Charles Russell Speechlys Podcast Channel

Property Patter: “It’s the economy, stupid”

Walter Boettcher, Head of Research & Economics at Colliers International, joins Emma Humphreys to share some thoughts on the current economic climate.  How is the UK economy performing so far in 2025 and what are the predictions for growth?  What is the likely impact for the UK of the current uncertainty in the USA?   And how are specific property sectors such as retail, industrial and offices performing? 

Retail Collection - Episode 3: BDO - driving value in an evolving market

In the latest episode of our Retail Collection podcast series, James Broadhurst, Partner in our Corporate team, and co-lead of the firm’s Investors and Entrepreneurs Group, sat down with Lorna Hopkinson, Managing Director – Retail Brands of BDO LLP to discuss the challenges the retail sector is facing and how consumer confidence and behaviour is changing. The discussion looks at driving value through brands and the need for retailers to adapt to an evolving market. They also take a closer look at how the M&A market is changing in the retail sector.  

Building BioHubs podcast miniseries: Carter Jonas

Welcome to the first episode of our Building BioHubs podcast miniseries, where we invite experts to discuss industry trends in the real estate and life sciences sector, focusing on hot topics and recent developments. The life sciences real estate sector has experienced significant growth and transformation over the past five years, driven by various factors including increased investment in biotechnology and pharmaceutical research, advancements in medical technology, and the global response to health challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic. 

In this episode Real Estate Associate Lynsey Inglis is joined by Matt Lee, Partner and Head of Science and Technology at Carter Jonas. Matt and Lynsey take a look ahead at 2025 and specifically consider the leasing trends we are likely to see and the consider the approach to heads of terms agreed between landlords and tenants. 

Client Conversations Podcast: Giles Pocock

Managing Partner, Simon Ridpath, and Partner, Richard Davies, are joined by Giles Pocock, VP of Brand Marketing at high-end audio equipment maker Bowers & Wilkins. In this third episode of the second series of Client Conversations, Giles delves into his career journey, the importance of brand partnerships, and how he has steered B&W towards its leading position in a highly competitive global high-performance audio market.

About Giles Pocock 

Giles is a seasoned brand marketing executive, with more than two decades of experience in the media and technology space. He has worked with some of the world’s most prestigious brands – prior to his tenure at B&W, he headed up the entertainment and lifestyle sponsorship team at Nokia and helped to establish Sony Music’s brand partnerships team.

After joining Bowers & Wilkins in 2022, Giles helped to secure a series of impressive brand partnerships with global icons including David Beckham, Aston Martin, and the James Bond franchise. He has also been instrumental to maintaining the brand’s relationship with Abbey Road Studios, which dates back 40 years, and is responsible for all brand and marketing output.

Property Patter - Lifetime achievements: Katie Kopec of JLL

Emma Humphreys is joined by Katie Kopec to review her career to date, following on from her recent Lifetime Achievement Award and during a month when we celebrate International Women’s Day.

Listen in to hear how Canary Wharf was created as a financial district, the lessons learned from the Millenium Dome and delivering the 2012 Olympics and regeneration of King’s Cross.

Timings for the key topics are:

• Canary Wharf: 1m45
• The Millenium Dome/O2: 10m15
• The King’s Cross regeneration: 15m40
• Developing for the 2012 Olympics: 21m35
• Katie’s thoughts on achieving better retail and housing in the UK: 27m10
• Katie’s career reflections: 35m15
• Katie’s career tips and learnings: 40m25

Extra Time: The business of women’s football in africa

Welcome to "Extra Time," the podcast that takes you beyond the final whistle, where we interview leading figures and decision-makers shaping the business of sport. In each episode, we sit down with our guests to learn about the strategies, passions, and stories that drive the business of the sports we love. 

We kick off this new series with an International Women’s Day special where Sarah Johnson, Associate in our Commercial team welcomes our first guest, Abiola Ijasanmi. Hailed as "the most powerful woman in African football," Abi is the first woman to hold a C-Suite position at the Confederation of African Football. Abi has now started her own venture, African Sports Investor (ASI), which will invest in, develop, and commercialise women’s football leagues in Africa, with further plans to develop academies in countries where an ASI league is established.

