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The Times recognises RPC among Best Law Firms 2024

Published on 30 Oct 2023.

International law firm, RPC, has been recognised by The Times in its Best Law Firms 2024 report, an annual ranking of the top 250 law firms in England and Wales.

A guide to buying and selling English residential property

Published on 14 Jan 2025. By Elizabeth Alibhai, Partner and Sukh Ahark, Partner, Co-head of India Practice and Ben Roberts, Partner and Jon Ely, Partner and Arash Rajai, Partner

We are seeing increased positivity in the English residential property market. In 2024, inflation reached the Bank of England’s 2% target, down from 11.1% in 2022, which was a significant factor in the return of consumer confidence and economic growth. Mortgage rates are falling slightly with approval rates at their highest level since 2022 as buyers continue to respond to increased certainty post-election. Property values are again on the rise while demand continues to outstrip supply.

Architects' Code reforms – it's important that you have your say!

Published on 08 Oct 2024. By Alexandra Anderson, Partner and Emma Wherry, Senior Associate

The Architects Registration Board (ARB) is consulting on a proposed new code of professional conduct for architects. The proposed new Code is shorter and simpler, but may be more complex to apply and more onerous. Architects should consider responding to the consultation by the deadline of 12 December 2024.

Construction disciplinary trends analysis #3: fraud and dishonesty

Published on 12 Aug 2024. By Ben Goodier, Partner and Emma Wherry, Senior Associate and Aimee Talbot, Knowledge Lawyer

This article is the third instalment in our mini-series analysing trends in disciplinary decisions involving construction professionals, with insight from our specialist disciplinary team.

Unpacking the Building Safety Act's industry overhaul

Published on 06 Mar 2024. By Zoe Eastell, Partner and Zack Gould-Wilson, Senior Associate

On June 28, 2022, the Building Safety Act 2022 received royal assent, bringing about the biggest change to building safety in 40 years.

Construction disciplinary trends analysis #2: engagement letters – worth more than the paper they're written on!

Published on 21 Feb 2024. By Ben Goodier, Partner and Emma Wherry, Senior Associate and Aimee Talbot, Knowledge Lawyer

This article is the second in our mini-series analysing trends in disciplinary decisions involving construction professionals, with insight from our specialist disciplinary team.

Construction disciplinary trends analysis #1: continuing professional development

Published on 16 Oct 2023. By Ben Goodier, Partner and Emma Wherry, Senior Associate and Aimee Talbot, Knowledge Lawyer

This article is the first in our mini-series analysing trends in disciplinary decisions involving construction professionals, with insight from our specialist disciplinary team.

The El Niño year and impact on subsidence claims

Published on 13 Jul 2023. By Andrew Roper, Partner and Aimee Talbot, Knowledge Lawyer

Insurers should be bracing for a wave of subsidence claims arising from the increasingly warm weather. The UN’s World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has declared that an El Niño climate event is in progress, which helps explain why June 2023 was the hottest on record in the UK.

Building on renewable energy #3 – Anaerobic Digestion

Published on 24 Sep 2020.

Anaerobic digestion is the process by which biodegradable materials are broken down in a controlled environment. Whilst being broken down, the materials emit gas (which can be used as a source of renewable energy), and produce heat (which can also be harnessed on or near-to site). The process also leaves a waste material (digestate), which can be used as fertiliser, contributing to the circular economy.

Whistle-blowing on illegal cartels drops 70% in 5 years

Published on 18 Sep 2023. By Chris Ross, Partner and Arash Rajai, Partner

Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) recently increased award to £250,000 Calls to the CMA hotline have plummeted from 1,442 in 2017 to 427 in 2022

A matter of interpretation – the Supreme Court look at contractual interpretation once more

Published on 24 Feb 2023. By Poppy Hay, Associate and Laura Stocks, Partner

In their recent Judgment in Sara & Hossein Asset Holdings Ltd (a company incorporated in the British Virgin Islands) v Blacks Outdoor Retails Ltd [2023] UKSC 2 the Supreme Court adopted a commercially balanced interpretation of a lease; rejecting the overly textual approach of the Court of Appeal in favour of reading the relevant clause in the context of the lease as a whole.

