In this first episode we invite Dianne Sharp from DKS Straightforward to discuss our journey to agile working, with Jason Wainwright, our Managing Partner, Debbie McCormack our Director of Operations and Designer Simon Grundy of Simon Grundy Commercial Interior Design, who helped transform our office into a fully flexible workspace. Their insight on the transformation, the challenges and the game-changing benefits of going agile (together with some cracking top tips) will really help if you’re looking to take your organisation on a similar journey.

With a phased restart starting to gather pace, and businesses making adjustments in order to re-open quickly, the economy is facing issues which have never been faced before. Practical and legal issues arise in relation to supply chain, employees and contracts when considering how to restart right.

In this episode, recorded on Thursday 4 June 2020, as part of an online roundtable webinar series, our team are joined by Sarah Glendinning, Regional Director of the CBI, to discuss the issues facing the North East economy as businesses plan to return to normality.

We explore the steps already being taken by businesses, the issues which are likely to arise and how you can prepare your people, and your business through consultation to avoid disputes and ensure a robust supply chain is in place.

The impact of Lockdown focused more attention on data than ever before and businesses have many questions.

How has COVID-19 changed how businesses record and manage data as businesses restart in the new normal? What should businesses do with employee health data? How will the much talked about ‘test and trace’ system work and what is the impact on data protection?

In our latest podcast, we discuss these questions with our data protection gurus - Alex Craig, a partner and tech legal specialist, and solicitor Sam Roberts, who has spent much of the past two years advising businesses on GDPR among other technology related legal issues.

For many businesses, going digital has been the key for survival during the pandemic, but it's not that straightforward for the manufacturing sector.

North Shields based Bay Plastics started as a small shop in a converted flat and evolved to become a plastics stockist, designer and fabrication specialist operating from a state of the art 40,000 sq ft manufacturing plant and supplying customers across the globe. And then COVID-19 arrived, putting all businesses in the sector under extreme pressure.

In this podcast corporate lawyer Matthew Walsh talks to Michael Currell, Bay Plastics MD, about the growth of his business, the steps taken to quickly diversify as the pandemic struck and what he thinks the future holds.

There’s been substantial legislation to protect tenants from forfeiture and eviction during the current pandemic. And while this has been welcomed by many businesses, it has put commercial landlords under increasing pressure with many having difficulty recovering rent and leading some to claim that ‘it’s a tenant’s market out there’. In this podcast, leading real estate and property litigation lawyers share some advice that they’ve been giving to clients now that COVID-19 has drastically changed the property rental rulebook.

The new Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act, which came into force on 26 June 2020, is arguably the most significant reform to the UK’s insolvency framework in decades. The largely debtor friendly changes are welcomed by many, but they may make life more difficult for suppliers and creditors. In this episode, three leading lawyers explain the changes and what they mean to businesses in just 25 minutes. Whether you’re experiencing problems with cashflow because of COVID-19 or eager to collect debts, this podcast is definitely worth a listen.

With the UK tightening measures to stem the spread of COVID-19 following an increase in infections, the Legal Spectrum Podcast series visits the role of business in the community. Charities have been hit hard by the onset of coronavirus, while many businesses will understandably be weighing up whether they can continue to support their local communities. Here, four philanthropic experts from a range of organisations explore how businesses can continue to make a difference in communities throughout the pandemic.

In this podcast, recorded in late October, we are joined by Barclays manufacturing relationship managers Sally-Ann Cain and Martin Brown to discuss their thoughts on COIVID-19 and how it has affected manufacturers in our region.

Interviewed by Robin Adams, head of our manufacturing team, Sally-Ann and Martin touch on themes of diversification, adaptability and communication. They also offer some tips to help with future planning.