PwC is running a legal academy for next generation lawyers who are 1 - 7 years PQE and company secretaries. The programme aims to support junior counsel and company secretaries via a series of briefings, workshops and other one-off events to help address the need to keep up to date with commercial legal issues and to assist lawyers and company secretaries to respond to the challenges faced in house. It combines the provision of expert knowledge with the invaluable sharing of experiences and ideas with peers.
All sessions will be interactive and will offer a chance to share experiences in a safe space. Each workshop will also offer an opportunity for a Q&A session.
Summary
- Registrations open for 2025 programme
- Monthly events with a summer break
- A combination of briefings, workshops and one-off events
- There is no charge for event attendance
- Events may qualify for CPD credits (please check with your professional body)
- A mix of virtual and in person events
Criteria
- 1 - 7 PQE in house lawyers of FTSE350 and equivalent companies
- Mix of industries
- Spaces are limited per session
More about 2025 sessions
- Understanding and Handling DSARs
- The EU AI Act Explained: Key Provisions and Practical Guidance
- Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023: Implementation update
- Data Breach Readiness: Key Trends and How to Spot Red Flags
Understanding and Handling DSARs
30 January 2025
This session will provide an overview of Data Subject Access Requests ("DSARs") and the necessary steps a company must take to fulfil its data protection responsibilities. We will walk you through a mock DSAR, providing practical tips and advice at each stage of the process.
The EU AI Act Explained: Key Provisions and Practical Guidance
27 March 2025
The EU Artificial Intelligence Act (“EU AI Act”) is the world’s first comprehensive AI regulation, with the potential of setting a global standard. As of February 2025, the prohibition of certain AI practices is already enforceable, with more provisions taking effect over the following 18 months. Understanding the implications of these new requirements will be crucial for staying ahead in this evolving AI regulatory environment.
This session will provide an overview of the EU AI Act, focusing on its key provisions, compliance requirements and the broader impact on businesses. We will also walk you through the classifications of AI systems based on their risk level, and provide practical advice on how to effectively navigate these newly introduced obligations.
Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023: Implementation update
22 May 2025
This session will provide an update on the implementation timeline for the key changes introduced by the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, and offer an opportunity to discuss the activities being undertaken to prepare.
The webinar presentation is available for download on request. Please contact us.
Data Breach Readiness: Key Trends and How to Spot Red Flags
17 July 2025
This session will provide a walk-through of current trends and factors to consider as part of breach readiness and how to spot common red flags. We will also provide a brief overview of upcoming cyber security and resilience regulation in the UK and EU.
More about 2024 sessions
- Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency 2023: key changes for companies
- The Current Business Climate - managing financial challenges and evolving fraud risks
- Share purchase agreements - the bits around the edges
- Managing data breaches 101
- Employee Share Plans
- Reorganisations within the Financial Services sector
- Fundamentals of interactions with HMRC for in-house Counsel
- Cash Repatriation - a focus on key mechanisms for repatriating cash in the UK
Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency 2023: key changes for companies
1 February 2024
The session will provide an overview of key corporate law reforms to be introduced by the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, focussing on those affecting companies and highlighting changes coming down the line as well as the anticipated timeframe. We will discuss interactively some practical questions for in-house lawyers and company secretaries to consider and key issues for you to be thinking about in the near and medium term.
The Current Business Climate - managing financial challenges and evolving fraud risks
7 March 2024
In this session, experts from our Restructuring and Forensics team will provide insights into the current economic environment, the resulting financial challenges that organisations are facing, and how they can stay ahead of those challenges. We will also cover the impact that the rapidly changing world is having on practical fraud risks, and how businesses are managing them.
Share purchase agreements - the bits around the edges
4 April 2024
The session will provide an overview for in-house lawyers and company secretaries of some of the less well known items that might be encountered in a share purchase agreement, focussing in particular around the areas of tax, completion accounts and the locked box mechanism but also throwing the floor open to more general questions about the acquisitions process.
Managing data breaches 101
9 May 2024
This webinar will walkthrough how to identify and respond to data breaches under UK data protection laws.
Employee Share Plans
6 June 2024
Employee share plans are an important way for many companies, from startups to listed multinationals, to incentivise, attract and retain their employees. This session will explore the main types of share plan that listed and private companies put in place, and look at some of the main issues in-house lawyers and company secretaries frequently encounter on the operation of share plans.
Reorganisations within the Financial Services sector
5 September 2024
A session to discuss and explore the key transactions and considerations when working on restructuring projects within the financial services sector. In this interactive session, we will look at an example group structure, pulling out the key corporate transactions we use when restructuring a group and how to navigate complexities and issues that arise. Throughout the session, we propose to educate, discuss and learn by way of the case study and discussions in a collaborative and interactive manner.
Fundamentals of interactions with HMRC for in-house Counsel
3 October 2024
The session will eqip in-house counsel with the fundamentals of (i) HMRC's powers, (ii) effectively managing interactions with HMRC, and (iii) the nuances of a tax dispute compared to a commercial dispute.
We will explain key deadlines and time limits for in-house counsel to be aware of, HMRC's information gathering powers and the various reasons HMRC might issue penalties.
We will also outline triggers for in-house counsel to get involved with HMRC-related issues. We'll cover the different stages of a dispute with HMRC and key aspects of tax litigation, for example, the interaction between HMRC's power to obtain documents versus High Court disclosure. We will also explain how tax disputes are resolved in accordance with HMRC's Litigation Settlement Strategy.
