UK Regional Newsletter Winter 2023
In this issue...
03
UK financial update
33
IT top tips – Getting the most out of your technology
04
Our People
05 07 09 10 12
Meet the UK Board
Q&A with promoted Partner Rosehana Amin
Lateral hires
2023 Partner Conference
Sports & social
14
Responsible Business
15 16 17 18 18 19 19 20
Pro bono and social impact
Charity updates
Swimming the Strait of Gibraltar
Clyde & Mo
Global Workplace Adjustments policy and process Update on our female representation targets
Black History Month
Environmental Sustainability & Biodiversity
22
Clients and External Recognition
23 25 26
Thought leadership
Marketing campaign - Doing Business in Saudia Arabia Formalising our Global Regulatory & Investigations practice group
28 30
Client success stories Recent media coverage
31
Innovation
32
ClydeScope
3
UK financial update
The end of October marked the end of the first half of our financial year. Overall we are in a good position as we enter into the second half of the year. Fees billed and fees collected, while up on last year, remain behind budget, something that will remain a focus for all practices in the coming six months. W ork in Progress (WIP) is also a key indicator on how the business is growing and performing. At the half year point WIP is 18% up from last year at £220.8m. This is 1% below our budget target, however it is a strong start and we have opportunity to catch up over the second half of the year. It’s great to see this strong year-on-year growth and even though we remain slightly behind budget we have entered the second half of the financial year with great momentum. It is really important we remain focussed on recording our time accurately and ensuring we bill and collect fees for the work we have done. For a fuller update on how the UK has performed at the half way point, you can watch a recording of the recent UK townhall here.
H1 23/34 vs H1 22/23 vs Budget
Total WIP Added
£220.8m +18%
-1%
Total Fees Billed
£181.1m +15%
-5%
Total Fees Collected
£175.7m +10%
-10%
Lock up
176 days
157 days
6.5 (min expectation)
Utilisation (Hrs/Day)
5.9
+2%
4
Our People
Buachaille Etive Mor Glen Etive
T his issue we are featuring scenes from around the UK of outstanding natural beauty. It reminds us how lucky we are to live and work so comparatively close to these amazing places.
Here is ‘The Buachaille’ rising over one thousand meters to a peak of icing sugar snow.
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Meet the UK Board
Mandip Sagoo, UK Board - Legal Delivery Partner
The Legal Delivery Partner on the UK Board acts as a bridge between the UK Board and the work the Legal Delivery team is doing in relation to digitisation, efficiency and innovation As part of our ‘Meet the UK Board’ series, we recently caught up with Mandip Sagoo to learn more about his role on the board and his background. Mandip is based in London and is part of the insurance practice. He works with insurers on all types of financial lines, D&O, PI and warranty & indemnity matters.
How long have you been at Clyde & Co and what has your journey to the UK Board been? I ’ve been at Clyde & Co for nearly four years and had never really given any thought to joining the UK Board. My journey to the UK Board has come about as a result of becoming more interested in how the firm works and discussing with others what contribution I could make, including a number of conversations with Senior Partner Carolena Gordon and Insurance Partner James Cooper, who have always been very generous with their time. Since joining the firm, I have become increasingly involved in broader areas than just my practice and group. I have been an active partner sponsor of the ACED network and recently joined the Global D&I Steering Committee, at Chair Helen Bourne’s kind invitation. I was also encouraged by James to take on a client relationship role and, with his support and the tireless work of our excellent Business Development team (shout out to Lucy Penton!), I have been the Beazley Client Relationship Partner (CRP) for a couple of years now. One way or another, this has led to a role on the UK Board, which I was honoured to be asked by Chair, Chris Holme, to join. I am enjoying the experience and the responsibility,
Mandip Sagoo Legal Delivery Partner
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Is there any particular point in your career where you would like to go back and give yourself some advice? At around five or six years qualified, I began to question whether a career in private practice was for me. As a tee-total, turban-wearing Sikh I was questioning whether it was possible to progress in a City law firm that was led by people that looked nothing like me and in an insurance market where lunchtime, afternoon and evening drinks seemed to be the key to successful marketing. I was fortunate enough to have partners in my team at the time who supported and encouraged me to keep at it but if I could go back now and give myself some advice it would be to trust in the skills I was developing and to be much more confident in pushing myself forward.
as well as spending time with fellow partners on the UK Board from other parts of the UK business.
good at science (“he’s not a natural scientist” a teacher once pointedly observed) or successful at sports (100% effort, 0% talent), I had a good work ethic instilled in me by my parents and a huge appetite for reading. My enjoyment of reading and arguing (whether in essays or at home) seemed to lead naturally to a career in the law, which I studied at Birmingham. I opted for the solicitor route and always knew that a contentious role would suit me best. I fell into insurance by accident rather than design, as the first litigation seat I was put into during my training contract was in insurance – I have not looked back since. Having worked at two international firms with small but reputable insurance teams previously, I belatedly realised that my practice is much better suited to a proper insurance firm, with Clyde & Co being the best place for me.
