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The Commercial Awareness Compass by AllAboutLaw helps you build your commercial awareness every week with a beginners, intermediate and advanced breakdown of a story from an expert lawyer and trainee solicitor host.
This story was taken from a live conversation a few months ago. If you don't want to wait for these conversations, head over to the Commercial Awareness Compass to get them straight to your inbox each week.
🚀 Boost your commercial awareness: https://www.allaboutlaw.co.uk/commercial-awareness-compass
54 Episodes
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President Trump has proposed a one hundred per cent tariff on branded and patented pharmaceutical imports, due to take effect unless manufacturers shift production to the United States by October 2025. The measure is part of a wider plan to rebuild domestic manufacturing and reduce the US trade deficit. Officials say it will strengthen national security, but the pharmaceutical industry has warned of major disruption to global supply chains and rising drug prices across Europe and beyond. ...
Across Europe, data centres are consuming power on a staggering scale. By 2030, they could require as much electricity as 100 million homes—about half of all households in Europe. A far cry from the anonymous concrete monoliths on industrial estates, data centres have become a major part of commercial conversation and evolved into critical infrastructure powering everything from streaming and cloud storage to artificial intelligence. But to build these, there are new challenges over power, l...
The UK’s insurance sector is facing one of its most significant regulatory shifts since the 2008 financial crisis. The Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) are consulting on proposals to simplify rules, speed up approvals, and free up capital to make the UK a more competitive financial hub. But these changes come with risks. The regulators are juggling conflicting priorities: protect consumers or unlock growth? If capital requirements are eased, insurer...
Electric vehicles (EVs) are shifting from curiosity to inevitability. With a planned ban on new petrol and diesel sales from 2030 and hybrids in 2035, consumer appetite is coming to terms with policy. In 2024, the UK was the largest EV market in Europe, and interest is rising as drivers weigh running costs, convenience, and the promise of cleaner travel. Yet access is uneven. Inner city infrastructure allows for the large-scale rollout of chargers and shorter journeys favour EV’s range, while...
The United States has announced a deal in principle to move TikTok’s American operations under majority US ownership as part of a wider trade agreement with China. Officials say it’s about national security and controlling where data from US users is stored and accessed. But Beijing has stayed vague, promising only to “properly resolve” the issue while avoiding details of any confirmed ownership change. This isn’t a normal corporate acquisition. It’s a geopolitical chess match disguised as a...
A single court case has redrawn the line between supporting and conducting litigation. In Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys, the High Court confirmed that only authorised individuals can conduct litigation, a term that stretches from issuing proceedings to managing related tasks and crucially, supervision by a solicitor does not create authorisation. This ruling has shaken up the profession massively. Firms are rethinking delegation, trainees are questioning what they can sign, and clients ma...
High-profile allegations of sexual harassment and inappropriate workplace relationships have dominated the headlines, from the Greg Wallace investigation at the BBC to the Coldplay kiss-cam scandal involving Andy Byron and Kristen Cabot. These cases expose the messy intersection of reputation, compliance, and culture, while also underscoring the legal risks that employers face. In the UK, a statutory duty to prevent harassment in the workplace means employers must prove they have taken all r...
Ticketmaster and its parent company, Live Nation, are in the crosshairs of US regulators, accused of colluding with ticket resellers to inflate prices and profit from fans eager to see their favourite artists live. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), joined by multiple US states, claims they helped brokers make billions through artificial scarcity and sky-high resale fees. This isn’t just about a few overpriced gigs. It’s a challenge to Ticketmaster’s grip on an industry it dominates, raising...
The Employment Rights Bill would reshape unfair dismissal by reducing the current two-year qualifying period and introducing an “initial period of employment” that functions like a statutory probation. The headline proposal is unfair dismissal protection from day one, although recent parliamentary debate has floated alternatives such as a shorter qualifying period (e.g., six months). How might a statutory probation affect hiring and exit practices? Could tribunals handle a likely rise in clai...
The UK’s Online Safety Act has officially come into force and with it, a sweeping overhaul of how digital platforms must operate. Tech companies are under pressure to redesign their systems and policies to comply, implementing mandatory age verification checks. Behind the political headlines lies a commercial and legal challenge that could expose platforms to multimillion-pound fines, reputational damage, and even criminal liability for senior executives. What happens when technology moves fa...
