In this month’s Chambers Newsletter, we cover the latest Global Practice Guides, articles, podcasts, and videos from Expert Focus, as well as all our upcoming events.
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Chambers Global Practice Guides and Chambers Expert Focus
Our Global Practice Guides are yearly online guides that include articles written by legal experts worldwide in many areas of business law. The articles in our guides are in-depth commentaries from the best in their field, – and because they come from lawyers on every continent, they allow the reader to compare the legislation and procedures described in these articles across different jurisdictions.
Chambers Expert Focus provides multimedia content (articles, videos and podcasts) featuring legal professionals who offer fresh and concise insight into international legal practices.
Trending in Global Practice Guides
Sports Law 2024
Published on 28 March 2024
Who’s ‘game’ for some sports law? More and more practitioners are choosing to dedicate their juridic career to the world of sport as they have grasped that there’s more to this branch of the law than frivolity, excitement and entertainment. On 28th March 28th, here at Chambers, we proudly published the fourth edition of our Sports Law practice guide, – a title which promises to provide some much-sought clarification on the regulation of an industry that has grown at an astonishing pace. This e-guide will touch on the legal requirements devised for popular disciplines such as football, rugby, tennis, athletics and Formula One, to name a few: insurance, commercial and broadcast rights, betting, and anti-doping legislation. Experts will also explain how the industry is recovering after the suspension of important events because of Covid 19 and the current conflicts. We certainly hope that you will be sitting comfortably while reading this unique publication, embracing the universal ethos that says partaking – not winning – is what really counts.
On April 11th, we will celebrate publishing the Chambers Transfer Pricing 2024 e-guide, which will report on how 40 international jurisdictions are observing developments connected to this accounting procedure, commonly used by multinational corporations to spread profits or exchange services internally across their subsidiaries and divisions. Some companies may choose to apply this practice to lower their tax burdens, for example, by shifting tax responsibilities to other jurisdictions with lower taxation. In any case, this process remains a primary focus for the international tax community. While we are likely to witness a growth in transfer pricing litigation in many countries, the legal contributors in this e-guide aim at clearing the ambiguities associated with transfer pricing with updates on the guidelines by individual revenue services, the risks of double taxation and the efforts undertaken by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to prevent and minimise potential challenges in the tax world.
What’s new in Global Practice Guides
FinTech 2024
Published on 21 March 2024
Artificial intelligence is already part of the fabric of our lives, but as it becomes hungrier for data and inputs, law firms are required to keep an attentive eye on their legislative framework. The same can be said for all aspects of online financial transactions, a wide umbrella of topics ranging from storing customers’ data to money laundering and the rising popularity of crypto-currencies for payments or investments. As all this might still sound incomprehensible to some of us, we cannot stop technology from evolving in all areas of commerce, recreation and communication. With its impressive collection of 50 chapters from international practitioners, our Fintech 2024 e-guide provides useful insights on how financial lawyers are regulating online-only banks, blockchains, and new programming creations such as NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens), the digital tickets which allow us to book a place at our favourite events while protecting our personal data; something to thank fintech for, next time we are watching a live show by Beyonce or Taylor Swift!
Welcome to Pharmaceutical Advertising 2024! Introduced by Contributing Editor Dr Lincoln Tsang from Ropes & Gray, this e-guide is an overview of legal trends from 25 jurisdictions reporting on the legal and compliance landscape of the healthcare sector. In the last five decades, considerable investments have been made towards global healthcare reforms following a rising older demographic and the alarming spread of new infectious agents such as AIDS, Ebola, SARS, avian flu, Zika and COVID-19 among the human population. The legal commentaries in this publication shed light on how medicines and healthcare products are prescribed, supplied and used, provide updates on contractual engagements, and report on the new technology available to patients including the electronic collection of medical data and digital consultations via mobile phone or computer, which are increasingly replacing in-person and one-to-one visits.
Ensuring the Sustainable Journey of Africa’s Critical Minerals
As you are resting or working in the comfort of your heated abode, have you ever wondered where your energy comes from? A significant quantity may arrive all the way from the beautiful African continent, – home to a substantial quantity of the world’s critical mineral reserves, including platinum, cobalt and manganese. These metals are used in the supply and manufacturing of goods in the energy, pharmaceutical, technology and defence industries and are indispensable in our lives – however, the current demand for clean energy now requires manufacturers to build and provide ESG-compatible supply chains via which these unrefined minerals should travel. In his informative article, Kieran Whyte of Baker McKenzie digs into Africa’s pivotal role in the global supply of critical minerals, highlighting how some jurisdictions such as the EU, the USA and the UK are strategically partnering with the African nations to draft environmentally and socially responsible supply programmes. Policies have also been devised, the author explains, to boost the local manufacturing of unrefined materials to allow Africa to address its own energy demand in a manner that adheres with the sustainable growth of the territory, rural communities, deforestation and wildlife. We are reassured that from mine to industry, the journey of these precious and essential resources aims to support the African economy and make it much greener.