Are there any particular memories from your career to date that stand out?
I recall being asked by a group of clients to prepare them for a meeting with a particularly difficult opponent that was to take place without lawyers present – I was a mid-level associate at my previous firm at the time. The preparation requested by the clients required me to participate in a mock meeting, in which I would play the opponent and my brief was to be as challenging as possible. The mock meeting resulted in lots of raised voices and me interrupting the clients at repeated instances to make things as uncomfortable as possible. This was all very enjoyable in the moment, but a senior partner of the firm was in the meeting room next door, could hear raised voices and had recognised a number of the clients as they were leaving the meeting. He politely asked me why I was shouting at a large section of our client base and, eventually, I assured him that it was all in the interests of helping them. What’s your background, why did you get into law and why did you come to work at Clyde & Co? My parents came to England in the ‘60s as did many other Indian migrants at the time and, along with my grandparents, built a life here through hard work and perseverance. Without a university education themselves, they were always keen for my brother and I to attend university and have a profession. I went to state school and whilst I was not particularly
What do you try and bring to the UK Board?
How do you relax away from work?
I am trying to bring my own perspective to the UK Board as an individual; coming from a large extended family, this has often meant being in the middle of competing interests and “healthy debates”! I try to put that experience to use in my role on the UK Board, which is to say I try to consider things from as many perspectives as possible, listen to the concerns and interests of the other practice groups and UK offices, all with a view to arriving at solutions that drive the ongoing success and growth of the UK business. With my particular focus on Legal Delivery, I am working with Nick Roberts and his team to promote efficiency and consistency in the way we work, as well as to look for opportunities to innovate and set us apart as a UK business from our competitors.
I have a large family, a wonderful wife and three busy daughters. My weekends tend to be full of trips to visit family, helping out with homework, spectating at netball matches, operating as a taxi, and occasionally failing at whatever DIY task my wife has set for me. Whilst it may not always be relaxing, it keeps me occupied! I like to watch sports, I still enjoy reading (mainly historical fiction these days) as do my children so we have that in common, and we are a family of film-buffs. I am also official taste-tester for all of the baking that goes on in the house – a demanding role that I take very seriously.
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Q&A: Rosehana Amin
We spent some time getting to know London-based partner Rosehana Amin, who was promoted to partner this year. You can read here Q&As with some of other partners who were promoted earlier this year.
Tell us a bit about yourself I am in the IFPD team in London and my practice is focused on (i) Bermuda Form insurance coverage matters for excess liability insurers and (ii) Cyber and Data Privacy. I originally qualified in Australia before moving to the UK over nine years ago. I have been at Clyde & Co in London for over seven years.
Tell us in more detail about what you do at the firm?
For Bermuda Form clients, I assist them in international arbitration coverage disputes. It is particularly interesting for me as they involve high value complex litigation, that is governed by New York law and is multijurisdictional in nature. There’s a real range of issues that form the subject of the underlying litigation which results in the coverage dispute – from sexual misconduct claims and lawsuits relating to the opioids crisis, PFAS, climate change, the list goes on. For cyber clients, I advise insurers and corporates on managing the legal, regulatory and litigation issues arising from a cyber breach incident. I also lean on my expertise as an insurance lawyer to advise insurers on cyber policy wording reviews and cyber coverage matters. Cyber and data
Rosehana Amin Partner
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Tell us about your favourite memory during your time at Clyde & Co?
privacy continues to be an evolving area and growth practice for the firm, so it keeps me on my toes!
The firm participated in the Clipper City Challenge Regatta years ago. I never thought I’d get an opportunity to sail in a Clipper Round the World yacht! It was such a thrill and made all the better when the Clyde & Co team I was a part of won the regatta, beating other city law firms and banks. America’s Cup, here I come?
What does working for Clyde & Co mean to you?
I really value the international nature of the firm. As someone who grew up in Singapore, then spent a decade in Australia before moving to the UK, the international footprint of the firm and global client base reflects my personal journey. My practice also inherently requires me to work closely with other Clyde & Co colleagues internationally which I thoroughly enjoy! It is also very meaningful to me to have had the support and encouragement of so many people in the firm over the years, and still do. It means a great deal to me and I hope I can do the same for others too!
What advice would you give your younger self?
Try not to worry – not everything you do will lead to a professional indemnity claim against the firm.
Was law your preferred career choice?
No, I wanted to be a geologist!
What does your typical weekend look like?
What initiatives have you been involved with at Clyde & Co?
I love dining out and spend my weekends traipsing around London (and sometimes further afield) trying out different spots. My epicurean adventures are usually accompanied by a visit to the gallery or theatre.
