From Travers Smith: Recent Episodes
Travers Smith
From Travers Smith collects podcast episodes and audio versions of our briefings across a broad range of topics, from asset management to technology via CSR and ESG.
On 23 June 2026, HMRC published a consultation titled Modernising the taxation of distributions and repayments of capital from companies.
The consultation proposes fundamental reform to the rules governing how payments from companies to their shareholders are taxed. Although the primary focus is on individual shareholders and trusts, the consultation will also impact corporates. It has the potential to be one of the more consequential consultations on UK tax law in decades.
In this episode of our Tax Focus podcast, the second in a mini-series, Maddy Gowlett and Hannah Manning discuss the proposals to reform demergers and the loans to participators regime.
Read more about this subject.
In the second episode of our Frontline series, Finance Partner Ryan Ayrton joins Jon Reddington to discuss the current landscape for financing defence deals and what this means for borrowers and lenders looking to do business on the global stage within the current geopolitical climate.
On 23 June 2026, HMRC published a consultation titled Modernising the taxation of distributions and repayments of capital from companies.
On 23 June 2026, HMRC published a consultation titled Modernising the taxation of distributions and repayments of capital from companies.
The consultation proposes fundamental reform to the rules governing how payments from companies to their shareholders are taxed. Although the primary focus is on individual shareholders and trusts, the consultation will also impact corporates. It has the potential to be one of the more consequential consultations on UK tax law in decades.
In this episode of our Tax Focus podcast, the first of a mini-series, Maddy Gowlett and Hannah Manning discuss the background to the consultation, the principles involved, and some of the possible practical implications.
In the first episode of our Frontline series, Ingrid Hodgskiss, a Partner in our Competition team, joins Siân Keall to discuss the UK's National Security & Investment Act ("NSIA").
The NSIA is the UK's version of a foreign direct investment regime and came into force four and a half years ago. Ingrid and Siân discuss the impact of the NSIA on defence sector deal making in the current geopolitical climate.
Travers Smith is proud to act for Jason Jones in his appeal to the Privy Council challenging Trinidadian laws that criminalise same-sex intimacy. In this podcast, Caroline Edwards (Partner) and James Hulmes (Senior Counsel) discuss the case and its significance with Jason.
In this episode, Travers Smith partner Huw Jenkin and senior associate Ophelia Chan explore the growing role of AI in international arbitration and how it compares to its more established use in English litigation. They discuss the current state of AI adoption across both forums, from technology-assisted review (TAR) in disclosure to the emerging use of generative AI tools, alongside the key risks and opportunities these developments present. The episode also covers arbitration-specific concerns such as confidentiality, potential challenges to awards, and multilingual bias, before offering practical guidance on best practices, including the use of AI protocols and procedural directions. With major institutions such as the ICC and LCIA in the process of updating their rules, this is a fast-moving space with significant implications for how disputes are run and how costs are managed.
During 2025, HMRC paused their concessionary treatment for administrative errors relating to withholding tax on cross-border interest payments. The concession is paused while HMRC review the UK's procedures for claiming relief under a double tax treaty.
In this podcast, we discuss the background, the principles involved, and the practical implications of HMRC's decision to pause the concession and conduct the review.
In this pilot episode of the Travers Smith International Arbitration podcast, Huw Jenkin, (Partner in our Dispute Resolution team) and Adam Short (Senior Counsel in the team) discuss the increasing popularity of international arbitration and the reasons behind this increase. They also discuss a number of differences between arbitration and litigation and why parties might opt for one over the other.
In this short video, Rich Offord, Kirsty Emery and Jonathan Rush discuss what suppliers can do to make sure they get paid. Topics covered include tips on how to push back against customer demands for long payment terms, additional protections such as parent company guarantees and the value of reporting obligations to provide early warning of financial problems at the customer.
Opening sentence: Today we are launching our new podcast series, Different Voices.
For the first episode, to mark Social Mobility Day 2025, Jacob Miller (tagged to profile) has kindly spoken to Garth Heron, Travers Smith's Diversity & Inclusion Executive, about 'code-switching.' Codeswitching is the act of tailoring your identity to the workplace in order to 'fit in', whether that be changing your accent or talking about your experiences growing up, which can be exhausting.
The conversation takes in what this use of emotional labour can do to someone long-term, particularly as they are trying to rise professionally, and how people from a lower socio-economic background are disproportionately likely to suffer 'imposter syndrome' and doubt themselves.
