Understand Your Rights. Solve Your Legal Problems
Filip & Company and Linklaters advised Banca Transilvania on its RON 213 million acquisition of Getin Holding’s shares in the Idea Bank Group Romania. The transaction remains contingent on regulatory approval by the Financial Supervisory Authority, the Competition Council, and the National Bank of Romania.
Banca Transilvania (BT) is a financial group active in South-Eastern Europe with over 3.2 million customers, 9,000 employees, and 500 retail units. Four companies operating under the Idea brand in Romania – Idea Bank, Idea Leasing, Idea Insurance Broker, and Idea Investment – are included in the deal. The companies collectively hold 46 units and RON 2.85 billion in assets. BT Chair Horia Ciorcila stated that the acquisition was a continuation of BT’s strategy of launching digital banking initiatives.
The transaction also marks a continuation of Filip & Company’s work with BT, having recently advised on the company’s acquisition of Microinvest in Moldova. The Filip & Company team was led by Partners Alina Stancu Birsan and Cristina Filip and included partner Olga Nita, Senior Associate Rebecca Georgiana Marina, and Associates Lavinia Cazacu and Alexandru Moraru.
Sayenko Kharenko and Nestor Nestor Diculescu Kingston Petersen advised the seller on the matter.
Insurance start-up Wefox has raised €533 million from investors. This financing round is estimated to be the largest ever undertaken by an insurteh company. Wefox, founded in 2014, has seen its valuation rise to €2.5 billion.
The investors taking part in the latest funding round are led by Berlin-based venture capital firm VC Target Global, which has also co-financed start-ups such as Auto1 and Delivery Hero. The investor decided not only to increase its existing stake, but to lead the financing round. Other new investors include FinTLV, Jupiter, LGT and Partners Group.
Wefox was advised on due diligence and Corporate and M&A matters by Alexander Ospelt and Judith Hasler of Liechtenstein-based law firm Ospelt & Partner. Taylor Wessing and Walder Wyss also advised Wefox. Target Global was advised by GSK Stockmann and Wenger & Vieli, and LGT and FinTLV were advised by Milbank and Gross GKH respectively.
An Interview With Judith Hasler Ospelt & Partner
What are your main concerns when advising a company on a fundraiser?
The main concern is that no funding is the same. The best template is of no use if you are not able to adapt it to the parties’ ideas and meet their concerns. As an advisor to a party, it is also essential to develop the right instinct between relentlessly representing the party’s interests and finding a compromise, since it is obviously not in the interest of the parties if the deal fails due to a small detail.
How do you work through these concerns to make sure that the financing round goes well?
This may sound old-fashioned, but nothing beats a face-to-face meeting. Even if digitalisation has opened up various possibilities in terms of electronic communication, which Ospelt & Partner of course also appreciates, there is still a need for personal meetings, because digital communication also means an increased risk of misunderstandings and ambiguities.
Do you expect to work on similar fundraisers in the future?
Ospelt & Partner advises a large number of companies of various sizes domiciled in Liechtenstein and abroad, for which fundraising is sooner or later an issue. However, Ospelt & Partner does not only offer advice to investment-seeking companies, but also to investors. Among other things, Ospelt & Partner has a partnership with a Liechtenstein VC company and regurarly advises this company on various investments.
Wikborg Rein assisted NRP Maritime Asset Management AS, one of the largest alternative investment fund managers within the maritime sector in the Nordics, with the merger of three of its alternative investment funds.
NRP Maritime Asset Management AS has recently announced the merger of Premium Maritime Fund, Premium Maritime Fund II and Premium Maritime Fund III (with a combined AUM of NOK 532,000,000). This deal represents the first successful merger of its kind between alternative investment funds in Norway.
The Wikborg Rein team comprised Snorre Nordmo, Ole Andenæs, Anders Myklebust, Cecilie Tollefsen and Henrik Biørnstad.
An Interview With Snorre Nordmo & Ole Andenæs at Wikborg Rein
What expertise did your team bring to the deal?
In addition to leading the transaction alongside the client from start to finish, the team’s financial regulatory expertise and relationship with the Norwegian regulator was key to a successful transaction. Although the transaction was mainly regulated by Norwegian corporate law, our asset management industry knowledge and experience was essential when tailoring the transaction with respect to structuring and taxation, commercial challenges, regulatory matters, etc.