I really enjoy the variety of opportunities. As an associate I was lucky enough to take part in the Global Associate Programme. Then as a senior associate I went on a client secondment with a key insurer client of the firm which gave me a real insight on understanding their commercial needs and priorities. The secondment also led me to being involved in the Key Account Programme which has been a wonderful learning experience. From a D&I perspective, I was involved in GECCO as a representative for several years before taking on the role as co-chair of the ACED committee over the last couple of years.
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Lateral hires
Louise Jackson Healthcare, Manchester
Rob Lowe Corporate & Advisory, London
Rachael Morris Healthcare, Birmingham
Anna Nerush Corporate & Advisory, London
Louise is an experienced defendant clinical negligence practitioner. Her clients include the Medical Protection Society (MPS) with a focus on defending primary care practitioners and private clinicians, in addition to defending clinical negligence matters for NHS Resolution, private clients and insurers.
Rob has extensive experience in corporate restructuring and insolvency, mergers & acquisitions, joint ventures, financing, financial regulatory, compliance and corporate aspects of commercial disputes. He has worked across several key sectors including energy and natural resources, commodities, insurance and re- insurance and more generally in retail, media and entertainment, technology, real estate, aerospace and defence and professional services.
Rachael is a an expert in health advisory and litigation. She leads on complex child neurological injuries and maternity claims for NHS Resolution. Rachael has worked with Medical Defence Union, Medical Protection Society, NHS Resolution and various NHS Trusts. Rachael regularly receives early instructions on potential medical negligence matters and advises on investigations. She is known for her empathy towards trusts, witnesses, and families impacted by claims, in addition to having a practical and well-grounded approach.
Anna serves EMNR sectors from our Corporate & Advisory practice, advising independent, mid-cap oil and gas producers and commodity traders on high value commercial agreements in the energy and infrastructure sectors. She works across the entire project value chain in established and emerging markets on acquisitions and divestments of oil and gas assets, project development and the establishment of legal frameworks for greenfield oil and gas projects.
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2023 Partner Conference: Setting sights on further success
The 2023 Partner Conference saw partners from across the globe gather together in Paris in early July. These global conferences occur roughly every two years and provide the firm’s leadership with an opportunity to share their priorities and plans with all our partners. T he event was also an important chance to connect with fellow partners, discuss shared challenges and opportunities and collaborate on client development activities. We also heard from outside experts and clients too. The theme of this year’s global conference was ‘Realising our Potential.’ Partners spent the majority of their time at the conference discussing how, as a firm, we are setting our sights on further success by focusing on three key areas: client relationships, growth mindset and high performance, with our clients and in our markets.
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The UK region remains very focused on building numerous and impactful relationships with our clients. This work will help secure our position in the marketplace, set ourselves apart from our competition, and allow us to search for opportunities to serve our clients in new areas. Partners discussed supporting growth through hiring and promotion decisions, the modernisation of legal delivery, and identifying how we can offer higher-margin services to our existing client base, such as those offered by the firm’s disputes, regulatory & investigations and corporate & advisory practices. The highlights video which played at the event provides a really strong summary of our strengths as a firm and why we can achieve more together. You can watch the video below.
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Sports & social This year’s Standard Chartered Great City Race saw 6,000
A mong the runners was a team of 30 colleagues from Clyde & Co. Given the size of the field and the standard of running the group did remarkably well - the mixed team won the legal team category, beating 47 other law firms, and came second overall, just being beaten by J.P. Morgan.
runners, from London-based law firms, insurance firms and banks, take to the streets of the City of London to participate in a 5km running challenge.
Congratulations to all involved!
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Sports & social
The Law Society RFC 7s & Netball Tournament takes place each year in London and is one of the longest-running, competitive and most established rugby 7s tournaments in the UK, having started in 1975. L aw firms and chambers have the opportunity to compete against one another in tag rugby, rugby 7s and netball. Initially, only 12 teams took part but the tournament has grown year on year with over 40 teams competing this year. We fielded a strong netball team and mixed tag rugby team, both of which performed really well throughout the tournament. However, it was our rugby 7s team who really pulled out all the stops to be crowned winners of their tournament, beating Kennedys in the final.
Congratulations to all involved!
If you would like to find out more about joining any of the three teams please contact ewan. fraser@clydeco.com. To find out more about our Sports & Social activities, have a look on Clyde Connected here.
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Responsible Business
Bluebells in the woods Dartmoor D artmoor’s amazing variety of landscape will always keep you coming back for new experiences. Beautiful bluebells in the woods here, but careful where you step. Bluebells are a protected species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act.
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Pro bono and social impact
Caroline Loving, Head of Pro Bono and Social Impact
At the beginning of this year, we met Camilla Baldwin, a solicitor with a specialist family law practice in Mayfair, London. She told us about how taking on a case pro bono for a woman in prison had led to her setting up a charity to help other incarcerated women. That inspired us to get involved and together, we set up a pro bono clinic in the women’s prison in Manchester.
