Practice Across The Pond: Introduction to the Regulatory Landscape and Conflict Management

We are delighted to share with you the recording of our recent webinar, ‘How Do You Attract and Retain ‘High Flyer’ Partners?’, in which partnership specialists discuss navigating the recruitment process for high flyers and important issues facing such decision making within professional practice firms. n this recording, Chair Corinne Staves (Partner, CM Murray LLP), Dr Robert Millard (Cambridge Strategy Group), David Shufflebotham (PepUp Consulting), and Zulon Begum (Partner, CM Murray LLP), are joined by guest speaker Siobhán Lewington, Partner at transatlantic legal recruiting firm, Macrae. The panel explore the key challenges involved in attracting and retaining ‘high flyer’ partners, who are often at the very heart of the engine room of many firms. Their discussion addresses key questions and topics, including: - What do we mean by high flyers; what might firms be looking for? - The extent to which firm culture, partner performance and succession planning are key strategic considerations - How can firms elevate the high flyers already identified within their ranks? - Should firms guarantee offer compensation packages or are they too flawed with difficulties? - How can firms manage any tensions between high flyers and other partners? - The ways in which integration plays into promoting the long-term success of high flyers within a firm

We are delighted to share the next episode of Practice Across the Pond, where we discuss the regulatory and ethical approaches taken to various matters from both a UK (England and Wales) and US (New York) perspective.   In this episode, CM Murray LLP Partners Corinne Staves and Andrew Pavlovic and Devika Kewalramani, Partner and General Counsel at FisherBroyles, focus on how partner conduct is regulated in both jurisdictions.  In particular, Corinne, Andrew and Devika discuss: - A broad overview of the regulation of partner conduct, both in the UK and US   - Areas of particular focus in both jurisdictions, including the UK’s emphasis on workplace culture and AML, and in the US, misconduct and rules relating to lawyers and their ‘fitness’ to practise   - To what extent do the rules and duties set by the regulators support and drive the behaviour and culture of firms? If you would like to discuss regulation and conflict management in more detail, or if you have any questions arising from this recording, please contact Corinne Staves, Andrew Pavlovic or Devika Kewalramani. CM Murray LLP is a leading specialist partnership, employment and regulatory law firm based in London and is ranked Band 1 and Tier 1 for Partnership Law by Chambers and Partners UK and Legal 500 UK, and is recognised as “one of the legal world’s strongest offerings in this area.” Founded in 2002 by James Fisher and Kevin Broyles, FisherBroyles is the world’s first and largest distributed, full-service law firm, and the only distributed law firm to be ranked by The Am Law 200 as one of the 200 largest law firms by gross revenue.

We are delighted to share with you the recording of our recent webinar, ‘Managing Partner Performance in Professional Services Firms, Evaluating Contribution and Using Partner Processes to Drive Your Firm’s Strategy’, in which partnership and regulatory law specialists discuss how to manage successfully partner promotion and remuneration processes within professional services firms. Jeremy Callman, Barrister at Ten Old Square, David Shufflebotham of Pep Up Consulting and Sarah Chilton and Andrew Pavlovic, Partners at CM Murray LLP, explore the important and practical considerations professional service firms ought to consider when making decisions about partner promotions and remuneration. Their discussion addresses key questions and topics including: What do the regulators, such as the SRA, expect regarding workplace culture and partner performance? How does this impact firm strategy and decision-making? What factors should an organisation consider when developing its partner promotion and remuneration strategy and processes? What does an effective partner performance evaluation process look like? What governance powers and documentation are required to implement these evaluation and remuneration processes? If you would like to discuss any of the above issues in further detail, please contact Partners Sarah Chilton and Andrew Pavlovic, who specialise in partnership, professional discipline and regulatory law issues for firms and partners.

We are delighted to introduce a new series, ‘Navigating Investigations’, where we discuss difficult issues that investigators often grapple with. In this first episode, Partner Emma Bartlett is joined by a special guest, Cindy Butts, Chair of the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC), experienced in conducting investigations, tackling inequality and complaints handling (among many other attributes) to discuss the following: - The ICEC’s 2023 published report entitled ‘Holding up a Mirror to Cricket’, which details the enquiry’s findings on issues regarding race, gender and class in cricket. Cindy outlines the report’s key findings, the process and key challenges of conducting this public enquiry over the course of two and a half years. - Methods to develop trust and confidence with reluctant witnesses during an investigation and supporting vulnerable witnesses - How investigators can deal with anonymity issues when conducting investigations. If you have any questions in relation to investigations following this discussion, please contact Partner Emma Bartlett. Find out more about CM Murray LLP’s dedicated Investigations Unit here. Huge thanks to Cindy Butts for her insights. You can view the ICEC’s Holding up a Mirror to Cricket report here: https://theicec.com/report/

We are delighted to share with you the recording of our recent webinar, ‘Cash, Remuneration and Economic Uncertainty’, in which partnership and regulatory law specialists discuss navigating economic uncertainty and how this can be successfully achieved within professional firms. Robert Millard of Cambridge Strategy Group, David Shufflebotham of Pep Up Consulting and Corinne Staves and Andrew Pavlovic, Partners at CM Murray LLP, explore the important and practical considerations professional practice firms ought to consider in these times of economic uncertainty. Their discussion addresses key questions and topics including: • What key commercial changes are affecting firm strategy and their decision making? • What sources of capital firms should be looking to in the new high interest rate landscape; are the traditional methods still viable? • How can firms better structure their own governance to appear more attractive to private equity and bank funding? • Strategic options available to mid-market firms to maintain financial resilience; • Key considerations of financial health from an SRA perspective; at what point do the SRA get involved with a firm in financial distress? How do the SRA view different forms of funding? • What does the financially resilient law firm of the future look like?

