Commercial Awareness Flashcards
what are trends to look out for in Real Estate according to Watch GT?
biodiversity net requirements for new building developments in England
green leases
leasehold reform
what are factors affecting businesses? x5
economic stagnation - global growth at 2.4%
geopolitical conflict - elections
AI revolution
ESG compliance
data regulation
what are some issues that are facing law firms? x4
consultancy firm expansion
competitive salaries
keeping up with AI
data protection - WFH model
where should GT open a new office, why?
Sydney - compete with other global law firms
Frankfurt - European central bank and support from Berlin and Munich offices
what is a private equity firm?
a firm looking to invest in a non-public ally listed company that has high growth potential
often look to invest in large underperforming/undervalued businesses
gain external investment to create a fund
what is a venture capital firm?
also a firm that looks to invest in a non-public ally listed company that has high growth potential
BUT likely to invest in early stages of business like start ups
tend to invest smaller amounts of money in more businesses
what is a shareholders agreement?
the contract that governs the relationships, responsibilities and entitlements of shareholders of a company
what is a share/asset purchase agreement?
contract that describes the commercial and pricing negotiations of a M&A deal
purchasing shares or an asset
what are key protections in a SHA?
warranties
indemnities
undertakings
conditions precedent
what do the corporate team do?
in charge of M&As
pull together different specialist groups at a firm
may also be responsible for onboarding
what do a commercial team do? NOT at GT
negotiate the contracts of commerce - B2B supply, t&Cs etc
what are reasons for a M&A deal?
scaling up/down
complimentary resources
exploring a new area or direction
prevent further losses
how can businesses finance strategy/plan?
cash reserves
corporate finance
capital markets/IPO
external investments - angels or VCF
what is one news story that has interested you recently?
BBC’s coverage of AI for visual image creation
not the story itself which was about an AI company’s copyright infringement of Getty’s images
More so about the perception of AI as a threat
interesting debate as to whether instead it should be viewed as a tool - AI conference and completing an LSE course on controlling AI