W hen Camilla took that first case and attended the prison, she quickly realised that most mothers in prison were unaware of their rights in respect of their children and, particularly since legal aid was no longer available, had no access to legal advice or representation. More than 17,000 children are separated from their mothers through incarceration every year and research shows that this separation causes the children to go on to experience difficulties in later life e.g. poor mental health, criminal behaviour and poverty. Camilla’s charity, Not Beyond Redemption [NBR], is committed to reconnecting these women with their children to help them all work towards a better future. The charity’s mission is to set up pro bono legal advice clinics in all 12 women’s prisons in England to provide free family law advice and representation to incarcerated mothers so that they can try to re-establish their relationship with their children. Together, we set up a clinic in HMP Styal in Wilmslow, Cheshire. Since June, our volunteers have been attending the prison every month to take on a variety of pro bono work ranging from helping
mothers to understand their rights, to writing legal letters, to representing them in court. None of us are family specialists, we have all been trained and are supervised by experienced NBR family lawyers. We have already had some wonderful client feedback: “I can’t begin to put into words how grateful I am for the entire team for giving me a second chance with my baby boy. If it wasn’t for you guys, I wouldn’t be seeing him again, you’ve fought my corner and supported me incredibly throughout the entire process... I will never forget what you’ve done for me. You’ve completely changed my life. NBR have given me that second chance I desperately needed, and I’ll forever be grateful for that.” We are looking to involve the women’s prisons near our Bristol and our Birmingham offices. If you are interested in getting involved, please contact
ProBonoSocialImpact@clydeco.com.
Red Cross
Safe Passage International Our Ukraine Response Project with Safe Passage International was a “Stand Out” project at the Financial Times Innovative Lawyer Awards in the “Supporting refugees and migrants” category. For this project, our volunteer lawyers travel to Poland to provide free support to those displaced by the war in Ukraine, with a particular focus on vulnerable groups such as unaccompanied minors. Volunteers staff a drop-in clinic at various refugee centres in Warsaw and help with UK visa applications and general queries. In the first year of the clinic, we assisted 302 individual clients and supported 78 of those with successful visa applications. Information collected by the clinic has also helped inform new immigration rules surrounding the relocation of unaccompanied minors. There are still volunteering slots available next year for any qualified solicitor. If you are interested in traveling to Warsaw to provide support at the drop-in clinic, email ProBonoSocialImpact@clydeco.com.
Go Beyond
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In September, within a few days of each other, a 6.8 magnitude earthquake hit the Atlas Mountains in Morocco and Storm Daniel caused unprecedented floods in north-eastern Libya. The Red Cross was one of the few charities on the ground assisting the authorities with search and rescue, medical treatment, distribution of supplies and evacuation support. Bearing in mind the significant devastation caused by these natural disasters, the suffering in the surrounding areas and huge loss of life, we committed to match employee donations to the Red Cross and in total donated over £5,992 plus gift aid to the rescue efforts. You can still donate here.
The charity Go Beyond will be our UK charity partner for the next two years after receiving the most support in our recent vote. We are excited to be partnering with a charity which is doing such important work providing breaks for children and young people who have been bereaved, abused or bullied, who are living in poverty or have caring responsibilities. The charity gives them the chance to escape their worries and pressures and think beyond the day-to-day for a bigger, brighter future. So far through our Christmas fundraising we have been able to raise over £4,300 for Go Beyond through our UK Virtual Raffle and fundraising activities. To donate please click here. Over the coming weeks and months we will be sharing various ways you can get involved and provide support for Go Beyond. In the meantime, if you have any fundraising ideas, please email ProBonoSocialImpact@clydeco.com.
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On 12 September Partner, Chris Murray, swam across the Strait of Gibraltar, a perilous 15km journey between Spain and Morocco to raise money for Ukraine Charity. Individual charity spotlight A t 9am local time, Chris and his support boat departed the southernmost part of the Iberian peninsular, Punta de Tarifa, with more than 1,000 colleagues back home in his Manchester office tracking his live progress online. After four hours and 50 minutes, Chris reached Cires Point, on the northern coast of Morocco, having raised over £3,800 to support projects helping disadvantaged children in Ukraine. Find out more on Clyde Connected here.
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Diversity & inclusion
Clyde & Mo
Global Workplace Adjustments policy and process
T his year, we marked
E arlier this month we announced the launch of a new Global Workplace Adjustments Policy and Process. This policy is part of our commitment to ensuring all our people feel supported and can fully participate and contribute to the firm’s success. It will allow the firm to support its disabled and neurodiverse colleagues, or those with long-term conditions, by providing appropriate adjustments in a way which is consistent, centralised and compassionate. Here you can find the Global Workplace Adjustment Hub, which includes the policy and a Frequently Asked Questions page.
are things that can affect us all year round. It is important that we continue to open up the dialogue around mental health and continue to check in with colleagues, friends and family. Watch the video on this page to hear Chris Holme, Chair of the UK Board, talk about why this campaign is important all year round. The Diversity & Inclusion team has provided a number of resources to help you, whether you are struggling yourself or are wanting to reach out to someone else – these can be found on the Clyde & Mo page
The introduction of the global Policy is just one way we are taking action to ensure everyone is supported. This year we have partnered with the Business Disability Forum (BDF), an organisation that works to improve the life experiences of disabled people by removing the barriers to inclusion. This partnership gives all colleagues access to a Knowledge Hub which contains a variety of resources to help you better understand how you can support colleagues with a disability. Line managers also have access, either via phone or email, to an advice service which provides guidance on supporting team members living with disabilities. Find out more information here.