Did you face any challenges? How did you overcome them?
Being the very first merger of its kind between alternative investment funds in Norway, it was uncertain how the financial regulatory aspects under Norwegian law would fit in parallel with the Norwegian corporate law, and in particular how the Norwegian regulator would approach the merger from a supervisory perspective. However, by taking the initiative to engage in dialogue with the regulator and anchor the process early on, the transaction was handled and completed rather swiftly. We think that our planning and assessments, and subsequent dialogue with the Norwegian regulator, were essential to completing the transaction.
What are the crucial details to keep in mind when advising on an investment fund merger?
We think that it is essential to understand the asset management industry and the business of the client, and how to best adapt the client’s business within the regulatory framework. When assisting our clients, we do not provide theoretical descriptions of the law; we present practical solutions within the regulatory framework that best suit the client’s needs. For the client, particularly on ground-breaking projects like this, the difference is crucial.
A lease has been agreed for the old Lloyds Bank building in Chopwell, Gateshead, allowing the next phase of its redevelopment to commence. The site on Derwent Street is set to be transformed into an enterprise and welfare centre that will be known as The Bank. Work on the project began in April and the facility is expected to be fully functional by October 2021.
Durham-based law firm Swinburne Maddison supported the lease deal following instruction from Chopwell Regeneration CIO.
Swinburne Maddison’s real estate partner, Victoria Walton, commented: “Although Swinburne Maddison has an increasingly prominent region-wide stature and reputation, we are committed to achieving the best possible outcome for every client – whatever their size or financial standing – including charitable enterprises such as this.
“We were delighted to be able to help lay the foundations for an organisation that looks set to make such a positive social contribution within this part of Gateshead, which is desperately needed.”
An Interview With Victoria Walton, Partner and Head of the Commercial Property team at Swinburne Maddison LLP
What key knowledge did Swinburne Maddison contribute to the lease agreement?
With a strong background in all types of landlord and tenant matters, including vast experience in the social housing sector, our team was very well placed to deal with the lease agreement on behalf of Chopwell Regeneration Group. Because of the client’s charitable status and associated funding structure, it was also necessary for us to draw on our experience in the charitable sector and to be particularly mindful of the specific statutory restrictions that affect charities.
What social impact do you expect this deal to have?
Like so many former mining villages in the region, Chopwell has still not recovered from the pit closure in the 1960s, with issues such as unemployment and food poverty extending far beyond ex-miners. The Bank will deliver services such as a “pay what you can” café and community fridge, as well as providing opportunities for people to learn new skills, gain qualifications and participate in a range of activities and events. The social impact of all this is going to be immense.
Do you expect to work on similar deals in the months ahead?
Yes, we actually have a number of similar deals ongoing right now, including the grant of a lease for another CIO looking to build a community centre on the outskirts of Durham city centre and a lease renewal for a local clothing bank. Whilst there are obviously questions regarding why some of these facilities are needed in the first place, we are proud to play our part in contributing towards the progress, development and wellbeing of the local community.
Idera, Inc., parent company of global B2B software productivity brands, has announced the acquisition of Xblend Software, the provider of two leading Atlassian Marketplace applications: Xray, the top-ranked tool for Jira test management, and Xporter, a Jira-based reporting and issue exporting tool.
Xblend’s product range is utilised by approximately 10 million Jira-based users globally, including major multinational companies such as BMW, Disney, JP Morgan, Lufthansa, NASA, Nike, Porsche, Samsung and Vodafone. Following the acquisition, Xray and Xporter will become part of Idera’s DevOps business unit, strengthening the company’s ability to serve development, testing, QA, and DevOps teams in the Atlassian ecosystem.
“We are excited to welcome Xray and Xporter to the Idera family,” said Tyler Parramore, General Manager of Idera’s DevOps Business. “Both brands demonstrate a commitment to high-quality, focused solutions with clear value to customers. Xray, in particular, will significantly improve our ability to reach customers in the Atlassian ecosystem and will join TestRail and Ranorex to enhance Idera’s premier DevTestOps offering.”
An Interview With Paolo Pozzan Advogados (PPA)
What expert knowledge did your team bring to this deal?