Cyber_Bytes Issue 70

Published on 31 Dec 2024. By Richard Breavington, Partner and Daniel Guilfoyle, Partner and Rachel Ford, Partner and Ian Dinning, Senior Associate and Christopher Ashton, Senior Associate and Bethan Griffiths, Senior Associate and Elizabeth Zang, Associate and Emanuele Santella , Associate and Lauren Kerr, Associate

Welcome to Cyber_Bytes, our regular round-up of key developments in cyber, tech and evolving risks.

New guidance on balancing data protection with the FCA's Consumer Duty and the TPR's Code of Practice

Published on 19 Dec 2024. By Helen Yost, Senior Associate and Jon Bartley, Partner and Jonathan Charwat, Partner

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) and The Pensions Regulator (TPR) have published welcome guidance (Joint Statement) aimed at retail investment firms and pension providers on how to ensure their customer communications comply with the FCA's Consumer Duty (Consumer Duty) and the TPR’s Code of Practice (Code of Practice), whilst ensuring they follow the rules on direct marketing and data protection.

Privacy developments – looking back and looking forward

Published on 19 Dec 2024. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner and Jon Bartley, Partner and Joe Lippitt, Partner and Praveeta Thayalan, Knowledge Lawyer

In this article, we give you a high-level snapshot of the key data protection and privacy developments in the UK and EU in 2024 as well as developments we anticipate for 2025.

EU publishes draft Code for general-purpose AI models

Published on 10 Dec 2024. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner and David Cran, Partner, Head of IP & Tech

What measures are proposed by the EU AI Office to regulate general-purpose AI (GPAI) models?

Ofcom rolls out implementation phases for compliance with the Online Safety Act

Published on 10 Dec 2024. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner and David Cran, Partner, Head of IP & Tech

What is Ofcom’s timeframe for implementation of the Online Safety Act (OSA) and what actions will in-scope services need to take to ensure compliance?

New Safer Phones Bill aims at “making social media less addictive” for young people

Published on 10 Dec 2024. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner and David Cran, Partner, Head of IP & Tech

How does the Safer Phones Bill intend to protect young people online?

Two years on from the Digital Services Act

Published on 10 Dec 2024. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner and David Cran, Partner, Head of IP & Tech

How has the European Commission (Commission) enforced the Digital Services Act (DSA) since its inception?

New Standard Contractual Clauses for data importers outside the EAA but subject to the GDPR

Published on 10 Dec 2024. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner

Are the EU’s Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) needed if a data importer is located outside the European Economic Area (EEA) and already directly subject to the EU General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR)? In other words, where third party controllers and processors are based outside the EAA but subject to the GDPR, do you still need the SCCs to enable a lawful international transfer to them?

The UK’s new Data (Use and Access) Bill

Published on 10 Dec 2024. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner

What does the UK’s new Data (Use and Access) Bill (the Data Bill) mean for businesses?

The EU's Cyber Resilience Act: 10 on the 10

Published on 10 Dec 2024. By Richard Breavington, Partner and Dorian Nunzek, Trainee Solicitor

Today the EU's Cyber Resilience Act (Regulation (EU) 2024/2847) ('CRA') enters into force. The CRA recognises that the continuously evolving world of smart products is frequently challenged by vulnerabilities which can potentially lead to cyber-security incidents. Whilst most of the Act's obligations will not be applicable until three years from now, 10 December is the day when the EU takes a big step towards it's ten-year Cybersecurity Strategy. To mark the occasion, we have outlined ten key points that entities in scope must be aware of in preparation for compliance with the CRA.

Snapshots Winter 2024

Published on 10 Dec 2024. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner and David Cran, Partner, Head of IP & Tech

A roundup of key legal developments for the modern commercial lawyer.

EDPB’s new publications on the ePrivacy Directive, processors and legitimate interests

Published on 09 Dec 2024. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner

What are the key takeaways for organisations processing personal data set out in the recent Guidelines and Opinions adopted by the European Data Protection Board (EDPB)?

