GC Vickers quits 3 as 130 jobs go

The general counsel of mobile operator 3, Paul Vickers, will be leaving as part of a reorganisation of the company that will result in 130 lost jobs.

The hugely-respected Vickers has been with 3 for five years, where he has built the legal function from the company’s launch to become a 15-lawyer team.

An internal source commented: “Paul Vickers is very well-respected and well-liked. All this reflects is where the business is going forward.”

During Vickers time at 3, he has guided the company through an enormous amount of deals and licences but that workload has decreased and when the company announced that it had no intention of listing on the stock exchange, the need for a general counsel with Vickers’ heavyweight experience ended.

A spokesperson for 3 confirmed that 130 jobs were under consultation following a thorough review of the business but declined to comment on individuals.

The 130 jobs come from across the company’s business at all levels but will mostly come from the core functions at its Maidenhead headquarters. Vickers’ exit aside, the fallout for the legal function is yet to be settled. It is understood that former Clifford Chance associate and 3's deputy general counsel Stephen Lerner is set to take over.

Baker & McKenzie and Barlow Lyde & Gilbert assisted 3 with its launch but Vickers has built the team to rely far less on outside counsel.