In the glossy – and expensive – world of football, it is standard practice for the biggest European clubs to rely on the help of investors to manage the huge costs accumulated with, for instance, the restructuring of stadiums, marketing campaigns and the purchase of players; unavoidably this might, as financial needs increase, result in colossal financial obligations for the club. In this informative article, Giorgio Vagnoni and Fausto Consolo of LAWP Studio Legale e Tributario summarise the challenges currently impacting football leagues in Italy. They inform us that the Italian Football Association (FIGC) recently amended its Internal Organisational Rules (NOIF) to facilitate the adoption by clubs of debt restructuring procedures to ‘tackle’ crises like bankruptcy and liquidation, and ensure clubs in dire straits are able to relieve themselves from paying their dues. The lawyers also provide examples of recent court cases where, thanks to debt restructuring, important Italian clubs could continue operating at least until the end of the football season. Ultimately, they tell us that this practice can save the life of a club; as fans, we can still enjoy watching the ‘beautiful game’, but we have to accept that, like many sports, football has now turned from an enjoyable recreational activity to a proper business where financial projections are drafted together with templates of team formations.
Anybody who has ever dreamt of living or holidaying in a hot territory should research the new advantageous laws set on the island of Saint Lucia in the West Indies. It is easy to understand how this small but utterly gorgeous tropical island surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean – already a prime contender among the top holiday destinations – continues attracting visitors from all over the world. In this video, Michelle Anthony-Desir from Athena Law dwells into the legal framework governing the real estate market in Saint Lucia, explaining that more streamlined regulations, a stable economic and political setting and tourism incentives offered by the government are contributing factors to the rising interest in property transactions on the island, and are encouraging more foreign homeowners and property developers to become the new Caribbean Queens and Kings.
Artificial Intelligence: A Double-Edged Sword for Intellectual Property and Business in Puerto Rico
Artificial Intelligence continues to be a hot topic which divides public opinion; if, on one hand, it is a tool that can help us in a variety of tasks, then on the other, it also risks – when efficient and autonomous – making us redundant. In this interesting article, intellectual property and business attorney Paola Zaragoza Cardenales of Zaragoza Cardenales tells us that for the creatives among us (artists, content creators and influencers), AI could pose a real threat to our intellectual property as it can create works in music, art and literature without almost any human contribution. AI, she writes, can, of course, be extremely beneficial (for instance, while searching for trademarks) but also untrustworthy (when it provides the wrong information as a result of algorithmic processes), proving that the AI-IP relationship is, in fact, a double-edged sword. The author reiterates the need to develop strategies for patents, establish the ownership of copyright, and give usage consent to external parties. Paola also offers useful advice on how we could protect the result of our creative juices without going to court.
Listen to our informative Chambers Expert Focus podcasts, which include legal experts sharing their knowledge and analysing key themes and market trends.
Chambers Fórum: Brasília 2024 – Brasília em Foco: Particularidades, Tendências e Desafios do Mercado Jurídico da Capital
On Tuesday, March 19th, we successfully hosted our first event in Brasìlia. Joined by firms and general counsel from across the region, the event was a great success – and we are already looking forward to returning next year.
Chambers Fórum: São Paulo 2024 – Mercado Jurídico e Inovação: Mantendo-se à Frente em um Cenário de Mudança Acelerada and Chambers Brazil Awards
On Thursday, March 21st, we hosted our São Paulo forum and Brazil Awards at Teatro B32.
The day forum was attended by 150+ lawyers and general counsel from the region and featured a host of topical discussions, ranging from artificial intelligence to finance and strategic management.
In the evening, the forum was followed by the Brazil Awards event, where over 15 practice and DEI awards were presented. The full list of winners can be viewed here.
Chambers Forum: Paris 2024 – An evolving regulatory landscape in France: focus on ESG-related regulations
Join us at The Westin Paris–Vendôme on Thursday, April 25th, for our upcoming day-long forum, which will focus on maximising your company’s ESG potential by embracing the new regulatory requirements of the EU directive on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CS3D).
The event will cover topics including:
The role of General Counsels in building sustainable businesses and accelerating the green transition
The impact of increased disclosure obligations on strengthening corporate governance and accountability
Reducing the litigation risks of greenwashing claims and climate change disputes
Chambers Forum: Nordic 2024 – Navigating the green transition
Join us for the inaugural Nordic forum in Copenhagen on Wednesday, May the 29th. This full-day forum will feature legal discussions on various topics related to renewable energy and the concept of energy islands. Some discussion points include:
An update on the latest regulatory matters in the energy sector in the Nordic region
The role of renewables in the fight against climate change and strengthening energy security
Focus on onshore and offshore wind markets and power-to-X projects
Debating the potential of energy islands in decarbonisation and scaling up renewables – legal considerations and managing risks in wide-ranging projects
… and more. Registration is free for general counsels and available here.