ICO Statement on Generative AI Model Training

Published on 09 Dec 2024. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner

What position does the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) continue to take on Generative AI Model training?

ICO reprimands Sky Betting and Gaming for using non-essential cookies without users’ consent

Published on 09 Dec 2024. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner

What proactive steps should website operators take to ensure that their use of cookies complies with UK data protection law? Put another way, are you sure personal data is not being collected by your website’s advertising cookies before users have consented to their deployment?

Irish DPC fines LinkedIn €310m for behavioural analysis and targeted advertising breaches

Published on 09 Dec 2024. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner

How certain do data controllers need to be of their lawful basis for processing personal data when engaging in behavioural analysis and targeted advertising, and how clearly must this be reflected in a privacy policy?

DORA Watch - November 2024

Published on 04 Dec 2024. By Jon Bartley, Partner

As financial entities and ICT service providers undergo the final stages of implementation of the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) requirements into their systems and processes, it is imperative to understand the legal developments and ongoing updates arising from EU Member States as they go through their respective transposition and alignment processes. Through TerraLex - our global legal network, which provides us with access to 22,000 lawyers from highly regarded and carefully vetted law firms stretching more than 120 countries – we have collated legal updates focusing on DORA and its implications in EU jurisdictions.

Data Dispatch - November 2024

Published on 28 Nov 2024. By Jon Bartley, Partner and Helen Yost, Senior Associate and Amy Blackburn, Senior Associate and Praveeta Thayalan, Knowledge Lawyer and Kiran Dhoot, Associate

Welcome to the eighth edition of Data Dispatch from the Data Advisory team at RPC. Our aim is to provide you on a regular basis with an easy-to-digest summary of key developments in data protection law.

New Data (Use and Access) Bill

Published on 26 Nov 2024. By Jon Bartley, Partner and Praveeta Thayalan, Knowledge Lawyer

What does the new Data (Use and Access) Bill (the Data Bill) mean for businesses?

Cyber_Bytes Issue 69

Published on 21 Nov 2024. By Richard Breavington, Partner and Daniel Guilfoyle, Partner and Rachel Ford, Partner and Ian Dinning, Senior Associate and Christopher Ashton, Senior Associate and Bethan Griffiths, Senior Associate and Elizabeth Zang, Associate and Emanuele Santella , Associate and Lauren Kerr, Associate

Welcome to Cyber_Bytes, our regular round-up of key developments in cyber, tech and evolving risks.

Navigating a cyber breach

Published on 20 Nov 2024. By Richard Breavington, Partner and Daniel Guilfoyle, Partner and Rachel Ford, Partner

Cyber attacks remain a board-level concern for companies given their ability to disrupt services and unleash serious repercussions on financial, reputational, and operational fronts.

DORA Developments Compilation – October 2024

Published on 15 Nov 2024. By Jon Bartley, Partner and Richard Breavington, Partner

As financial entities and ICT service providers undergo the final stages of implementation of the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) requirements into their systems and processes, it is imperative to understand the legal developments and ongoing updates arising from EU Member States as they go through their respective transposition and alignment processes. Through TerraLex - our global legal network, which provides us with access to 22,000 lawyers from highly regarded and carefully vetted law firms stretching more than 120 countries – we have collated legal updates focusing on DORA and its implications in EU jurisdictions.

Digital operational resilience: the UK regulatory landscape

Published on 15 Nov 2024. By Richard Breavington, Partner

Operational Resilience in the supply chain has become an undeniable priority for all financial service providers across the continent.

Data Dispatch - October 2024

Published on 28 Oct 2024. By Jon Bartley, Partner

Welcome to the seventh edition of Data Dispatch from the Data Advisory team at RPC. Our aim is to provide you on a regular basis with an easy-to-digest summary of key developments in data protection law.