Our team (composed by Paolo Pozzan, Silvia Gil Soares and Rute Lourenço) assisted Idera Inc. in all matters relating to Portuguese law. From the regulations applicable to the operation, legal Due Diligence on the target company, adaptation of the SPA considering the Portuguese legislation as well as assistance at closing and in all post-closing operations.
Were any challenges encountered during the acquisition? How did you overcome them?
The biggest challenges were found in the analysis of national and EU regulations related to acquisitions of this relevance when made directly by an entity headquartered outside the EU and in a period of pandemic crisis in which many EU states have adopted protectionist norms against possible hostile takeovers from companies based outside the EU. The issue of data migration outside the EU also raised some challenges considering the EU General Data Protection Regulation. In the specific case, in addition to the study of national and EU legislation, it was necessary to verify the impact of the operation on the internal market in the light of the rules of the regulatory bodies.
What factors need to be considered in the acquisition of B2B software brands such as this?
In our view, the most important factors in IT acquisitions are linked to the verification of copyright and industrial property rights associated with software, and of course also any contractual part associated with supplies and distribution and user contract EULAs, with special attention to the clauses of “change control”.
DP Group, holding company of DentalPro, announced a corporate reorganisation to simplify the group’s structure through the merger of 70 companies that are active in the management of the group’s dental clinics.
Several law firms assisted DP Group on this operation. A team from Studio Legale Stefanelli & Stefanelli comprising founding partner Silvia Stefanelli and associate Giorgia Verlato advised on administrative profiles, while tax profiles were handled by a team from Facchini Rossi Michelutti. Labour law aspects were handled by Lupi Law Firm and notorial aspects by De Vivo Tacchini Cecala & Associates.
An Interview With Silvia Stefanelli at Studio Legale Stefanelli&Stefanelli
What crucial aspects need to be considered when working on a corporate reorganisation?
In mergers in the health sector, the most relevant element is the transfer of health authorisations and any existing contracts with the public administration.
This element is often underestimated when initiating a merger, but it is crucial in this area, as the authorisation is the legal prerequisite for being able to provide healthcare services. It follows that, if the transfer of authorisation is not carried out correctly, there is a risk that the facility may have to be closed until the procedure is duly completed.
Did you encounter any challenges while working on this merger? If so, how did you overcome them?
In Italy, regulations on health authorisations are regional and often the various competent bodies (in most cases, municipalities) follow different procedures even within the same region.
It is therefore necessary to have a highly detailed knowledge of the different regional regulations and the procedures of the individual municipalities. This is an activity that our law firm has been carrying out for years, so we have developed a thorough knowledge of the relevant legal framework and have established good contacts with public administrations.
What was the significance of this merger? Do you expect to work on further projects like this in the future?
The National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), Italy’s response to the NextGenerationEU programme, is aimed at relaunching the country after the COVID-19 crisis, partly through an extensive development of digital health projects. This new design of the Italian healthcare system will undoubtedly bring in investment funds promoting projects for the reorganisation of existing health facilities with a view to greater sustainability. Hence, M&A activity in this area is bound to increase. In this respect, we also foresee many acquisitions and sales in the medical devices area. The new EU Reg. 2017/745 (which became fully effective on 26 May 2021) is already transforming the medical software sector, thus leading to new market dynamics.
UBFP Studio Legale and Pavia e Ansaldo assisted European customs sector organisation Customs Support Group in the acquisition of the entire share capital of Ser.Nav, a company active in the customs consultancy and shipping agency sector.
The acquisition is intended to strengthen Customs Support Group’s strategy of penetrating the Italian market through an established operator which, with its presence in 17 strategic locations, guarantees operations with the main commercial ports and logistics hubs in Italy. The acquisition was made through the newco CS Italy.
Customs Support Group was assisted by UBFP Studio Legale, with partners Luca Piemontese and Elena Fraternali handling the customs aspects of the operation. Pavia e Ansaldo, with partner Anna Saraceno and associate Giovanni Gila assisting on the corporate and commercial aspects and partner Valentina Simonelli on the labour aspects. PwC TLS and KPMG also provided assistance on tax and financial aspects respectively. Ser.Nav was assisted by Giovannelli e Associati and Equita K Finance.