Cash Repatriation - a focus on key mechanisms for repatriating cash in the UK
14 November 2024
Successful businesses may find themselves generating substantial revenue, over and above what they plan to reinvest. The question then is: should the excess cash be returned to shareholders and if so, how much and in what manner? A healthy cash flow is a key factor, if not the single most important factor, to the long term success of a company.
This session will focus on the main mechanisms to create reserves and repatriate cash to shareholders in England and Wales, being reductions of capital followed by dividends. We will also briefly touch on share buybacks and transfers for less than market value.
More about 2023 sessions
- The Generation of GenAI: Creating Efficiencies for Business
- Real Estate with an ESG focus
- Intellectual Property - Tips on IP and Other Clauses
- Accounting for lawyers
- How a credit facility impacts your business
- IBR – managing international business reorganisations
- New Law - The future of (legal) technology and how it can impact your business
- Employment Law and Diversity & Inclusion (D&I)
- Data Protection – transitioning to the cloud – the benefits and risks
- ESG – common themes and practical examples of progress
The Generation of GenAI: Creating Efficiencies for Business
14 December 2023
A session on GenAI: the powerful technology creating efficiencies for your business. In this session, you will:
- learn what GenAI is and what it can do, in simple and clear terms;
- see GenAI applications that can help you perform and improve your work; and
- get practical tips on how to use GenAI tools effectively and efficiently.
An opportunity to discover and explore this emerging technology, and how you can leverage it for your benefit.
Real Estate with an ESG focus
30 November 2023
A session with an ESG focus on property law providing in-house counsel with:
- insight into the EPC and MEES Regulations
- what considerations need to be taken from both a landlord and tenant
perspective when taking measures to improve the energy efficiency of a
property.
The session looks at the challenges associated with retrofitting
occupational properties and considers what future 'green leases' look like.
Intellectual Property - Tips on IP and Other Clauses
26 October 2023
The session provides an overview of the main risks associated with Intellectual Property that businesses and in-house counsel in particular need to be aware of, along with some tips around how to mitigate such risks, and provides an update on recent developments in the Intellectual Property world, including an overview of the high-profile recent case of Lidl v Tesco, where we discuss the surrounding law and provide some practical takeaways, as well as a discussion on the status and risks surrounding AI in this space.
Accounting for lawyers
7 September 2023
In this interactive session, we:
- share the purpose and background of accounting and the different Accounting Frameworks;
- introduce the primary statements in a typical financial statement; and
- introduce the concept of distribution and distributable reserves.
A collaborative session of learning by way of examples.
How a credit facility impacts your business
22 June 2023
Our banking session provides an overview of the different types of credit facilities before taking a deeper dive into the facility agreement common clauses and restrictions which a company should consider before entering into a group restructure, acquisition or disposal. We also discuss the potential ways in which a borrower can look to future-proof their loan documentation and practical points borrowers should be aware of including the impact of security and approaching a lender for consent. The session touches on what happens when things don't go to plan, focusing in particular on the failure to obtain consent.
IBR – managing international business reorganisations
25 May 2023
A session discussing and exploring the key transactions and considerations when working on restructuring projects.
In this interactive session, we:
- explore key corporate transactions when considering a restructuring project;
- navigate the complexities and most common issues of certain transactions; and
- consider how to approach a balance sheet progression exercise.
New Law - The future of (legal) technology and how it can impact your business
20 April 2023
A session discussing and exploring the impact that legal technology implementation can have on your business and reviewing some key features of popular platforms utilised in the legal technology space. The session explores how you can best identify the most useful tools for your legal team and what is required to transform/optimise a legal department.
In this session, we:
- Demonstrate our artificial intelligence tool, Harvey, in real time to show how it can streamline in-house legal processes;
- Discuss the importance of legal department transformation;
- Identify what legal technology is available, with a focus on Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) platforms;
- Understand how these investments deliver value into your business; and
- Consider how to develop use cases for discussions with GCs and CEOs with example case studies.
The session combines case studies and examples with a Q&A and chance to share experiences.
For any of you who were not able to join the session live, we have collated a number of reports and other resources relevant to legal technology. For any questions or if you would like to set up a more in-depth demo of the tool, please contact us using the form below.
Employment Law and Diversity & Inclusion (D&I)
23 March 2023
A session to discuss and explore the responsibility to educate our leaders and workforce to manage discrimination, unconscious bias and pay inequality.
In this session, we:
- explore discrimination through interactive case studies;
- understand and discuss key D&I terms and the evolving gender conversation;
- consider how to deal with microaggressions and unconscious bias;
- and navigate the complexities of pay inequality and the accompanying legal risks.
We consider these to be key issues for in-house lawyers and invite them to be part of our journey to navigate the more common issues we see occuring in respect of D&I. We hope the session helps the attendees to advise on such matters in the most commercial and pragmatic way.
Data Protection – transitioning to the cloud – the benefits and risks
23 February 2023
Data protection and privacy regulations in the EU and UK are a cross-cutting issue that impact on businesses regardless of sector or size. The introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation in 2018 marked the start of a period of rapid change globally regarding how the protection of personal data is regulated, monitored and enforced.
In this interactive webinar we provide:
- an overview of the current regulatory landscape in the UK and EU;
- case studies of some of the key challenges and risks that businesses are facing, including the benefits and risks of transitioning to the cloud; and
- insights into upcoming changes to the UK's framework and what businesses should be considering.
ESG – common themes and practical examples of progress
26 January 2023
You can watch the PwC Legal ESG event series which explores how legal and governance professionals can stand up to new expectations and responsibilities to help their organisations deliver against enterprise wide ESG strategies.
