A podcast from KPMG Law

All episodes (in German only)

• One year of the Whistleblower Protection Act

  The results after one year of the Whistleblower Protection Act: employees are making use of the new reporting options. According to a recent survey, whistleblowers saw grievances primarily in the areas of personnel, corruption, human rights and data protection.

  The question of how companies organize their reporting channels was also interesting. While Germany allows centralized systems, some EU countries require all subsidiaries to set up their own channels. Dr. Bernd Federmann, Partner, and Andreas Pruksch, Senior Manager at KPMG Law Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH, summarize their most important experiences with the law.

  You are welcome to contact our experts at bfedermann@kpmg-law.com and apruksch@kpmg-law.com.

• Variable remuneration - companies should pay attention to this

  Bonuses, management bonuses and gratuities are popular management tools. However, they do not always achieve the desired effect. They can also provide the wrong incentives or demotivate employees. Strict guidelines therefore apply to the variable remuneration of banks and other financial institutions. Are these also a model for other sectors? In this episode, Isabella Ries and André Kock talk about what companies should look out for when designing variable remuneration.

  If you would like to know more about this topic, please contact Isabella Ries and André Kock by email at iries@kpmg-law.com and andrekock@kpmg-law.com.

• Supply chains and due diligence obligations - interim assessment and outlook

  It is said that the German Supply Chain Act (LkSG) is the “training camp” for the EU CSDDD. This is because the CSDDD imposes additional due diligence obligations on companies. Initial experience with the LkSG shows: IT tools appear to be paying off when it comes to fulfilling legal obligations and authorities are certainly following up when companies fail to act. In this episode, Anne-Kathrin Gillig, Partner, and Dr. Thomas Uhlig, Partner at KPMG Law, talk about their experiences with the LkSG and what the CSDDD means for companies.

  Please contact Anne-Kathrin Gillig at agillig@kpmg-law.com and Dr. Thomas Uhlig at tuhlig@kpmg-law.com.

• Future outlook for law: Futures Literacy

  A question that is currently on the minds of many lawyers: How will the legal market change in the coming years in light of the rapid development of technologies and artificial intelligence? How should legal departments position themselves in order to continue to make a valuable contribution to their company in the future? And what qualifications do employees need for this? The guests in the first episode of our new podcast series “Future Outlook for Law” provide a forecast: futurologist and partner at KPMG AG Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft Prof. Dr. Heiko von der Gracht as well as Managing Partner of KPMG Law Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH, Dr. Konstantin von Busekist, and Philipp Glock, Head of IT & Innovation at KPMG Law.

  You are welcome to contact the experts at kvonbusekist@kpmg-law.com, pglock@kpmg-law.com and hgracht@kpmg.com.

• Pitfalls with mergers

  The months of July and August are not only vacation time, but also peak season for mergers. For companies whose financial year begins on January 1, it can be worth submitting the commercial register application by August 31. Regardless of when the merger takes place, it’s a long road from draft contract to registration with many to-dos and pitfalls. Laura Klaukin and Jasmin Kluike talk about what to look out for. You are welcome to contact the experts at lklaukin@kpmg-law.com and jkluike@kpmg-law.com.

• Specialists from abroad: changes to residence law

  There is a shortage of skilled workers in Europe. The EU Blue Card is intended to enable the employment of highly qualified workers from abroad. Recently, the requirements for obtaining the residence permit were lowered, which broadens the scope of application. Employers can also use the new instrument of short-term contingent employment to cover additional demand for workers. In the podcast, Christian Alexander Jimenez Metzler and Eva Steinberg, lawyer and attorney at KPMG Law Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH, talk about the opportunities offered by residence permits as well as the legal problems that can arise when using them.

  You are welcome to contact us at cjimenezmetzler@kpmg-law.com und esteinberg1@kpmg-law.com.

• Legal department report 2024 - figures, data, facts and key trends in legal departments

  KPMG Law’s Legal Department Report is probably the oldest regular survey of figures, data and facts from legal departments. It provides a long-term analysis and long-term trends. This year’s report clearly shows where things are heading: legal departments are coping with an increasing workload with fewer and fewer lawyers and assistants, but more technology. KPMG Law Partner Andreas Bong has been overseeing the report for 18 years and talks about the most important findings from the survey results in the podcast.

  You are welcome to contact him at andreasbong@kpmg-law.com.

• Artificial intelligence and human dignity

  Artificial intelligence could soon replace people in many professions. Is this a threat to human dignity? Which decisions can we delegate to algorithms? And can we allow people to be turned into objects of technology? On the other hand, the use of AI leads to quantum leaps in medicine, bridges language barriers and can therefore help people to live in dignity in the first place. But who is responsible if the AI makes mistakes? Philipp Glock, Partner at KPMG Law, and Marcel Ritter, General Counsel at Telefónica Germany, discussed the ethical aspects of AI in the #Podcast.

  If you have any questions, our expert Philipp Glock is available at pglock@kpmg-law.com.