This In Practice article is a thought experiment on the future of legal services. Technology is changing and changing us. It will have implications for the work of lawyers. Our natural assumption is that if change is incremental, it is not radical.
Significant measures to cut European red tape coming soon
The initiative, set to be unveiled next week, proposes reducing reporting obligations by 25% for private companies and 35% for SMEs.
US: TikTok Ban imminent
Signed into law in April 2024, the legislation requires TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to divest its ownership to non-“foreign adversary” entities or cease operations entirely. ByteDance, headquartered in China, has so far failed to meet these conditions.
Romanian Elections and the EU’s Digital Services Act: TikTok and Election Subversion
According to Romania’s intelligence agency, the SRI, these accounts were likely part of a coordinated effort by foreign state actors.
European Court of Human rights passes ruling on State’s responsibility on the enviroment
The Verein Klimaseniorinnen Schweiz And Others V. Switzerland ruling based its reasoning on Article 8 of ECHR, regarding the right to private and family life.
What will happen to the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive ?
Though there were developments in late 2023 that the Directive was on the way to being enacted, recent weeks have questioned Germany’s support for the final version.
A new cybersecurity regime brings enhanced agencies, reporting obligations
The EU cybersecurity regime recently underwent a notable reform. In January 2023, Directive 2022/2555, the new NIS 2 Directive – the EU-wide legislation on cybersecurity – entered into force, amending existing legislation and repealing Directive 2016/1148, in place since 2016.
Attorneys must be “independent” to represent before courts in the EU
The General Court of the European Court of Justice recently clarified the definition of independence in the legal profession and demonstrated how the viewpoint has evolved since the AM&S and Akzo Nobel decisions.
The evolving roles and responsibilities of companies
Contrary to popular belief, the act of prioritising long-term goals and engaging with stakeholders returns higher profits than otherwise feasible for these companies.