An Interview With Luca Piemontese & Elena Fraternali at UBFP Law Firm
What are your top concerns when advising on a significant acquisition like this?
The most relevant aspect to take into consideration is the risk assessment related to the acquisition. Customs brokers’ activity has several potential risks regarding the customs liability, so the evaluation of the compliance with the law assumes significant importance. Another aspect that we must consider is that, even if the customs system is regulated at an EU level, every Member State has particularities and it is essential to consider these different approaches with reference to the acquisition.
How do you work through these concerns to make sure the move is a beneficial one for your client?
Normally, we try to identify the sensitive aspects of the transaction and to find possible solutions that can be suitable to the customer’s business and that can be adopted by the latter with immediate effect.
If it is not possible to avoid certain risks, it is necessary to insert in the agreement specific provisions as representation and warranties, in order to make the Seller liable for potential damages occurred after closing but arising from critical issues already existing before Closing.
What customs issues have the potential to arise in mergers of this kind? Did you encounter any during your work?
From a customs point of view, the aspects to be taken into greater consideration concern the type of representation used by the customs broker for the submission of customs declarations. If the latter uses indirect representation, the customer must be aware that it would be co-liable with the goods’ owner for any assessment related to customs declarations, until the expiry of the statute of limitation of the customs debt. In our work, we encountered this problem connected to several disputes that involved the customs broker who had acted in indirect representation.
Law has long been, and still is, known as the burnout profession, an association unbecoming of what is widely considered a most prestigious profession.
Sure, law firms do what they can to look after the wellbeing of their employees, but the hard truth is that burnout is still incredibly pervasive. Why? Because meaningful steps to change burnout culture into a true wellbeing culture have not been a priority for most firms. Many might even say they are not in the business of personal and professional life optimisation – that is traditionally the sole responsibility of the individual. We know that what happens within offices and behind desks remains heavily influenced by what peers do, and thus, this culture of ‘bite the bullet, burn out or die out’ wins out.
Trainees, associates and partners all work extremely hard and face pressures unique to their positions. Partners are under pressure to keep clients happy and ensure the firm delivers on key performance metrics. Associates are up to their necks in workload, with the added pressure of trying to make partner. And trainees, while being slightly terrified, want to impress everyone. They want to get the best seat, be an excellent liaison within the firm and please their associates, all the while making sure that partners can see all the heavy lifting they are doing. The work cannot be underestimated and is an enormous amount of pressure. As trainees progress through the hierarchy, the cumulative chronic stress becomes greater. The longer you are exposed, the more likely you are to succumb to the negative aspects.
Trainees, associates and partners all work extremely hard and face pressures unique to their positions.
Working ‘hard’ and pushing yourself beyond even your maximum limit is still perceived as a status symbol. The race to clock in the most billable hours as a sign of stellar performance is real. The stakes are high and the rewards are huge: the social prestige, working with industry-leading clients, the financial incentives and glorious paychecks, and the sense of belonging to an intellectual elite.
These are things that many people, myself included at one time, would be willing to sacrifice a lot for. It is this tunnel-vision approach that means many lawyers are blind to the signs of burnout and cannot or do not want to take proactive measures to mitigate against chronic stress. Instead, they mask the warning signs and opt for a quick fix, i.e. another coffee or another late night in order to power through. After all, that is what everyone else seems to be doing, so it is logical to think that it is the most successful coping and success strategy.
Whilst intellectually challenging, as lawyers are consistently performing brain gymnastics, law is also one of the most physically sedentary professions. This combination of continuous and extraordinarily demanding mental focus with long periods of sedentary work make burnout particularly prevalent.
The damage is physical, emotional and psychological. Over years, it accumulates into a state of total exhaustion and can lead to mental and physical collapse. Research shows that almost every system in the body is impacted by chronic stress and when it goes untreated, it suppresses the body’s immune system which can lead to illness. Not only do these effects become detrimental to the person's health, but they also begin to impact family, work and social relations.
Whilst intellectually challenging, as lawyers are consistently performing brain gymnastics, law is also one of the most physically sedentary professions.
I remember working to an early morning deadline for one of my former firm’s largest clients. There were more than a dozen of us on the case and we all had a sense of needing to power through it, so we pulled an all-nighter as none of us wanted to show signs of weakness. In fact, I used to consider myself an endurance marathon-runner of legal nights.
