Expert Analysis

• What To Expect From Serious Fraud Office In 2019

  

  The coming year looks to be an interesting one for the U.K. Serious Fraud Office. With new Director Lisa Osofsky firmly in post, expectations are high that she will shake things up in the next few months, say Anna Gaudoin and Alison Geary of WilmerHale.

• UK Privacy Rules That Can Catch You Off Guard

  

  The recent data breach scandal involving the Leave.EU campaign shows that the U.K. Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations is often overlooked by businesses, says Alexander Edwards of Rosling King LLP.

• Autonomous Vehicles And UK Product Liability Law: Part 2

  

  With autonomous vehicles expected to hit the streets of the United Kingdom soon, manufacturers, insurers and their legal counsel face the challenge of determining how the U.K.'s product liability laws will be applied to questions of negligence, evidence and contracts raised by self-driving vehicles, says Michaela Herron of Bristows LLP.

• Autonomous Vehicles And UK Product Liability Law: Part 1

  

  Autonomous vehicles present a number of challenges to the United Kingdom's product liability legal framework, especially with regard to the vehicles' heavy reliance on software, consumers' expectations of safety and the need for compliance with varying local traffic rules, says Michaela Herron of Bristows LLP.

• A Victory For Legal Privilege In Cross-Border Investigations

  

  The U.K. Court of Appeal's recent decision in Serious Fraud Office v. Eurasian Natural Resources is a substantial step toward confirming the application of legal privilege in internal investigations, and has significantly reduced the divergence in U.K. and U.S. privilege law, say attorneys with Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy LLP.

• UK And EU Crawl Toward Virtual Currency Regulation

  

  The lack of a harmonized approach to regulation of initial coin offerings in the EU is leading to a piecemeal approach across member states that will hamper blockchain developments, say Jacqui Hatfield and Rebecca Kellner of Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP.

• Is Equifax Data Breach Penalty A Sign Of Fines To Come?

  

  Recently, the U.K. Information Commissioner's Office fined Equifax £500,000 for falling victim to a cyberattack — the highest penalty available. Some speculate that this decision is a sign that the ICO is already assuming a tougher stance following the commencement of the General Data Protection Regulation, say James Castro-Edwards and Eaven Prenter of Wedlake Bell LLP.

• Ensure That Dispute Resolution Mechanisms Are Brexit-Proof

  

  With only five months remaining for the U.K. to make a deal with the EU and the possibility of a "no-deal" Brexit looking increasingly plausible, now is the time to take proactive steps to protect your clients’ positions and to make sure that their contracts are effective and enforceable, say Claire Stockford and Caitlin McLean of Shepherd & Wedderburn LLP.

• 5 Cyber Insurance Pitfalls To Avoid In The UK

  

  Faced with the opportunity to purchase cyber risk insurance to mitigate the damage caused by cyber events, prospective policyholder companies need all the help they can get in order to navigate this increasingly complex part of the U.K. insurance market, says Richard Mattick of Covington & Burling LLP.

• UK Unexplained Wealth Orders: More Bark Than Bite So Far

  

  This month, the U.K. National Crime Agency successfully resisted a challenge to its first unexplained wealth orders. This is a victory, but the agency has some way to go to show that UWOs will be a meaningful tool in the U.K.'s anti-money laundering arsenal, says Fred Saugman of WilmerHale.

• GDPR Compliance Questions For Blockchain Firms

  

  The General Data Protection Regulation applies to blockchain networks that directly store personal information. However, blockchain technology can make compliance challenging, and also raises questions regarding who bears responsibility for compliance, say attorneys at Covington & Burling LLP.

• Knowledge Management: An Unsung Hero Of Legal Innovation

  

  As technology evolves, law firms are increasingly looking for ways to improve communication, transparency and service for their clients. Firms should put knowledge management at the core of their value proposition to create a competitive advantage, says Rob MacAdam at HighQ.

• Uncertainty Concerning The UK's Proper Purpose Rule?

  

  The U.K. Supreme Court's judgment in Eclairs v. JKX seemingly opened the door for a broad interpretation of the proper purpose rule, but despite the confusion, the rule will continue to operate as a useful legal safeguard for shareholders, say Nick Hoffman and Conal Keane of Harney Westwood & Riegels LLP.

• How Europe's AML Regime Is Tackling Virtual Currencies

  

  The use and provision of virtual currency services have remained largely unregulated in the European Union, but its newest anti-money laundering directive could be the first step to tougher regulation, say Chris Warren-Smith and Paul Mesquitta of Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP.

• UK Ruling Signifies Greater Cross-Border Sharing Of Data

  

  In KBR v. SFO, the U.K. High Court confirmed that the Serious Fraud Office can require foreign companies to produce documents held outside the U.K. as long as there is a sufficient connection between the company and the jurisdiction. This judgment will embolden other agencies with similar compulsory document production powers, says Andrew Smith of Corker Binning.