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Expert Analysis

• New License Eases Sanctioned Clients' Legal Fee Payments

  

  The general license recently issued by the U.K. Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation permitting the payment of legal fees owed by a sanctioned company or individual will potentially reduce the agency's backlog and is welcome news for both lawyers and OFSI staff, say Zulfi Meerza and Syed Rahman at Rahman Ravelli.

• Preparation Is Key To Businesses Minimizing Cyber Breaches

  

  A recently published report by the U.K. Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on organizational experiences of cybersecurity breaches highlights the importance of having breach response policies in place and being able to demonstrate that reasonable preventive and risk management steps were taken, says Lawson Caisley at White & Case.

• UK Policyholders Can Expect Better COVID Claims Handling

  

  The U.K. Financial Conduct Authority recently outlined some best practices for COVID-19 business interruption claims handling, which, along with recent High Court of Justice decisions, will likely lead to faster claims handling and clearer insurer communication, say Gurpreet Sanghera and Charlie Edwards at Simkins.

• A Recovery Option For Lenders With Planes Stuck In Russia

  

  For aircraft lessors considering insurance coverage litigation to recover for losses of equipment leased to Russian airlines, negotiating an assignment of rights may provide a faster pathway to recovery, say David Klein and Jose Lua-Valencia at Pillsbury.

• Series

  My Favorite Law Prof: How I Learned To Argue Open-Mindedly

  

  Queens College President Frank Wu reflects on how Yale Kamisar’s teaching and guidance at the University of Michigan Law School emphasized a capacity to engage with alternative worldviews and the importance of the ability to argue for both sides of a debate.

• 4 Key Skills For An Effective Attorney Coaching Conversation

  

  As BigLaw firms are increasingly offering internal coaching as one of many talent strategies to stem ongoing lawyer attrition, Stacey Schwartz at Katten discusses how coaches can help attorneys achieve their goals.

• New Clarity On Directors' Creditor Duty In Insolvency Context

  

  The recent case of BTI 2014 v. Sequana, the first to consider the creditor duty at U.K. Supreme Court level, provides directors and insolvency practitioners with significant guidance on how close to insolvency the company needs to be for the creditor duty to be engaged, say attorneys at Shearman.

• FCA Pension Scheme Case Highlights Issues Ripe For Reform

  

  The Financial Conduct Authority's response to the British Steel Pension Scheme case exposed wider issues within its regulatory approach and could demonstrate the need for industrywide reforms to minimize the risks with transferring out of a pension scheme, say Oliver Reece and Larisa Gordan at PwC.

• What An Organization Can Do To Protect Its Supply Chains

  

  In light of recent world events, supply chain issues have never been more critical for business, and to protect the commercial viability of their contracts, organizations should address performance concerns in good time, with a workable strategy in place should the chain break down, says Laura Heeley at Eversheds Sutherland.

• German Draft Bill Reflects Trend Toward New Antitrust Tools

  

  A recently proposed amendment to the German Act against Restraints on Competition continues the trend in Europe to equip authorities with greater powers, shifting from a more traditional approach to a more extensive market protection tool, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

• How Counsel Can Effectively Lead Data Breach Investigations

  

  More businesses are expecting in-house counsel to lead cybersecurity incident responses, so lawyers should work on asking external responders the right questions, managing ransom negotiations to gain time and information, and communicating with regulators to avert or limit penalties, say Oliver Price and Kevin Hughes at FTI Consulting.

• What EU Oil Spill Insurance Ruling Means For UK Arbitration

  

  A recent European Court of Justice opinion in an insurance dispute related to the 2002 sinking of oil tanker MV Prestige provides clarity on the priority of cross-border judgments and arbitral awards, and indicates that EU member state civil judgments will be given precedence over U.K. arbitral awards — with exceptions, says David Vaughan at Collyer Bristow.

• UK Claim Limitation Ruling Is A Tentative Win For Insurers

  

  A U.K. county court's recent decision in Rashid v. Direct Savings reduces the limitation period for third parties to make direct claims against insurers, potentially providing insurers with a defense that was not previously apparent, if the decision is upheld on appeal, says Robert Morris at RPC.

• Why Risk-Based Employee Conduct Policies Are Advisable

  

  In establishing employee conduct policies, companies should consider the extent to which they are exposed to certain types of risk, such as bribery and corruption, as establishing clear written standards offers a step toward avoiding criminal liability, says Steve Melrose at Bellevue Law.

• A Trusted Cybersecurity Framework Is Imperative For Lawyers

  

  The recent increased risk of cyberattacks has a number of profound implications for law firms, and complying with government guidance by embedding a cyber-savvy culture and adhering to a security framework will enable lawyers to add extra layers of defense and present their clients with higher levels of protection, says Marion Stewart at Red Helix.