Despite the exhaustion and concerns from family and friends, I could not wait to get back into the office the next morning after only a couple of hours of sleep. I was on an adrenaline-cortisol-excitement-pride-fear kind of ‘high’. It was thrilling to be part of something so big. The sleepless nights (sleep often ended up as a non-consideration), the upset spouse, irregular meals, personal sacrifices and my ‘Red Bull Bercocca’ magic potion to start off the day and last through the night, all seemed worth it each time I opened an email to positive feedback from a client.
I was so invested in the work that I overlooked my own health and basic wellbeing needs. I was just mimicking what seemed to be the norm within my industry, until the chronic stress caught up and I burned out. It never occurred to me that chronic stress could have such negative effects.
Overthe past ten years, I have had many connections and peers who have left the industry due to exhaustion, been severely burned out, had mental breakdowns, been diagnosed with work-induced health issues, and even made attempts on their lives. And this is just my personal and professional circle. If we extend it to the legal industry at large, these issues affect thousands of people every day, globally, across all jurisdictions, ages, cultures and genders.
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What is important is not so much the number of people who make it to becoming a lawyer as much as the number of lawyers who can sustain being a lawyer through their whole career while maintaining a healthy body, mind and life. Unfortunately, I was not one of them, so my mission now is to make that possible for as many lawyers as I can.
Although the industry is robust, and it may seem like there are plenty of lawyers to go around, it urgently needs a culture shift now for any lasting change to happen. We owe it to all those who work in the profession to commit to doing this.
Law firms do implement some good wellbeing initiatives. But while lunchtime yoga, some healthy lunch options and subsidised gym memberships are great and should be maintained, these are far from being enough.
The change that needs to be made is deeply rooted in the culture of ‘law life’ itself and should start at law school and university. The culture is already endemic at university – the competition to get the most prestigious summer vacation scheme is brutal, and then comes the pressure of getting top grades to obtain the holy grail: the training contract.
The change that needs to be made is deeply rooted in the culture of ‘law life’ itself and should start at law school and university.
Law firms should encourage vacation schemers, all the way up to senior partners, to attend and contribute to wellness seminars, learn about wellness optimisation tools and techniques, and have regular check-ins with professional wellness consultants to properly foster wellness as a culture. Law firms are great at building presence at law fairs to attract young talent, so why not educate them about the benefits of proactively looking after their health from the outset?
On an individual level, it is important to build and maintain healthy habits. This means that sleeping adequately, spending more time outdoors outside of in working hours, taking regular breaks, learning how to breathe well to regulate stress, eating nutritious food, practicing mindfulness techniques and exercising regularly, can have a significant impact on whether you thrive or burn out.
Partner with fellow colleagues to implement these habits. Why not encourage a ‘walk and talk’ group instead of a sit-down brainstorming session? And push for regular wellness workshops so all lawyers are educated individually on the benefits of cultivating wellness for performance. It is about shifting the mindset around health and wellness from a ‘nice-to-have’ to a ‘non-negotiable’. Ultimately, a healthier lawyer can only be a better lawyer, and better lawyers collectively make better law firms! It is a win-win-win situation.
Charlène Gisèle is a health coach and consultant dubbed the “Soulicitor” by her clients. A former London lawyer, Charlène coaches her clients on personal and professional life optimization through a combination of diet, exercise and lifestyle shifts.
Website: charlenegisele.com
We live in challenging times. Quite apart from the widespread disruption that COVID has wrought on all of our lives, you could be forgiven for thinking that we were in the middle of some kind of ‘cyber war’. Not a day seems to go by without another headline telling us about the latest cyberattack, data theft or ransomware scenario. And for reasons that we will cover here, the pandemic has actually brought cybersecurity very much to the fore due to the technology demands placed by a largely remote and network-challenged workforce.
The legal profession is no different in this respect. Imagine having to tell all of your clients that cybercriminals were now in receipt of all of their data. Law firms handle significant volumes of confidential and sensitive information and client funds as part of their daily work. Like many other sectors, the legal profession is delivering and transacting in an increasingly online fashion – indeed, there is a drive to become paperless. Firms need to be especially attentive towards the threat of any cyberattack, taking into account the massive amount of sensitive and important client data held in their information systems.