Social Mobility Day is an annual milestone to raise awareness of the challenges people from a lower socio-economic background can face in the workplace and hopefully challenge the stereotypes and discrimination that can hold some people back professionally.
Thanks to Jacob for his participation.
In this short video, Rich Offord, Katie Hindley and Jonathan Rush highlight some of the key issues for customers when negotiating payment clauses in commercial contracts. Topics covered include common pitfalls when seeking to withhold payments in response to poor supplier performance and the importance of set off rights. We also discuss why some customers may need to devote more attention to whether they are paying their suppliers on time and the remedies specified in the contract for late payment.
A series of dynamic conversations hosted by Simon Witney, sustainable finance specialist, joined by two expert guests.
Simon's guests, Ross Butler, Managing Director of Linear B Group, and Tosin Adeyeri, Partner in our Funds team, debate opposing answers to this topical question. Listen now to learn what ESG-linked carried interest means and how it works, plus the pros and cons of incorporating non-financial KPIs into fund economics from their frontline perspective.
The episode ends with a one-sentence answer from each expert guest to… Should your next fund include and ESG or perhaps impacts linked carried interest?
In a brand-new podcast, hosted by our competition experts, you can learn about the ways in which the hot topics in competition law impact, and apply to, the gaming industry.
Episode 1 sees Head of Competition Stephen Whitfield and Associate Chloe Budd provide an overview on the state of play of M&A in the gaming industry and discuss how the EU and UK merger control regimes are dealing with such a dynamic sector.
In this short video, Richard Offord, Katie Hindley and Jonathan Rush provide a 5 minute primer on key pricing issues in commercial contracts. Topics covered include whether suppliers can raise prices unilaterally, how to deal with inflation, cost plus and open book pricing, audit clauses, "best price" or MFN obligations, price-matching clauses and benchmarking.
We started the series by looking at the approach of the previous UK government to the regulation of AI. In "State of Play II", partners James Longster and Louisa Chambers from our Technology & Commercial Transactions department revisit the UK's regulatory outlook for AI following the election of the Labour Government. They discuss Labour's change of approach, the UK's signature of the first international legally binding AI treaty, as well as plans for data protection reform and and the Government's ambition to address the impasse over the use of copyrighted materials for AI training.
In this episode, Partner James Longster in our Technology & Commercial Transactions team sits down with Senior Associate Laura Smyth in our Operational Risk & Environment team, to discuss the Corporate Governance implications of the new EU Artificial Intelligence Act.
Together they explore key best practice and legal requirements for businesses, including the importance of dedicated AI governance committees, AI ethics and acceptable use policies, promoting training and leveraging upon existing corporate governance structures.
Consideration is also given to the AI Act's impacts on transparency, accountability and the promotion of human oversight of AI systems. They also discuss the AI Act's impact and approach in relation to the environment.
In the fifth episode of this series, Senior Counsel Elissavet Grout, Senior Counsel Joseph Sheldrick and Associate Amy Broderick from our Tax team discuss the current inheritance tax rules and the potential changes that are anticipated in the forthcoming Autumn Budget.
In the seventh episode of this series, Senior Associate Aimee Hutchinson and Associate Claudia French from our Tax team shed light on some possible changes Labour may make to Real Estate taxes ahead of the forthcoming Autumn Budget. They discuss Labour's manifesto pledges, the future of the reserved investor fund and how other anticipated tax changes to CGT and carried interest will impact the real estate sector.
In the sixth episode of this series, Nick White, Knowledge Counsel in our Pensions team, outlines some of the pensions tax options available to Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves, as she prepares to deliver the new Government's first Budget.
In the third episode of series, Head of Tax, Russell Warren, Associate Ross McGregor and Trainee Nadia Ashbridge discuss the possible reforms to key business taxes including Corporation Tax, VAT and Employer NICs expected to be announced in the Autumn Budget on 30 October 2024. The team also consider Labour's manifesto pledge promising a Business Taxes Roadmap and what this might mean for businesses in the longer term.
In the second episode of this series, Partner Mahesh Varia, Senior Associate Claire Prentice and Trainee Michelle Soo from our Tax team, discuss the potential reforms to the tax treatment of individuals who are not UK-domiciled ("non-doms") in the upcoming Autumn Budget 2024. They cover the Labour party's election manifesto, updates by the new Labour government since winning the election and what we might expect in the Budget.
