Arsenal hires former MTV GC as first legal chief
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Arsenal Football Club has appointed former MTV lawyer Svenja Geissmar as its first general counsel.
Geissmar has spent the last three years working as a legal consultant, but prior to that worked at MTV European Networks (MTVEN) where she was promoted to general counsel in 1997.
While head lawyer at MTVEN she had a place on the senior management board and was also responsible for the company’s CSR activities.
As revealed by The Lawyer earlier this year, Arsenal began its hunt for an in-house lawyer in May (11 May 2009).
The football club has never previously employed an in-house lawyer and had used Slaughter and May for all its legal needs. The firm advises on both corporate and transfer activity.
A growing number of Premier League clubs are employing full-time lawyers. In April this year, Manchester City hired Shearman & Sterling corporate associate Simon Cliff as its head of legal (27 April 2009).
Geissmar’s arrival coincides with a new chief commercial officer Tom Fox and head of people and operations Trevor Saving. She starts work on 21 September.