This is not a pie-in-the-sky scenario. Just recently we heard that the law firm acting for companies such as Ford, Boeing, Exxon, Marriott, Walgreen and others was hacked in an apparent ransomware attack. In this attack it is feared that social security numbers, passport numbers, payment card information, medical information and biometric data were all stolen by cybercriminals. Here in the UK, the London Stock Exchange recently revealed a filing by a UK-listed law firm which had suffered a cyberattack. Once again, sensitive client information was compromised.
Imagine having to tell all of your clients that cybercriminals were now in receipt of all of their data.
We touched on the additional challenges that COVID has presented from a technological point of view. The UK has seen massive growth in both remote working and working on the move due to the pandemic, and the legal sector is very much included here. As we witness mobile and smart device usage continuing to grow, it brings about a corresponding rise in mobile security threats. Indeed, some reports even suggest that mobile devices could now account for more than 60% of digital fraud. As firms see a significant increase in people using their mobile devices for both work and personal use, they will need to face up to an entirely new set of challenges. This updated landscape requires a contemporary way of thinking (and new solutions) in order for legal firms to defend themselves against cybercriminals.
With people increasingly working under a ‘hybrid’ model (a mix of working from home, the office and on the road), we look to technology to afford us the flexibility and ability to work anywhere. With most workers no longer effectively tethered to a desk, firms require security platforms that support the new normal with solutions that provide remote workers with security whilst actively improving the employee experience. Firms need to ensure that employees are able to work on any device, which makes tools like multi-factor authentication and a zero-trust approach to security absolutely crucial.
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Organisations everywhere are adopting a ‘zero-trust’ approach which places greater importance on identifying the real-time health of a user’s device and the ability to provide conditional access to corporate data as a result. Zero-trust security is all about eliminating implicit trust. Effectively, it is an interrogation of trust within networks or the trust between host and applications. Zero-trust implies that the best way to secure a network is to assume no level of trust whatsoever. Employing a zero-trust model supposes that no single person is able to solely execute any sort of change to the system that could affect the security of the system.
One way to make this happen is to effectively replace human vulnerabilities with automation. In all things ‘security’, humans are invariably the weakest point in any chain. Firms can mollify human error by adopting single sign-on solutions and strengthening security controls that oversee how and where employees get access to specific data.
A CASB solution can optimise visibility across an organisation by monitoring all user activity within cloud applications (company-approved and shadow apps) and enforcing both internal policies and external compliance requirements. A CASB solution should additionally be adopted as part of a wider SIM/SIEM solution for the ultimate in forward-looking, secure data collection, monitoring, and consolidation. Many CASB solutions are designed with compliance in mind. They provide granular visibility and control over user interaction with cloud applications and broad audit trails of such user activity. They tend to operate as a system that is partly a filter, proxy and firewall between the users and cloud systems, and have capabilities to detect unsanctioned cloud applications, as well as sensitive data in transit.
In all things ‘security’, humans are invariably the weakest point in any chain.
Organisations can use CASBs to address specific use cases with their cloud providers and are perfect for centralised control, management and ease of use. With so much going on in the cloud as businesses strive to provide increased levels of remote access, there is the potential for data leakage in the cloud. Using a CASB gives organisations the power to maintain visibility over data that has gone beyond the reach of on-premises tools. Detailed logs on all cloud transactions (logins, uploads, or downloads) are always recorded and app-specific behaviours are also logged, helping organisations know the whereabouts of data if it is shared.
The NCSC essentially sets out to help make the UK a safe place to live and work online. Amongst other things, they provide schemes that can help your firm strengthen cybersecurity. For example, Cyber Essentials is a simple but effective Government-backed scheme that will help you to protect your firm against a whole range of the most common cyberattacks. It can help you to guard against the most common cyber threats and demonstrate your commitment to cybersecurity. It can also reassure your clients that you are working to secure your IT against cyberattacks, and can even help to attract new clients with the promise you have cyber security measures in place. Cyber Essentials Plus adopts the Cyber Essentials trademark simplicity of approach but includes a hands-on technical verification. However, it is worrying to read research by Law.com that found that 40% of the leading 50 UK law firms still do not have the highest level of cybersecurity accreditation offered by Cyber Essentials Plus.