International Men’s Day (19 November) and Movember with
a joint campaign that advocated for men’s health and mental wellbeing – Clyde & Mo. The campaign focussed on raising awareness about men’s mental health and male suicide prevention – the theme for this year’s International Men’s Day. You can find resources on these topics on the Clyde & Mo and Mental Health and Wellbeing pages on ClydeConnected.
The campaign has now finished, however the issues it focussed on
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Black History Month
Results from the Count Me In UK campaign
T hank you to everyone who supported the UK’s Count Me In Campaign, which sought to increase our demographic data completion in anticipation of our biennial mandatory reporting to the Solicitors Regulation Authority and other D&I reporting commitments. As a result of this campaign, we had a 12% increase in the average UK self- ID completion rate, which is great result. If you haven’t yet had the chance to submit your demographic data, you can find out more here.
I n October each year the UK month with two successful Clyde’s Carnival events in our Manchester and London offices. Celebrating this year’s theme of ‘Saluting Our Sisters’, some of our colleagues also shared a number of great blog posts celebrates Black History Month, and this year we marked the about Black women who inspire them. There was also a cross- network collaboration between ACED and Pryde & Co, who hosted a film event to bring awareness to Black queer history. Click here to visit the Black History Month 2023 page on Clyde Connected.
We would like to thank ACED, and everyone involved, for their hard work in putting together such a successful celebration of Black History Month. To find out more about ACED, our other Inclusion networks and how you can join, visit the D&I section on ClydeConnected. You can also catch the first in a new series of D&I spotlight sessions, which delved into the work supported by ACED to produce the new Religion and Cultural Expression Statement. Click here to view the video.
Update on our female representation targets
A s of 1 May 2023, we have exceeded our global target of a 35% representation of female Equity Partners and equivalents by 2025, specifically hitting this target in the UK. We have also met our Legal Director female representation targets in the UK and are 1% away from meeting our global 50% target.
However, we are aware that further progress is required in respect of our Senior Equity Partner female representation, and is an area that we are committed to improving.
The full report on our UK demographic data can be found in our Responsible Business report here.
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Environmental sustainability & biodiversity
Become a Sustainability Champion
Reporting transparency: TCFD, CDP, UNGC
Expanding the Sustainability Team
Following the launch of Zero as one, we are recruiting for our volunteer Sustainability Champions network ahead of a formal network launch in the next month. Anyone with an interest and/or ideas around sustainability can become a Sustainability Champion. The network will provide a local point of contact for sustainability across our office network, practice groups and teams; bring local knowledge to help identify and develop projects and partnerships, support implementation of our sustainability initiatives, engage and inspire colleagues, and act as a two-way point of communication between the Sustainability team and the wider firm. You can find out more here. Thanks to those of you who have already expressed an interest, if you would like to become a Champion sign up here. Time commitment will be flexible, and all hours will count towards both the 24-Hour Challenge and the Responsible 60 Schemes.
A busy reporting season has seen us make our first ever submission to CDP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project), a public library of corporate emissions and to the Taskforce for Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), an analysis of the risks and opportunities of climate change to Clyde & Co’s business and vice versa. We have also prepared our Communication on Progress to the UN Global Compact, where we publicly disclose our corporate sustainability actions in Environmental, Social and Governance. We also published our Responsible Business Report 2023 in October; you can view the report here. Reporting on our sustainability in this way supports our goals of high ambition and high transparency, allowing clients, peers and suppliers to gauge our progress and for us to benchmark ourselves against the sector more widely.
As the focus of our Sustainability work shifts from planning to delivery, the Sustainability team has welcomed a few new members. Paul Barnacle (Health, Safety & Environment Manager) has joined the team from Workplace Services, while Alicia Dear has moved from her role as a Management PA to a new position of Sustainability Compliance & Reporting Manager. The team now is host to a Trainee Solicitor seat, and duly welcomed Noah Friend as its first incumbent. We are delighted to have a larger team and look forward to having greater capacity to deliver on our goals.
Zero as one
Last month we launched Zero as one, our new colleague-led sustainability campaign. Building on our value “Working as one”, the campaign aims to highlight the role we can all play to move towards a sustainable future – from supporting our internal initiatives linked to the use of our offices, the daily commute and rethinking business travel, to working with clients and our actions outside the workplace. On this page you can hear our Senior Partner Carolena Gordon share why it’s so important that we all work as one to make a difference. For further information on all our initiatives, targets, policies and ways to get involved, along with information on the team visit the Environmental Sustainability & Biodiversity page.
