Bingham McCutchen retains US corporate role; Lawrence Graham picked for UK

Waters Corporation, a $3.6bn (£2.2bn) US company, is poised for a wholesale shake-up of its legal advisers after creating a new general counsel role.
Mark Beaudouin, formerly general counsel at US biotech company Parexel, has taken on the new role in Massachusetts and is currently reviewing the company’s external advisers across the 50 countries in which it has offices.
So far, Bingham McCutchen and Lawrence Graham have come out on top in the review.
“We’ve used quite a number of firms worldwide, but I’m looking to consolidate as much as possible,” said Beaudouin.
The company has con
firmed that Bingham McCutchen will retain its position as main corporate counsel in the US, a role which it won from Kirkland & Ellis a few years ago. Duane Morris is advising on smaller matters, while Jackson Lewis will advise on HR issues.
In the UK, Lawrence Graham has won the role of main corporate adviser.
Beaudouin first met Lawrence Graham client relationship partner Richard Elphick when he joined Parexel, which had been a client of Elphick for some time. Coincidentally, Elphick has also advised Waters’ UK subsidiary Micromass. Beaudouin opted for Law-rence Graham without holding a tender.
Beaudouin said that he has yet to decide on other overseas counsel.
The company makes high performance instruments to measure chemicals in water, and its clients include governments, pharmaceutical giants, universities and medical device companies.