In this episode, Tax Partner Hannah Manning, Knowledge Counsel Kulsoom Hadi and Trainee Solicitors Josh Channon and Amar Degon discuss the possible reforms to capital gains tax to be announced in the Autumn Budget on 30 October 2024. The team reviews speculation from recent commentary and delves into past budget announcements, as well as discussing comparisons with CGT rates in other countries.
In the first episode of our series From Manifesto to Budget, Tax Partner Elena Rowlands, and Senior Associates Tom Margesson and Sarah Roman from our Asset Management Tax team provide an overview of the carried interest tax rules and discuss what measures the Government might introduce in the upcoming Autumn Budget 2024 to close what it has termed the "carried interest loophole".
Partner Ailie Murray from our Employment team, and Senior Counsel Harriet Sayer from our Pensions team together sit down with Barbara Wilson, Founder and Director of Working With Cancer – an organisation comprised of trainers, coaches and policy advisors who are senior professionals from a wide range of industries with experience living with cancer, bringing insight to support others enduring the same.
Ailie and Harriet share their personal experiences of being diagnosed and treated for breast cancer while at work. They discuss the potential obstacles to sharing this type of diagnosis at work and how employers can help to create a supportive environment, with reference to Travers Smith's recently established internal Cancer Support Network, and the Working With Cancer pledge which aims to make workplaces more supportive for those diagnosed with or impacted by cancer.
Listen to our podcast LGBT+ equality and inclusion in law.
Thanks to Jonathan Fritz, Laura L. Chapman – Partner, Sheppard Mullin, Ignacio Corbera Dale – Partner, Garrigues and Dr. Martin Viciano Gofferje – Partner, Gleiss Lutz for their participation in this podcast.
To mark South Asian Heritage Month, colleagues from across the firm have recorded a podcast to share their personal stories of culture, language, food and family from across South Asia.
In this episode, Partners James Longster, from our Technology & Commercial Transactions team and Ingrid Hodgskiss, from our Competition team, discuss the evolving landscape of the application of competition law to AI. They cover the UK Competition and Markets Authority's recent activity in the AI space, as well as other hot topics like the application of merger control regimes to AI partnerships, access to key inputs for generative AI and labour market practices.
In this podcast, corporate, employment and tax lawyers discuss some of the ESG policies featured in the manifestos of the political parties.
In this episode, Partner James Longster and Senior Associate Andy Maxwell from our Technology & Commercial Transactions team discuss the ways in which AI can give rise to liability, the difficulties that arise in relation to attributing responsibility for losses linked to AI, and the measures that are being taken to regulate this area.
In this episode, Partner, James Longster, from our Technology & Commercial Transactions team and Senior Associate, Naomi Pollock, from our Employment team discuss the transformative role that AI can play in the workplace in areas such as recruitment, management and performance review. They highlight legal pitfalls employers must avoid - risks such as discrimination, breach of data protection laws and the leak of proprietary information. The pair then go on to explore a number of risk management strategies, including being transparent about the use of AI, retaining human oversight, having an AI use policy and adequate staff training.
In this episode, Partner James
Longster and Senior Associate Rosie Westley from our
Technology & Commercial Transactions team discuss how AI interacts with
Intellectual Property laws in the UK. They note two main concerns for
businesses: the extent of IP protection for AI systems and their outputs, and
the risk of existing IP rights holders challenging usage of training data and
outputs. Through these main two concerns, our speakers discuss copyright
ownership in AI-generated outputs; difficulties in establishing creative
originality; patentability of such outputs; and IP infringement risks in using
AI systems.
James Longster, a partner in our Technology and Commercial Transactions team, gives a 3 minute primer on six key issues to consider when looking to deploy artificial intelligence as part of an outsourcing transaction. This is the third in a series of short videos on different aspects of outsourcing.
In this second episode, Partner James Longster and Senior Associate Sarah Robinson discuss the extent to which the
UK and EU data protection regimes apply to artificial intelligence (AI). The
pair underscore the importance of GDPR compliance when utilising AI, including
transparency, purpose limitation, and data minimisation principles, despite the
unique challenges posed by AI's substantial and varied use of personal data.
In this first episode, Partners James Longster and Louisa Chambers from our Technology & Commercial Transactions team discuss the current legal landscape in the UK and the EU for the regulation of AI technology and how this is expected to develop. The pair also share their thoughts on what businesses can do to ensure that they are on top of their existing legal obligations and ready for new regulatory requirements in this space, given the rapid pace of AI development.
