Brobeck's Oxford office founds in-house forum

International partnership Brobeck Hale and Dorr's Oxford office is setting up an in-house lawyers' association for technology companies in the area.

The association's meetings, which will take place bimonthly, will allow in-house practitioners to meet up and discuss legal issues, give and receive talks, and take part in training sessions.

Brobeck corporate partner Joe Pillman will run the group and Bookham Technology general counsel Philip Davis will chair the events.

Pillman says: "In-house lawyers don't have a network. They often tend to be the only lawyer for the company and a lot of them have said that they would appreciate meeting up with other lawyers to bounce around ideas."

Brobeck will also provide training in certain key legal areas that are relevant to technology companies.

Pillman says: "Many in-house lawyers find there is no legal training within their company and they are forced to go on external courses.

"We think we can interest them in certain areas, including US accounting principles, share options, cross-border transactions and listing rulings."

Pillman claims that the forum is not just an opportunity for Brobeck to woo clients. "We see this as a forum for in-house lawyers and it is up to them to set the agenda. Clearly we hope to get work out of it but it is not just us trying to sell our legal services," he says.

Companies that have expressed interest include RM, Celoxica, Oxford GlycoSciences, University of Oxford and the Confederation of British Industry.

The Lawyer's next in-house forum will be on 24 April at the Barbican. For further details please call Steve Warshal on 020 7970 4713