SRA publish diversity reporting deadline dates

All Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) regulated firms have an obligation to collect, report and publish data about the diversity make-up of their workforce every two years. The next report is due on 2 August 2021. Firms can report their data to the SRA from 5 July.

What information needs to be collected?

  • Employee role
  • Age
  • Employee sex and the gender they identify with
  • Information on any health issues or disabilities
  • Ethnicity and religion
  • Sexual orientation
  • Education and background
  • Childcare responsibilities
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ESG: You’re more prepared than you think

ESG regulations are likely to go up and down the value chain

Are you ready for the ESG revolution?

Though the thought of undertaking Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) reporting and becoming compliant might seem overwhelming at first, many companies will find that they are already contributing to many aspects of ESG reporting. Do you train on bribery and tax evasion? If so, that is a key factor in reducing the risk of a governance failure. Maybe your company does diversity audits? Or has a progressive HR policy? If so, you’re already ahead on the social aspect. Does your organization have a recycling policy? Then you’ve already got a head start on the environmental reporting front. 

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The LSAG AML Guidance – Risk assessments

This blog is the second in a series of blogs set out to help firms grapple with the latest Legal Sector Affinity Group (LSAG) guidance.

A major part of a firm’s AML process is undertaking risk assessments. There are three levels at which a firm should assess the potential risk of exposure to money laundering and terrorist financing. As mentioned in our previous LSAG blog, these are practice-wide risks, client-related risks, and matter-level risks. The LSAG Guidance says that one should consider five “risk factors [which] should be addressed at any level of your practice’s risk assessments”. These are: 

  1. Client risk factors
  2. Geographic risks 
  3. Product or service risks 
  4. Delivery channel risks 
  5. Transaction risks
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GDPR compliance: In conversation with a data governance expert

On the three year anniversary of GDPR coming into force, VinciWorks hosted a webinar to look at the last three years of GDPR. We explored the effect the regulation has had on the way we collect and process data and discussed what we can expect in the next 12 months.

During the webinar we shared a conversation between our Director of Learning and Content Nick Henderson and Richard Hogg, who is the global Information Governance Director for White & Case LLP. Hogg, who has 20 years of global experience in the field, is responsible for global information governance across the firm. He previously worked at IBM, where he played a critical role in their journey to preparation for GDPR, and he speaks regularly on topics of privacy and information governance. Richard shared his expert perspective on GDPR and his views on the future of data protection.

GDPR – Three years on: Watch the full webinar here

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Upcoming webinar: In conversation with the SRA

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The SRA Standards and Regulations have been in force for 18 months. In that time, firms have had to grapple with new anti-money laundering guidelines, the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic and the changes to accounts rules.

In this webinar, we will be joined by the SRA’s Policy Associates Jatinderpal Loyal and Richard Silver to look back at the last 18 months of SRA compliance and what to look out for going forward.

The webinar will cover:

  • The challenges presented by the pandemic and guidance for firms
  • A recap of the SRA Standards & Regulations and the changes they brought about
  • How solicitors and firms have taken advantage/benefited from the changes
  • How firms have adapted to the less prescriptive Accounts Rules and the key risks identified by the SRA
  • The priorities for the SRA going forward
  • How quality indicators support consumers accessing legal services
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What’s new in the world of learning & development? Watch our video

With so much Learning and Development content around, it can be hard to keep up with what’s new and interesting in the sector. That’s why VinciWorks have reviewed what’s new in the world of L&D. In this short review, we’ll help you uncover what the thought leaders and trendsetters are saying, all in the one place. This means you can stay at the cutting edge of e-learning in less time.

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GDPR: Standard Contractual Clauses published by European Commission

Your questions answered on the international data transfer component of GDPR

On Friday, 4 June 2021, the European Commission published the long-awaited Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) to help European companies transfer data outside of the EEA.

Organisations can carry on using the current SCCs for a further 3 months and 20 days, until 24 September, 2021. Then there will be 18 months and 20 days to get the new SCCs in place. This means that GDPR organisations must ensure that all vendor contracts and intra-group agreements contain the new SCCs by 24 December, 2022.

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GDPR compliance: In conversation with a DPO

On the three year anniversary of GDPR coming into force, VinciWorks hosted a webinar to look at the last three years of GDPR. We explored the effect the regulation has had on the way we collect and process data and what we can expect in the next 12 months.

During the webinar, we shared a conversation between our Director of Learning and Content Nick Henderson and our Data Protection Officer Ruth Mittelmann Cohen in which Ruth shared the inside scoop regarding the ins and outs of being a DPO. They discussed a DPO’s responsibilities, the challenges of being a DPO, as well as best practice with regard to GDPR within an organisation. In this blog, we’ll share with you some of the insights from that conversation and see what we can learn from it about GDPR best practice within organisations.

GDPR – Three years on: Watch the full webinar here

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ESG reporting frameworks: which one to choose?

A quick start guide to ESG standards

Far from a buzzword, ESG is fast becoming the standard for businesses to manage and report on their risks.

ESG Reporting Frameworks: An Overview

ESG: environmental, social and governance, are essentially the broadest set of factors which can be used to measure a company’s impact in the world. Regarding environmental impact, how is a business impacting the environment, deforestation, pollution and climate change? On the social front, how are they supporting communities? This includes both their employees, through health and safety measures and diversity, and also the wider society that they operate in. And on governance, how well is the company run, how diverse is its board, does it have strong anti-corruption policies and good management structures?

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