Louisa Chambers, a partner in our Technology and Commercial Transactions team, gives a 3 minute primer on recent developments in data protection and their implications for outsourcing transactions – including UK data protection reform, overseas transfers and artificial intelligence. This is the second in a series of short videos on different aspects of outsourcing.
In the first of a series of videos on outsourcing, Head of Technology & Commercial Transactions Dan Reavill gives a three minute primer on the different approaches to dealing with inflation in an outsourcing transaction.
In this podcast, produced for the Association of Real Estate Funds, Travers Smith Partner Sarah Walker, CMS Partner Marc Armstrong and Travers Smith Senior Associate Kirsty Emery discuss what a landlord might be able to do if one of its tenants stops paying its rent or goes into an insolvency process.
Travers Smith's Nick White, Knowledge Lawyer and Pensions Senior Counsel, Chris Widdison summarise the upcoming 'What's Happening in Pensions - Issue 102'.
Travers Smith's Nick White, Knowledge Lawyer and Pensions Partner, David James summarise the upcoming 'What's Happening in Pensions - Issue 101'.
In this four-part "in conversation" series, EY-Parthenon partners Karina Brooks and Eimear Kelly and Travers Smith partners Dan Naylor and Joseph Wren discuss pension scheme surpluses, drawing out some important topics for consideration by trustees and sponsors. Key themes from the discussion include the advantages of advance planning, the need for schemes and sponsors to respond to dynamic circumstances which can change scheme funding levels rapidly (such as the LDI crisis), and the ways in which good outcomes can be achieved both for members and for other stakeholders including the sponsor.
In this four-part "in conversation" series, EY-Parthenon partners Karina Brooks and Eimear Kelly and Travers Smith partners Dan Naylor and Joseph Wren discuss pension scheme surpluses, drawing out some important topics for consideration by trustees and sponsors. Key themes from the discussion include the advantages of advance planning, the need for schemes and sponsors to respond to dynamic circumstances which can change scheme funding levels rapidly (such as the LDI crisis), and the ways in which good outcomes can be achieved both for members and for other stakeholders including the sponsor.
In this four-part "in conversation" series, EY-Parthenon partners Karina Brooks and Eimear Kelly and Travers Smith partners Dan Naylor and Joseph Wren discuss pension scheme surpluses, drawing out some important topics for consideration by trustees and sponsors. Key themes from the discussion include the advantages of advance planning, the need for schemes and sponsors to respond to dynamic circumstances which can change scheme funding levels rapidly (such as the LDI crisis), and the ways in which good outcomes can be achieved both for members and for other stakeholders including the sponsor.
In this four-part "in conversation" series, EY-Parthenon partners Karina Brooks and Eimear Kelly and Travers Smith partners Dan Naylor and Joseph Wren discuss pension scheme surpluses, drawing out some important topics for consideration by trustees and sponsors. Key themes from the discussion include the advantages of advance planning, the need for schemes and sponsors to respond to dynamic circumstances which can change scheme funding levels rapidly (such as the LDI crisis), and the ways in which good outcomes can be achieved both for members and for other stakeholders including the sponsor.
"What’s Happening in Pensions", our regular news briefing covering topical pensions law developments. In this episode, we focus on recent developments affecting DC pension benefits.
Welcome to our Mitigating a data breach – insider threats podcast series. In this series, Technology & Commercial Transactions Partner James Longster, Employment Partner Adam Wyman and Dispute Resolution Senior Counsel Rachel Wilson, take a look at what happens in the aftermath of a data breach and what organisations can do to mitigate their impact.
In the final episode of this series, James and Rachel conclude by discussing potential regulatory action and what types of civil claims your business might face in the event of a data breach.
Welcome to the second episode of our Mitigating a Data Breach: Insider Threats podcast series. In this series of 3 podcasts, members of the Travers Smith Cybersecurity team, Technology & Commercial Transactions Partner, James Longster, Employment Partner, Adam Wyman and Dispute Resolution Senior Counsel, Rachel Wilson, take a look at what happens in the aftermath of a data breach. They focus on cybersecurity threats originating from within an organisation or its supply chain and discuss how to mitigate their impact.
In the first episode of the "Mitigating a Data Breach: Insider Threats" short series members of the Travers Smith Cybersecurity team, Commercial, IP & Technology Partner James Longster, Employment Partner Adam Wyman, and Dispute Resolution Senior Counsel Rachel Wilson look at why it's important not to allow internal threats to fall under the radar, and what preparation can help your business to achieve a better outcome when a data breach occurs.