What does digital transformation mean for private client services?
Cryptocurrencies promised a revolution. Their decentralised infrastructure was thought to be the future of finance – and by late 2021, they were worth $3trn. Then those values came crashing down. Now the king of crypto, Sam Bankman-Fried, has been found guilty of one of the biggest financial frauds of all time. Continue reading “Private Client Yearbook 2024: Foreword – Hunters Law”
In recent years, Cyprus has cultivated a thriving tech eco-system, positioning itself as a strong innovator, with a commitment to driving competitiveness and strategic service delivery. The country’s ICT sector is said to have contributed €3bn+ to the Cypriot economy in 2022, constituting 13% of the country’s GDP—a substantial leap from 7% in 2019 and 8.5% in 2020. Notably, €1bn is reportedly attributed to the influx of international firms and specialised human talent to Cyprus, a trend accelerated by the conflict in Ukraine.
In 2023, we observed Cyprus make remarkable progress in the technology sector. Fuelling this growth was the emergence of tech start-ups and digital enterprises, supported by government initiatives and organisations like TechIsland, Cyprus’ largest tech association, designed to attract high-calibre tech corporations worldwide. With over 270 member companies, TechIsland aims to enhance the tech industry’s operating environment, unite diverse stakeholders, and promote sustainable growth, contributing significantly to the country’s economic prosperity through tech.
Continue reading “Tech outlook in Cyprus in 2024”
Emily Bernstein is an experienced private banker at Investec who specialises in supporting legal leaders and senior lawyers. Here, she tackles the unique financial challenges facing senior legal professionals
Can you share your journey in the legal field leading up to your current role as managing partner?
I started my legal career more than two decades ago as a trainee at the then-established Budapest office of Linklaters, and during my early years I was also seconded to the firm’s London office. My early professional years also included time at a CEE-based independent firm and DLA Piper’s Budapest office before returning to Linklaters. In 2008, as a result of Linklaters’ withdrawal from the CEE region, partners from the affected offices laid the foundation for a new firm, leading to the creation of Kinstellar in November 2008. I became a partner in 2009, and head of the firm-wide energy service line. I was appointed managing partner of the Budapest office in 2020 and became Kinstellar’s firm managing partner as of January 2024.
Continue reading “Q&A: Kristóf Ferenczi, firm managing partner, discusses the future of Kinstellar”
Lorraine Bellinger, head of legal project delivery at international law firm Bird & Bird, on ensuring social benefit is considered at all stages of a project
Continue reading “Q&A: Incorporating social value into projects”
Everyone is aware that data breaches and cyber attacks are on the rise globally. It affects organisations across various industries and for legal firms especially it is imperative that security is a top priority. Lawyers need to ensure their documentation is secure to uphold the principles of client confidentiality and attorney-client privilege, this is fundamental to the legal profession. By securing documentation, legal professionals protect against unauthorised access, data breaches, and potential disclosure of confidential information to third parties. Compliance with legal and industry-specific regulations is crucial,and secure documentation ensures adherence to these standards, mitigating the risk of legal and ethical consequences. Additionally, securing documentation reflects the professional responsibility of legal practitioners to safeguard the interests of their clients and maintain the highest ethical standards in the practice of law.
Law firms can enhance their security measures by using cloud-based digital dictation solutions as well as implementing a combination of technical safeguards, best practices, and employee training. Here are key steps law firms can take to protect themselves when utilising cloud-based digital dictation.
Continue reading “Strategies for safeguarding client confidentiality and compliance”
‘Economic and geopolitical pressures continued throughout 2023, making the global business landscape a volatile one. It might even be asked whether disruption is simply the new business norm.’
The disruption felt globally at the end of 2022 continued to impact life sciences companies and investors in 2023. Continue reading “Life Sciences Yearbook 2024: Sponsored foreword – Herbert Smith Freehills”
As part of its ambition for the United Kingdom to become a tech and science superpower by 2030, in 2023, the government announced a range of initiatives aimed at boosting investment and innovation in the life sciences sector. Innovators will have welcomed the R&D tax relief reforms whilst the Mansion House Compact (the largest UK pension providers committing 5% of their assets to unlisted equities by 2030) announced in July has provided some hope of alternative pools of capital to unlisted UK life sciences companies.
Whilst the impact of those initiatives remains to be seen (and of course with a general election looming) the UK life sciences industry is being positioned to play an integral part in the growth of the country’s economy with many recent legal and regulatory developments also seeking to enhance the attractiveness of the UK as a leading life sciences hub. The UK’s offer to prospective investors will be centred around access to innovation, the financial firepower of the City, the introduction of progressive and pragmatic regulation and a robust advisory ecosystem, which it hopes will allow it to differentiate itself from the EU.
Continue reading “Lead partner: The year the United Kingdom becomes a globally leading life sciences hub?”
1. What are the current regulatory frameworks governing the life sciences industry in China, and how have they evolved in recent years?
Legislation wise, the Drug Administration Law and its implementation rules are pivotal to the pharmaceutical sector, overseeing the entire lifecycle of chemical and biological products. For medical devices (including in-vitro diagnostics), the Regulations for the Supervision and Administration of Medical Devices form a fundamental framework. Continue reading “Sponsored Q&A: Fangda Partners”
By Sholto Lindsay-Smith, founding partner and director of brand strategy at Industry, an international brand and business consultancy.
As the management mantra goes, ‘you can’t manage what you can’t measure’. Law firms often undertake evaluation of their brand in pockets throughout the organisation by teams in HR, customer experience, internal and external communications. What is often missing is a 360-view which can summarise the brand strategy, identify brand-blockers and determine where to invest efforts in building brand advantage. This article considers the importance in assimilating this information to build a lasting brand advantage. Continue reading “How do you know when you have a brand advantage?”