We are delighted to introduce a brand new series of talks, Practice Across the Pond, in which we discuss the regulatory and ethical approaches taken to various matters from both a UK (England and Wales) and US (New York perspective). In this episode, CM Murray LLP Partners Corinne Staves and Andrew Pavlovic and Devika Kewalramani, Partner and General Counsel at FisherBroyles, discuss the following: - A comparative overview of the regulatory regimes in both jurisdictions - The key ethical and regulatory challenges faced by GCs working across both London and New York offices and how to address them - Identifying and effectively managing conflicts of interest across global offices, taking into account the differing tests applicable to each jurisdiction and the need to make decisions quickly If you would like to discuss regulation and conflict management in more detail, or if you have any questions arising from this recording, please contact Corinne Staves, Andrew Pavlovic or Devika Kewalramani.

In this short podcast, Chair Mark Risk (Mark Risk PC, New York) and Panellists Amit Bindra (The Prinz Law Firm, Chicago), Omar Molina Garcia (Augusta Abogados, Spain), and Jane Amphlett (Howard Kennedy LLP, UK) discuss briefly some of the issues that they will be analysing in their panel session at the 5th IFSEA Conference on Risk, Reward and Reputation Management for Senior Executives & Founders, on 25 June 2024 in London, including: • The latest key developments to the law governing restrictive covenants, including the FTC ban on non-compete clauses in most US employment contracts, affecting millions of workers, and the pending lawsuits which seek to prevent the FTC ban being implemented • How the enforceability of restrictive covenants in employment and incentive schemes in the UK, Spain and the US could potentially be affected by the recent developments to the law in this area • Other key themes that the panel will cover at the forthcoming IFSEA Conference 2024

We are delighted to introduce the ninth episode of our Women in Sport Podcast, where we discuss developments, initiatives, and issues relating to women in sports and the associated legal implications. In this episode, Partner Emma Bartlett and Trainee Solicitor Mitchell Blythe are joined by a special guest, Becky Grey who is a senior journalist at BBC Sport, to discuss the following:  1. The origin of Becky's passion for sports reporting, the development of her role in the journalism industry and career highlights.  2. The BBC Elite British Sportswomen's Study published by Becky Grey and Sonia Oxley in March 2024 which covers a wide range of issues affecting sportswomen, including income, trolling, maternity and sexism.  3. Becky's involvement with Queen Bee Coaching, a free coaching service for women in leadership in Greater Manchester which aims to break down barriers and accelerate equity. 4. The key catalyst moments which have assisted with changing the perception of women in sport.  5. Who would be Becky's 'dream interview'?

We are delighted to introduce the eighth episode of our Women in Sport Podcast, where we discuss developments, initiatives, and issues relating to women in sports and the associated legal implications. In this episode, Partner Emma Bartlett and Trainee Solicitor Mitchell Blythe are joined by a special guest, Robert Vilahamn, who is the Head Coach of Tottenham Hotspur in the Women's Super League, to discuss the following: - The importance of role models in sport and the impact they can have on the next generation of athletes. - The role Robert plays as an ally to the gender equity movement and a strong advocate for women to have the same opportunities as men to achieve their goals. - Robert's adaptation to his new role at Tottenham Hotspur and the differences between coaching the male and female game. - The Women's Super League North London Derby match between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal W.F.C, played on the 3rd of March 2024 at the Emirates Stadium in front of 60,000 fans. - The future of women's football and Robert's motivation for wanting to be at the forefront of its growth and development. Robert's inspiration behind founding the Vilahamn Soccer Academy in Uganda and the work that they undertake.

In this episode, Partner Emma Bartlett and Trainee Solicitor Mitchell Blythe are joined by a special guest, Chris Paouros, who is the Co-Chair of Proud Lilywhites, the official Tottenham Hotspur LGBTQ+ Supporters Association, to discuss the following:  1. Methods and initiatives for harnessing and bringing about change within organisations.  2. Chris' love of Tottenham Hotspur and the inspiration behind founding an award-winning Football Supporters Association.  3. The core principles and aims which are fundamental to the success of the Association.  4. The recent 10th anniversary of the Proud Lilywhites and the video released to commemorate this milestone, which can be viewed here.  5. Support from Tottenham Hotspur players past and present and the positive affect that this has on support for the Association.