In this episode, Abi and Sarah discuss the business of women’s football in Africa, competitive league models in England and the USA (from brand partnerships to broadcast deals), and the importance of athlete empowerment, highlighting the current commercial opportunities in women’s football for investors, brands, and athletes.

Property Patter: Challenges for commercial property in 2025

Landlords and tenants of commercial property face economic challenges and a changing legal landscape. Specialists from our Real Estate, Real Estate Disputes and Insolvency Teams - Ben Butterworth, Emma Humphreys, Harriet Durn and Daniel Moore - discuss the key issues:

• The current consultation on whether there should still be statutory protection for business tenancies;
• The new law to allow local Councils to take control of letting High Street properties;
• Recent insolvency trends, particularly with CVAs and the new restructuring plans introduced by the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020.

Budget 2024 and its impact on IHT and estates

We digest and discuss the changes outlined in the 2024 Budget affecting inheritance tax, estates and planning strategies. We take a look at the impact on businesses, farming and pensions.

In this podcast, Harriet Betteridge from our Private Client Team speaks to Alexandra Ottridge at Level about the 2024 Autumn Budget and its impact on estate planning, inheritance tax (IHT) and succession strategies. The Level Group are a lending firm providing finance for family and probate proceedings. 

Harriet outlines key points from the Budget including the freezing of IHT (inheritance tax) thresholds until 2030, the relief on business and agricultural property being capped from April 2026 and the introduction of IHT on pensions from April 2027. Harriet provides crucial takeaways and solutions to navigate these changes such as the need for early estate planning, life insurance and probate loans to manage the higher tax liabilities, as well as planning ahead by reviewing of wills, updating of pension nominations and taking advice on tax-efficient structures.

Retail Collection – Episode 2: Stonegate - How to create meaningful customer engagement

In the latest episode of our Retail Collection podcast series, Jason Saiban, Partner in our Commercial team and Acting General Counsel at Stonegate, sits down with Jessica Cooke, Director of Media and Loyalty at Stonegate, and Janine Regan, our Head of Data Protection, to discuss harnessing the immense power of data in media and advertising strategy whilst ensuring compliance with data protection laws.

Property Patter: What lies ahead for property law in 2025?

Emma Humphreys and Laura Bushaway are joined by Guy Fetherstonhaugh KC and Imogen Dodds of Falcon Chambers to look at what lies ahead for property law during 2025.  Themes discussed include the Law Commission’s consultation on the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954, upcoming appeals related to the Building Safety Act 2022 in March 2025 and an interesting case on injunctions against protestors.

The cases and legislation referred to in this episode of Property Patter are:

• Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 (and Guy refers to TFS Stores Ltd v. BMG (Ashford) Ltd & Ors [2021] EWCA Civ 688 – see TFS Stores Ltd v Designer Retail Outlet Centres (Mansfield) General Partner: The end of the road | Falcon Chambers)
• Leisurespace v. CRT Property Investments – Newcastle-Upon-Tyne Crown Court – Hearing in February 2025
• University of London v. Harvie-Clark [2024] EWHC 2895 – Final Injunction to be heard in 2025 (relating to protestors)
• Building Safety Act 2022
• Adriatic Land 5 Limited v. Long Leaseholders at Hippersley Point [2023] UKUT 271 – Court of Appeal hearing on 17 March 2025
• Triathlon Homes LLP v. Stratford Village Development Partnership & Others [2024] UKFTT 26 – Court of Appeal hearing on 19 March 2025

Other references:

• Forthcoming book “Injunctions protecting land” by Falcon Chambers (due for publication later in 2025)
• The 50th anniversary of the Blundell Lecture series – this is an annual series of four lectures discussing topical issues in Property Law. Guy Fetherstonhaugh KC will be speaking at one of the lectures taking place in June 2025.  The dates for 2025 are 3, 10, 17 and 24 June.