Adidas has announced it will raise prices for U.S. consumers after new tariffs imposed by the Trump administration increased its supply chain costs by €200 million. This steep increase is owed to the fact that nearly half of Adidas’s production is based in Vietnam and Indonesia, two regions now facing higher import taxes when goods enter the U.S. The market’s reaction was immediate: Adidas shares dropped sharply, underscoring how trade policy can instantly affect global brands. But this is mo...
Pladis, the owner of household favourites like McVitie’s, Jacob’s and Jaffa Cakes, is investing £68 million to modernise its UK manufacturing base. The plan includes automated production lines, upgraded infrastructure, and reduced carbon emissions across sites in Liverpool, Stockport, and Carlisle. By the end of 2026, the company expects not only to boost productivity and capacity but also to create new jobs. This is more than an upgrade of snack production. It touches on themes of auto...
Artificial intelligence is no longer a novelty. It is rewriting the rules of intellectual property. Established copyright principles are colliding with AI-generated creations, forcing governments, businesses and lawyers to question who owns what and who should bear the risk when things go wrong. Name, image and likeness rights, patents in biotech, and ownership of AI outputs are all live battlegrounds. The legal world is responding fast, with almost 1 in 10 new partners in UK law firms now w...
Company insolvencies in England and Wales have taken an unexpected dip. In June 2025, the Insolvency Service recorded 2,043 cases, 8% lower than May and 16% lower than the same month last year. For a country still grappling with rising costs and fragile supply chains, the fall is striking. Yet one month of data does not guarantee a trend. Are companies genuinely becoming more resilient, or simply delaying the inevitable? Which industries remain most at risk, and how can lawyers advise client...
In an era where social media can propel a complaint to millions within hours, brand reputation has never been more fragile — or more powerful. One post, one misjudged partnership, one policy misstep: that’s all it takes to send years of brand trust into spiralling. But with the right commercial and legal strategies, damage doesn’t have to mean disaster. In this episode we explore how businesses build trust, manage crises, and rebuild when things go wrong, what effective brand protection real...
Public listings in London have plunged to thirty‑year lows even as takeover bids soar. This episode BCLP explores the forces behind stalled IPO pipelines from shifting valuations to regulatory quirks, and reveals how law firms steer clients through the rising tide of acquisitions. More about BCLP: In the heart of London, you’ll find a dynamic office where nearly 700 lawyers tackle complex projects for leading global clients. You’ll quickly become immersed in a hub for high-profile work acros...
From uninterrupted power supplies to rigorous cooling requirements and airtight security measures, data centre deals have never been more complex. This episode explores the legal strategies that underpin one of Britain’s fastest‑growing industries. More about Clyde & Co: Clyde & Co is a global law firm providing a complete service to clients in its core sectors of insurance, transport, energy, infrastructure and trade & commodities. We’re growing and transforming our business and ...
With nearly two fifths of the world’s carbon output tied to bricks and mortar, investors, developers and occupiers face a new regulatory era. Our guest from BCLP examines how EPC ratings and MEE standards dictate lettability, the role of green lease drafting in aligning stakeholders, and the exemptions that could spare some buildings from costly retrofits. Hear the legal insights redefining sustainable property. More about BCLP: In the heart of London, you’ll find a dynamic office where nearl...
Buy now pay later has revolutionised online spending, especially for younger shoppers seeking interest-free funding but escaped the checks that govern credit cards and loans. The FCA is closing that gap with proposals for affordability testing on even the smallest purchases, Financial Ombudsman access and lender support obligations. Legal teams will steer clients through authorisation, data-protection challenges and advertising compliance. Explore how regulation will alter the BNPL market and...
The right partnership can drive sales. The wrong one can cause a PR disaster. With influencer marketing reshaping brand strategy, lawyers are managing complex reputational and contractual dynamics. The Commercial Awareness Compass by AllAboutLaw, helps you build your commercial awareness every week with a beginners, intermediate and advanced breakdown of a story from an expert lawyer and trainee solicitor host. This story was taken from a live conversation a few months ago. If you don't wan...
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