Travel guidance & supplier webinar
In August the Management Board approved the adoption of a global Guidance Note on Sustainable Travel. This guidance outlines the overarching principles of sustainable travel which will be incorporated into the development of regional travel policies, emphasising the need to rethink our travel choices.
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Our supply chain is responsible for approximately 65% of our carbon footprint. As such, working with our suppliers to better understand and help them to reduce their footprint is crucial. Our supplier engagement programme, initially targeting our Top 200 global suppliers, kicked off in September with a webinar series. The webinars outlined our expectations of our suppliers from a sustainability perspective, and began a process of data capture that will allow us to use real information to measure and track our supply chain impact. Our new Sustainable Procurement Policy can be viewed here. Carbon labelling on food in the London office Colleagues in the St. Botolph office may have noticed new labels next to the hot food options in the last few weeks. We are working closely with our catering provider, Baxter Storey, to drive sustainability in our food offering; one
of the ways this is being realised is through carbon labelling, outlining the environmental impact of each menu choice. Our London office has been selected as the trial site for this new initiative and is one of the first companies to be including this information. So next time you are torn between competing culinary offerings, go for the one that is kinder to the planet! “My eyes initially went straight to the fish, which looked absolutely delicious. Then my gaze caught the carbon stats of each option... as a result I decided to go for the tofu instead, which tasted equally delicious - and left a good taste on my conscience too!’” – Jenny Gatti, Senior Digital Learning Designer
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Clients and External Recognition
Embleton shore Northumberland
D unstanburgh Castle, built in the 14th century, sits on this dramatic peninsula close to Craster and Embleton. Folklore associated with the castle tells of crystal tombs, and an army of eternally sleeping knights guarding it.
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Thought leadership
T he report seeks the opinions of General Counsel, their in-house legal teams and the senior board and C-suite decision makers they work with, on the risk landscape their organisations face and their ability to navigate it effectively. To understand how business leaders are addressing this daunting situation, we consulted over 200 Board Directors and CEOs, General Counsel (GCs) and other senior C-Suite executives from multiple sectors and across all global regions; and is our largest sample size in the study’s history. Part 1 and Part 2 are both now live and you can find them here. On the page you will also find links to a toolkit to support your discussions with clients, along with a client email template. This report showcases our knowledge and reflects our position as experts in successfully navigating risk. We encourage you to share both parts with your clients where appropriate and engage with the campaign posts on LinkedIn, follow #Corporateriskradar2023 on LinkedIn to stay up to date. Keep a look out for Part 3 which will be published shortly.
Corporate Risk Radar report
We are pleased to have collaborated with Winmark to produce this year’s edition of the Corporate Risk Radar report.
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Predictions 2024 - Navigating the risks in the year ahead
Our Predictions 2024 campaign launched at the beginning of December. As part of the campaign lawyers from across the firm have collaborated to not only predict but to help navigate the risk landscape of 2024. Previously the campaign has focused solely on the insurance industry. However this year the campaign spans all our sectors: Aviation, Projects & Construction and EMNR and focuses on six risks, including economic shifts, people challenges, regulatory complexities, technological advances, geopolitical factors, and climate change. In this changing landscape we, as a firm, are focused on demonstrating how we can help clients navigate these risks. The predictions will be released on LinkedIn on a daily basis until Christmas. Please keep an eye on the firm’s global LinkedIn channel and engage and share these predictions as they are published over the coming days. You can also view the campaign’s launch video on this page. If you have any questions about the campaign or how you can talk to clients about it contact Senior Marketing Manager Georgia Loustric.
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Marketing campaign
Doing Business in Saudia Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is a G20 country undertaking a major social and economic transformation under its Vision 2030. The Kingdom is implementing a wide range of reforms to lift economic growth, raise the contribution of FDI to GDP to 5.7% and position the Kingdom among the top ten economies in the Global Competitiveness Index by 2030. The UK government is investing heavily into the Kingdom, and we are seeing a number of international businesses investing and expanding their operations in Saudi Arabia. We have created our Doing Business in Saudi Arabia marketing campaign to help our clients and prospects understand the key legal and regulatory considerations required to operate in the Kingdom. Our campaign will assist with building our market profile, target and secure opportunities globally and regionally and position ourselves as leaders in the field. We encourage you to use the campaign to engage with your clients and targets regarding their interest in Saudi Arabia.
Find out more on the campaign SharePoint site.
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Formalising our Global Regulatory & Investigations practice group
T o share further information we are last month, focused on White-Collar Crime, you can view a recording of the session here. Keep a look out for details for the next in the series, focussing on People & Employment, which will take place in the new year. On the R&I SharePoint site you can access our global framework, our key fields of play and aligned propositions and key documentation. running a series of information sharing sessions. The first one, which took place
In October we announced the formalisation of our Global Regulatory & Investigations (R&I) Practice Group. Regulatory issues touch every one of our clients and by formalising this group we have a sizable opportunity, working together across sectors and jurisdictions, to build a truly global capability.
