Horizon Scanning by Slaughter and May

Shifting the Overton Window: Enhancing Voluntary Carbon Market Integrity: Part 1

Amy Merrill is the CEO of The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM), an independent, non-profit governance body for the Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM), which aims to maximise its potential to finance climate solutions.

In the first part of this episode, Samay Shah, Infrastructure and Energy Partner, and Aaron Wu, Senior PSL in our Infrastructure and Energy Group, are joined by Amy to delve into the key drivers behind the growing interest in Voluntary Carbon Markets (VCMs), the opportunities they offer, and their convergence with compliance markets. They also cover ICVCM’s role in building consensus on global thresholds to enhance the integrity of VCMs.

A Labour Government – will it ‘Make Work Pay’?

The UK General Election on 4 July 2024 resulted in the first Labour Government in 14 years. This in turn heralds the biggest reform of employment law for a generation. Labour’s proposals in their ‘Plan to Make Work Pay’ promise wide-ranging changes, including introducing day 1 employment rights, expanding pay gap reporting, repealing the last government’s anti-strike laws, and introducing rights for employees to disconnect and to work flexibly. These are fundamental changes which will require businesses to rethink many aspects of their employment practices.

In this podcast, Philippa O’Malley and Clare Fletcher from our Employment team discuss Labour’s proposals, and what steps employers can take to prepare for them.

ESG in the year of the election

Join partner Harry Hecht and our Head of Business and Human Rights Moira Thompson Oliver as they sit down with Michael Arnold, Partner at Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, to discuss the politicisation of ESG against the backdrop of elections in the UK, US and Europe this year. 

They cover the big picture for ESG and how the regulatory agenda is evolving, dive into examples of ESG issues that are coming up in election cycles, and discuss what it means for companies navigating these challenges across their global markets. 

Other key impacts discussed in this podcast include: 

• The main factors driving the ‘ESG-backlash’ and how companies are responding on either side of the Atlantic
• How activism and novel litigation techniques might affect how companies view ESG
• The key sectors in the regulatory hotseat
• The continued and increasing focus on good governance

Tax Disputes Series - France

What does the recent trend of criminalisation of transfer pricing matters in France mean for businesses operating in the country? What tools are tax authorities in France using to obtain information and to enforce the rules? What action can be taken to minimise French transfer pricing risk and what options are available to resolve disputes?

Julien Gayral, Partner at Bredin Prat, joined Charles Osborne and Zoe Andrews to discuss these questions and more.

This is the final episode in a series on tax disputes risks. In addition to France, the series covers Brazil, the USA, Australia, India and Nigeria.

What to do about the EU AI Act?

What to do about the EU AI Act?

Partners Laura Houston and Jordan Ellison explore the EU AI Act, discussing what it covers, how to approach compliance and what lessons we can take from implementing other new legislation from the EU’s Digital package, including the Digital Markets Act.

Tax Disputes Series - Nigeria

How do Nigerian tax disputes generally proceed? Should taxpayers continue to comply with the transfer pricing regulations although their validity is in question? How are plans for a tax amnesty likely to develop?

Lolade Ososami, Partner at Udo Udoma & Belo-Osagie, joined Sarah Osprey and Tanja Velling to discuss these questions and more.

This is the fifth of six episodes in a series on tax disputes risks. In addition to Nigeria, the series covers Brazil, the USA, Australia, India and France. Episodes are released weekly. Subscribe to the Tax News show to be notified of new episodes.

Tax Disputes Series - India

Why is India's tax disputes landscape unique? How should taxpayers best approach dealings with the Indian tax authority? What is the impact on taxpayers of the recent case concerning the most favoured nation clause in Indian tax treaties, including for multinationals taking dividends out of India?

Mukesh Butani, Founder and Managing Partner of BMR Legal Advocates, spoke with Sarah Osprey, Partner in Slaughter and May’s Tax Practice, and Zoe Andrews, Head of Tax Knowledge at Slaughter and May, to answer these questions and more.

This is the fourth of six episodes in a series on tax disputes risks. In addition to India, the series covers Brazil, the USA, Australia, Nigeria and France. Episodes are released weekly. Subscribe to the Tax News show to be notified of new episodes.

Assessing the Materiality of Nature-Related Financial Risks for the UK

What impact could nature degradation, both domestically and internationally, have on the UK’s economy and financial sector?

First-of-its-kind analysis, led by the Green Finance Institute (GFI), in a report “Assessing the Materiality of Nature-Related Financial Risks for the UK”, references that the deterioration of the UK’s natural environment could lead to an estimated 12% loss to GDP by the 2030s.

Samantha Brady, Head of Environment and Climate Change at Slaughter and May, is joined by Helen Avery, GFI’s Director of Nature Programmes, to explore what the report's findings mean for corporates and financial institutions.