The EU Cyber Resilience Act targets digital components made available in the EU market throughout the entire supply chain of a product

Published on 28 Oct 2024. By Elizabeth Tucker, Associate and Lauren Kerr, Associate

Last month, the EDPB published their "Guidelines on Examples regarding Personal Data Breach Notification" (the Guidelines). These are intended to provide "practice-oriented, case-based" guidance on when it is necessary to notify the relevant supervisory authorities (the SA) under Article 33(1) of the GDPR and/or data subjects under Article 34(1) of the GDPR following a personal data breach.

Snapshots Autumn 2024

Published on 17 Oct 2024. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner and David Cran, Partner, Head of IP & Tech

A roundup of key legal developments for the modern commercial lawyer.

UK's new AI Cyber Security Code of Practice

Published on 17 Oct 2024. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner

What is the UK's proposed AI Cyber Security Code of Practice?

EU AI Act into force 1 August 2024

Published on 17 Oct 2024. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner

The EU AI Act came into force across all 27 EU member states on 1 August 2024. The aim of the legislation is to ensure AI systems used in the EU are safe and transparent.

New Minister for Data Protection Sir Chris Bryant

Published on 17 Oct 2024. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner

On 8 July 2024, the Government appointed Sir Chris Bryant as the Minister of State for Data Protection and Telecoms (as well as Minister of State for Creative Industries, Arts and Tourism).

Social media and video sharing platforms targeted by ICO over children's privacy practices

Published on 17 Oct 2024. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner

What must social technology platforms be aware of to ensure they are following the ICO's codes of practice for children's online safety?

Uber hit with €290m fine for transferring European driver data to its US HQ

Published on 17 Oct 2024. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner

What does the Uber fine signal for international data transfers and the consequences of failing to comply with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR)?

X suspends personal data training of AI chatbot Grok following Irish DPC pressure

Published on 17 Oct 2024. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner

How are the data regulators addressing the use of personal data when training AI language models?

The UK's new AI Bill

Published on 17 Oct 2024. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner

The UK's Digital Information and Smart Data Bill

Published on 17 Oct 2024. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner

What can we expect from the new Digital Information and Smart Data Bill (the DISD Bill)?

Cyber_Bytes Issue 68

Published on 15 Oct 2024. By Richard Breavington, Partner and Daniel Guilfoyle, Partner and Rachel Ford, Partner and Ian Dinning, Senior Associate and Christopher Ashton, Senior Associate and Bethan Griffiths, Senior Associate and Elizabeth Zang, Associate and Emanuele Santella , Associate and Lauren Kerr, Associate

Welcome to Cyber_Bytes, our regular round-up of key developments in cyber, tech and evolving risks.

AI-as-a-Service – Key Issues

Published on 04 Oct 2024. By Praveeta Thayalan, Knowledge Lawyer and Tom James, Associate and Paul Joukador, Partner

Artificial Intelligence-as-a-Service (AIaaS), in the same vein as Software-as-a-Service and Infrastructure-as-a-Service, refers to cloud-based tools that allow businesses to gain access to an AI model hosted by a third party provider.

Procuring AI – Commercial Considerations Checklist

Published on 04 Oct 2024. By Praveeta Thayalan, Knowledge Lawyer and Paul Joukador, Partner

Many companies will no doubt be considering using AI within their business to take advantage of the massive opportunities for increased productivity and cost efficiencies promised.

AI and Privacy – 10 Questions to Ask

Published on 04 Oct 2024. By Jon Bartley, Partner and Praveeta Thayalan, Knowledge Lawyer

We set out in this section 10 key questions to ask yourself at the outset when developing or deploying AI solutions in your business.

Generative AI – Addressing Copyright

Published on 04 Oct 2024. By Ciara Cullen, Partner and Joshy Thomas, Knowledge Lawyer and Emma Dunnill, Senior Associate

When it comes to the interaction of AI and IP rights, bar a flurry of activity surrounding the inevitable outcome by the courts in the Thaler, Dabus case (see here) and the Court of Appeal's ruling on the potential for exclusion from patentability of artificial neural networks in the Emotional Perception case, most attention has been focused on copyright issues. There are three main potentially thorny issues and all have been extensively covered by the mainstream media.