Visit the R&I SharePoint site
To track and measure our activity in the R&I space some changes have been made to how matters are opened. This will allow us to better understand the shape and size of our practice and gain valuable insight into the business which will aid strategic decision making. For more information on these changes watch the video here.
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Below you can read three examples of R&I matters we are either currently working on or have recently completed.
investigated for alleged fraud resulting from misuse of EU state aid. The overall value of the case (taking into account the sums of state aid that had been received by the companies from the EU) was approximately EUR 3,221,858.77, however the reputational risk and value of a successful outcome for our client, a prominent businessman, and his family, was priceless. We successfully defended our client against any criminal liability.
critiquing opposing submissions.
Our client, a global asset leasing company, was notified of a potential bribery & corruption investigation by a state regulator of one of its country divisions. We conducted an internal investigation of the division’s activities, including: (1) Retrieving and reviewing accounting records from a mothballed accounting software package. (2) Tracing and categorising international money flows, including the jurisdictions of banks, for money laundering reporting. (3) Finding and cataloguing evidential invoices and emails within our e-discovery. To discover how you can strengthen your investigation assignments, please contact Paul Widger or Kieran Hallinan or visit their Clyde Connected site.
Global Metals and Silcasur
Author: Partner Charles Kuhn
Working across our sectors
We are currently acting on behalf of Global Metals and Silcasur, two commodity trading companies incorporated in Switzerland, who have brought fraud and money laundering charges against three UK individuals. On behalf of our clients we have successfully obtained a World Wide Freezing Injunction and Asset Preservation Order and are pursuing criminal charges using a process called private prosecution which allows private entities to prosecute cases in UK courts on behalf of the state.
R&I touches each of our sectors and so collaboration across practice groups and jurisdictions is vital to building a global
capability that supports our growth ambition. The in-house Forensic Accounting Practice regularly work with other lawyers in the business to provide an in house forensic accountant offering.
Author: Forensic Account Director Paul Widger
Defending our client against criminal liability
We joined another team in the firm in an investigation into the management of a mine in Zambia, within the UNCITRAL arbitration between ZCCM (Zambian State entity) and Vedanta (international investor and majority shareholder). We spent three weeks on site at the mine, interviewing financial employees and collecting financial data. We continued to work on the investigation for over a year. Then, when independent expert witnesses were appointed for the arbitration proceedings, we remained as shadow expert, supporting our expert and
Author: Partner Rachel Cropper-Mawer
In a recent matter we acted for a high net worth individual, as well as for 11 companies and five other individuals allegedly connected with him, on an investigation conducted by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF). The clients were being
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Client success stories
Building our relationship with Mott MacDonald G eorgia Harris, a Senior Associate in the Corporate & Advisory practice, recently successfully completed a secondment to Mott MacDonald, a key Projects and Construction client. Following Georgia’s return, and as a result of the contacts Georgia made during her secondment, Mott MacDonald approached Georgia for support with the preparation of a bespoke software development contract. This contract will be used with contractors engaged by Mott MacDonald to develop its proprietary Moata solution – a digital platform Mott MacDonald makes available on a commercial basis to support and facilitate the successful delivery of large infrastructure projects. To complete this work, Georgia partnered with Tom Tippett, a Technology, Data and Outsourcing Partner in the Corporate & Advisory practice. The successful delivery of this legal project led to a
Successfully defending Aviva A £43,000 personal injury claim submitted to Aviva has been successfully defended following investigations by our Casualty The claimant, Robert Wood, alleged that he had suffered injuries to his neck and arm following a minor car collision, which he said left him unable to work. Aviva referred the case to our fraud team because of discrepancies in his account, and the apparent severity of Mr Wood’s injuries after what was a minor incident. practice. The investigation, led by Legal Director, Elinor Willis, discovered social media videos of the claimant performing martial arts kicks and punches, and swinging by his arms from a
climbing frame during his supposed injury period. When confronted with the evidence, Mr Wood attempted to claim the man featured in the video was his identical twin brother. However, while the claimant did indeed have a twin, we were able to conclude that the footage was of Mr Wood, as his twin had distinctive blonde highlights in his hair, while Mr Wood’s hair was brown. Prior to the final hearing of the case, Mr Wood dropped his claim, but Aviva did not wish for him to walk away. Ultimately, he agreed to an order that he was fundamentally dishonest and would pay Aviva £13,000 in costs.
further, larger instruction for Georgia and Tom: the preparation of a complete suite of terms and conditions to govern the provision of Moata to Mott MacDonald’s customers – a project that was successfully completed over Summer 2023. Mott MacDonald have also indicated that they would like to instruct the Firm on other technology and data projects. If you would like to learn more, please reach out to Business Development Manager Claudia Morgan.
