live at 9am on 22 February 2024 and allows parents in this situation to request a baby loss certificate ...
To reduce carbon emissions, significant changes are necessary in how our industries operate, how they draw power from the grid and how we heat our homes. Hydrogen emerges as a pivotal element in achieving net zero (NZ) emission goals. It serves as a low-carbon fuel, facilitating our transition toward a more sustainable future. Developing a hydrogen economy holds the key to unlocking future investments, generating employment opportunities and enhancing supply chains ...
As it has been widely reported, 2023 saw a fall in merger and acquisition (M&A) transactions compared to 2022. Many are predicting greater dealmaking in 2024, although we suspect that will be weighted towards the second half of the year. As it has been widely reported, 2023 saw a fall in merger and acquisition (M&A) transactions compared to 2022. A vast array of headwinds all led to a reduction in deal activity, including high inflation, rising interest rates and lower economic growth ...
A podcast series that explores privacy themes within some of the most well-known movies. Whether you are a film buff, a privacy advocate, or simply curious about the intersection of storytelling and privacy, take a journey with us as we explore how the big screen tackles privacy. In this episode, William Moore and Alice Wallbank discuss “The Terminator”. So tune in to hear if the Terminator’s creator, Cyberdyne Inc ...
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 ...
The Public Service Vehicles (Accessible Information) Regulations 2023 (the “Regulations”) implement certain basic informational requirements that bus operators of local services need to implement in their vehicles in order to improve the accessibility of information for passengers on local bus services ...
Following the conflict in Ukraine, the UK Government opened various visa routes and concessions for those affected to come to the UK. These routes granted Ukrainians three years’ leave to remain in the UK and granted a right to work ...
The regulations that are starting to emerge in various different jurisdictions pose major challenges, not just for users, but also for developers of AI systems. In this article we will look at the main differences and the areas of common ground. Artificial intelligence has revolutionized many aspects of our lives, from healthcare to national security. However, its use has also raised concerns in connection with privacy, discrimination and security ...
Minimum Requirements for Employment Contracts All individuals set to be employed are required to have a written employment contract, as mandated by the Working Environment Act, Section 14-5. This requirement applies regardless of whether the employment is for a permanent or temporary position. As of July 1, 2024, new content requirements for employment contracts will be introduced for new employment relationships. These requirements are in addition to the existing minimum requirements ...
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, Special economic measures introduced in 2022 due to “unfriendly” actions of certain foreign states against the Russian Federation have been subject to development and clarification during 2023. We have already highlighted some key aspects of 2023 countersanctions regulation in another newsletter, and here we would like to pay more attention to the corporate and some other regulatory issues. 1 ...
Bringing in major reforms for the UK’s companies registry, administrative changes for companies and new measures to combat economic crime, the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 is set to strengthen the UK’s economy’s position as a trusted place for business. Large, open economies are highly attractive for worldwide business, but with openness comes susceptibility to fraud and economic crime ...
In its blog, Companies House has indicated that a number of changes will be introduced in March 2024 by the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023. The Act will provide the Registrar of Companies with a set of new overarching statutory objectives to improve the accuracy and quality of the data held by Companies House ...
The requirement for companies to provide and maintain a registered email address is expected to be implemented on 4 March 2024. Under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, all companies will be required to provide a registered email address to Companies House. The intention is that Companies House will use this address to communicate with the company for updates, notices and reminders ...
Flexible working has continued in many workforces since the pandemic. The most common pattern is a hybrid one where employees split their time between the office and home. However some employees are now looking to work remotely on a permanent basis. This is what happened in Wilson v Financial Conduct Authority 2302739/2023 ...
The Government has introduced the Rail Reform Bill, a major legislation that will overhaul the UK's rail network and affect the interests of businesses across various sectors. The Bill, which was presented to Parliament on 20th February 2024, will enable the creation of a new public body, Great British Railways, that will take charge of the planning, contracting and operation of rail services across the country ...
Obtaining a medical report on an employee can be a sensitive and complex process. We set out our top tips for employers, including the key matters to include in the letter of instruction and the legal considerations they need to navigate. When to seek a medical report There are several situations where an employer might seek a medical report on an employee or prospective employee ...
The recent decision to permit 45 million competition law claimants to claim against Meta has thrown fresh focus on the real risks posed to organisations after data breaches. Here, we discuss recent trends and make some predictions. Following the news that up to 45 million claimants under competition law have been given the go-ahead for a £2bn class action against Meta, many are thinking about what the real risk of class action litigation is after a mass data breach ...
