Legal Giants Tiny Talks

Richard Youle, the co-head of Skadden's Private Equity Group, shares with us his personal journey from obtaining a 2:2 degree to being a partner at one of the world's leading law firms. We discuss the interplay between having good academic grades and the importance of legal work experience in kickstarting your legal career. The role of personal contacts, extra-curriculars, and the potentially misleading idea of the lack of legal work experience not being a problem to law firm recruiters were discussed. Richard also gives us a very truthful reminder of the amount of work and dedication that is expected from trainees and NQs working at a prestigious law firm such as Skadden.

Brexit has had a significant impact on the UK's financial services industry, with UK-based institutions losing access to the EU's single market.  In this episode, Simon Dodds, Of Counsel at the international law firm Shearman & Sterling, and formerly co-Global General Counsel at Deutsche Bank, describes how UK-based financial institutions operated pre-Brexit and how Brexit has changed that operating model.  Simon considers whether the concept of 'equivalence' might help the UK-based financial services industry and highlights some of the ways in which London can enhance its position as a global financial hub.

Just 3 months ago, Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission announced some key enhancements to the Hong Kong Real Estate Investment Trusts (REIT) Code. There have been speculations as to how Hong Kong’s REIT market would recover from the pandemic; the world also has its eyes on China as it anticipates the establishment of a Chinese REITs market. How does the Hong Kong REITs market actually work? How will the REIT code enhancements help the city stay competitive? What can we expect as China rolls out its own REITs market? In this episode, Jeremy Ong, a Baker Mckenzie partner leading the firm’s Hong Kong REITs practice, shares with us his insights about the relevant developments. Disclaimer: The content of this podcast is for academic purposes only, and should not be construed as legal advice. It is not representative of anyone’s opinion except for that of the speakers at the time of recording.

Last year, the UK Government announced its development of a Sovereign Green Bond and that it would require companies to make climate-risk disclosures. This year, as we anticipate the launch of the Green Bond, there are still quite a lot of questions as to how the government's plans to create a more sustainable economy will be executed. In this episode, we're bringing these questions to Rachel Barrett, an ESG partner at Linklaters, who will be sharing with us her thoughts on the relevant developments. Disclaimer: The content of this podcast is for academic purposes only, and should not be construed as legal advice. It is not representative of anyone's opinion except for that of the speakers at the time of recording.