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Re-appointed to UCL’s legal panel W e were successfully re-appointed to University College London’s (UCL) legal panel in July. Client Relationship Partner David Hansom and the wider UCL client team continue a trusting, long-term partnership with the University, contributing positively to their development and providing excellent legal advice and service. Future work and instructions will continue to revolve around general university matters and potentially involve emerging risks for the education sector such as AI. The ongoing relationship will provide further opportunities for Commercial, Corporate, IP, Regulatory, Real Estate, Litigation and Employment. For further information about UCL, please contact David Hansom.
Strengthening relationships with the London insurance market
Successfully defending SLB, formerly Schlumberger P artner Chris Williams and his team have achieved a strong result in the Ramco v. SLB ICC arbitration. Chris, together with Legal Director Ian Hopkinson (as Advocate) and Associates Sam Sidkin and Robin Bandar, defended SLB (working with SLB’s Head of Legal – Technology, based in Houston) in a dispute brought by a software supplier for in excess of $20million plus significant interest. The areas of claim ranged from contractual breaches to copyright infringement. Despite a realistic likely award of SLB having to pay up to $1million, SLB ultimately secured a payment from Ramco. This result is particularly timely as we are still mid-pitch for a global (ex-US) panel position, and it will provide us with positive Board exposure. SLB comments on their experience working with the team: “I’ve enjoyed working with Chris, Sam and Robin. They have been very nice, objective and thoughtful.”
Over the last few weeks our Insurance team has hosted over 20 different events for the London insurance market - this has ranged from small client lunches to flagship events like the US Litigation School and a FIDO client casino night. It’s been great to see well over 400 of our clients attend these events, reflecting how valuable the market has found them. We have also been pleased to have many of our associates in IFPD leading and involved in these events. Building upon this activity the North American board recently launched the North American Next Generation London Market Initiative. This initiative provides eight North American Legal Directors and Senior Associates with the chance to take part in a range of business development activities with clients, including spending time with them in London. For those of you based in London please give our American colleagues a warm welcome in the new year.
For more information about our activity in this space please contact Client Relationship Programme Lead Lucy Penton.
If you would like to learn more please reach out to Chris Williams.
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In the news
As a global law firm building and maintaining our external reputation is crucial. Raising our profile through print, digital and social media are important aspects of how we do this. It enables us to establish our credibility with clients and the wider market, demonstrate our expertise and our understanding of the markets clients and prospects operate in, and show that we’re in touch with their concerns and interests. Below is some stand out media coverage from the last six months. If you have any questions please contact globalcommunications@clydeco.com.
Law 360, 28 June 2023 Mass EU privacy litigation may be imminent after GDPR case
Reinsurance News, 7 July 2023 MGA market continues to thrive despite headwinds
The Lawyer, 18 August 2023 Clydes launches solicitor qualification route for 25 paralegals
The Financial Times, 10 September 2023 Shipping industry legal action surges as Ukraine war drives ‘emotive’ disputes
Legal Cheek, 1 November 2023 Legal professional dominates latest social mobility rankings
Daily Mail, 17 November 2023 Food delivery driver handed £5,000 bill after his lies he has been bitten by a friendly pet dog were exposed on CCTV
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Innovation
Giants Causeway County Antrim F ormations of basalt from an ancient lava flow form create these geometric columns. But legend would tell us that it’s the causeway built by Fionn mac Cumhaill when he traveled across the sea to fight Benandonner.
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How well do you know ClydeScope?
Our keen readers will have seen an article on ClydeScope in the last newsletter. Well, a lot has happened since then that we wanted to update you on. A s a reminder ClydeScope (our branded version of HighQ Collaborate by Thomson Reuters) is a secure, cloud- based, collaboration platform for working with clients and other external parties. It’s an ideal platform for creating deal rooms, working collaboratively on documents and using as an external-facing, legal project management tool. We wanted to share with you some of the exciting projects we’ve been working on and how each is benefiting both our team and our clients.
Client need: A searchable experts’ database for panel firms
What we did:
What difference has this made?
We created a site in ClydeScope and designed a questionnaire for each expert to complete. Experts are sent the link to the questionnaire to provide their personal details and professional qualifications and confirm their acceptance of various policies covering data protection and information security. The responses to the questionnaire feed directly into the site, allowing our client and the other panel firms to search for an expert, based on factors such as specialism, location or split. Access to the site is restricted to our team, the client’s team and panel firms and cannot be accessed by any of the experts themselves. We’ve branded the site with the client’s logo and colour scheme.
“ClydeScope is providing us with an easy to access, branded portal to collate and host data for us to share with our client and its other panel firms. Third parties are able to complete their data directly into ClydeScope - negating any need for double keying and administration. It has been so easy to set up - a couple of meetings with the friendly ClydeScope team - and we are able to refine as we go”
– Kate Mikolajewski, CILL Manager
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