Continue reading “The ESG Report 2023 – Are leading global firms finally embracing ESG in earnest?”
The ESG Report 2023 – Are leading global firms finally embracing ESG in earnest?
The ESG Report: Overview – From buzzword to bona fide?
‘Greenwashing is a new phrase, but it’s quite an old idea. It’s fundamentally, are you doing what you say you’re doing? While it has a new title, the advice is still as it has always been. We say to clients, how are you backing up your claims? It’s that level of clarification that companies need to focus on.’
The words of Anna-Marie Slot, Ashurst’s global ESG and sustainability partner, apply not only to the dilemma faced by clients when tackling thorny issues around environmental, social and governance (ESG) but also to analysing the credentials of the top 25 Legal Business 100 and top 25 Global London firms advising them. Continue reading “The ESG Report: Overview – From buzzword to bona fide?”
The ESG Report: Governance – Words into deeds
‘Governance was a concern long before people started talking about ESG. What we’ve learnt over time, though, is that governance is also about having a better business. There’s a carrot as well as a stick: an opportunity to gain financial advantage as well as to avoid regulatory issues.’ The words of DLA Piper boardroom counsel practice head, Alex Tamlyn, particularly ring true. While the environmental and diversity-related efforts of law firms have been the focus of interest in law firms from an ESG context of late, governance has fallen under the spotlight as the all-embracing part of the ESG triptych. How law firms govern themselves has become particularly important. Essentially, they cannot really deliver on ‘E’ and ‘S’ unless the governance is sound.
While the business vehicle for law firms may differ from corporates, the principles of good governance still apply. Jean-Pierre Douglas-Henry, partner and managing director for sustainability and resilience at DLA Piper says: ‘It’s fair to say that good law firm management has broadly the same objective as other forms of corporate governance. It’s all about leadership, transparency, accountability – and, really importantly for us as lawyers, it’s about integrity. It’s about fostering growth and creating a long-term business. And, from a client’s perspective, it’s about walking the talk.’ Continue reading “The ESG Report: Governance – Words into deeds”
The ESG Report: Litigation – Perpetual motion
ESG litigation is now a buzzword in disputes. Legal Business turned to litigators and funders to examine the market – and what we can expect moving forwards
‘If we accept the wider definition that is so popular in everyday usage, you’d probably say that ESG litigation has exploded in the last three to five years and is not really showing any signs of stopping.’ Continue reading “The ESG Report: Litigation – Perpetual motion”
Deals Yearbook 2023: Strength in depth – market veterans and M&A stars on closing deals in tougher times
‘The wind was taken out of everyone’s sails’ – the M&A report 2023
2021 was always going to be a tough year to follow. Quite how tough, few could have foreseen at the start of 2022.
With global annual deal values totalling almost $6trn – a jump of more than 60% on 2020 – 2021 was roundly described in breathless superlatives. Following a year of pent-up demand during the pandemic, soaring levels of M&A activity were fuelled by the vaulting ambition of private equity (PE) houses, a surge in tech and pharmaceutical sector deals, and a boom in activity from special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs). Continue reading “‘The wind was taken out of everyone’s sails’ – the M&A report 2023”
M&A veterans: Got the T-shirt – M&A Hall of Famers on closing deals in a crisis
A global pandemic, the war in Ukraine, soaring energy prices and inflation, as well as interest rate hikes significantly pushing up the cost of debt – it is no wonder M&A markets are struggling right now. Against this backdrop of instability, arguably the bigger questions are how activity levels managed to hold up for as long as they have, and how they have not crashed further.
But, while City M&A partners are keen to stress that things could be far worse, and point to pipelines of deals in place for when markets pick up (see feature), the differences between now and this time last year are stark. Continue reading “M&A veterans: Got the T-shirt – M&A Hall of Famers on closing deals in a crisis”
Dealmakers – the veterans edit
Karen Davies – Ashurst London corporate partner and global chair
Why did you decide to become an M&A lawyer?
It was law or medicine, and halfway through my science A-Levels I realised that reasoning and debate was where my passion lay. I’ve never regretted it. I was initially drawn to M&A by the buzz of the deals, but what has kept me there is the complex and strategic nature of what we do. You really have to know the clients, understand their business and the issues they face, and appreciate what they are trying to achieve if you want to be a successful
M&A lawyer. Continue reading “Dealmakers – the veterans edit”
Deals perspectives: Andy Ryde
Why did you want to be a deals lawyer and has it delivered what you expected?
I like to be at the hub of things, not on the periphery. I’m not the kind of lawyer who just likes to write things up – I prefer dynamic situations. I love the energy involved in transactions and the work has really suited me. The deals we do are transformational, so we end up meeting the most senior and talented people in companies. It’s a great privilege to be able to shape their deals. Continue reading “Deals perspectives: Andy Ryde”
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