Cybersecurity has never been so important – whatever industry you work in. The pandemic has provided firms with technology challenges while also giving cybercriminals an increased surface area for attacks. With COVID continuing to have an impact on remote working and working on the move, it is critical that your firm enjoys maximum protection against the development of any new cyber threats. Law firms are increasingly reliant on IT and technology which can leave them vulnerable to a whole host of malevolent cyber activity. If a firm loses access to their technology, has funds stolen or suffers any kind of data breach through a cyberattack, it can be devastating – financially and reputationally.
Steve Whiter, Director
Appurity
Address: Appurity Limited, Farnham, United Kingdom, GU10 5DT
Tel: +44 (0)330 660 0277
Email: info@appurity.co.uk
Website: appurity.co.uk
Appurity is a UK-based company that offers mobile, cloud, data and cybersecurity solutions and applications to businesses. Its staff draw upon a wealth of in-depth knowledge in industry-leading technologies to aid their clients in developing secure and efficient mobile strategies.
Steve Whiter has been in the industry for 30 years and has extensive knowledge of secure mobile solutions. For over 10 years, Steve has worked with the team at Appurity to provide customers with secure mobile solutions and apps that enhance productivity but also meet regulations such as ISO and Cyber Essentials Plus. Working closely with its technology partners that include Lookout, NetMotion, Google, Apple, Samsung, BlackBerry and MobileIron/Ivanti, Appurity is delivering mobile initiatives to customers across multiple verticals such as legal, financial, retail and public sector.
A lawyer’s average workweek is approximately 49.6 hours, with many of these work hours creeping into evenings, weekends, and public holidays. Regardless of how rewarding a career in law might be, it can be undeniably stressful. In fact, lawyers are the most likely to suffer from depression compared with other occupations, according to a National Institute of Mental Health study. One can speculate whether stress, case matter, long hours, or a combination of them all are to blame, but the study clearly demonstrates the need to carefully consider mental health and family dynamics that can undoubtedly be affected by long working hours. With this in mind, check out our six reasons why an African safari is an ideal holiday for busy lawyers and their families.
Going totally off the grid is not often feasible for a lawyer. Many will relate to legal professional Dennis Hernandez who said that completely disconnecting is not an option for him as a founding partner. You need to be on call to answer essential questions, sign documents, and keep up to date on case proceedings. Many luxury safari lodges offer free internet access, so you can enjoy quality family time without worrying about what’s happening back in the office.
Daily life as a lawyer with a family is hectic. There is almost always something going on between work functions, extracurricular activities, and family events. Enjoying some peace and quiet far away from the stress of home life is relaxing and refreshing.
African safaris are superb for practising social distancing. Many luxury safari lodges in the Zambezi region, on offer through groups like Africa’s Eden, can be exclusively booked on an all-inclusive basis. You may also get the services of a private safari guide for the duration of your holiday. The safety and security of safari guests are of paramount importance in the African bush.
A typical day on an African safari involves a very early start. However, unlike dragging yourself out of bed to a blaring alarm clock, you’ll be greeted with a light knock on the door and a tray of hot coffee, tea, and rusks. The anticipation of your family will be palpable as you depart for a game drive searching for elephants, lions, giraffes, zebras, warthogs, and much more. You never quite know what unexpected wildlife sightings are in store.
The ideal time for game viewing is just after the crack of dawn and in the late afternoon. Of course, this means that siestas are the norm in any safari camp. While we relish an afternoon nap like a gift from the gods, this also offers you time to catch up on any necessary work commitments. The best part is that your whole family will be relaxing, whether by the pool or curled up with their Kindle, so no one will be nagging you to stop working if the need calls.
A safari in Africa will provide your family with plenty of humorous, thrilling and you-just-had-to-be-there anecdotes for years to come. Whether your children are just entering kindergarten or well on their way to starting their own family, the memories made will be priceless. We are confident that you won’t regret prioritising time with your family.
Restoring a work-life balance that prioritises spending both quality and quantity time with family can take a major overhaul. A safari in Africa can be just the ticket for understanding how to be fully present in all aspects of your life.
