Sema steals Siemens' legal aide

Sema has raided rival IT giant Siemens in its search for a UK head of legal.

Legal adviser James Loughrey will join the Anglo-French giant at the beginning of March.

He joins the group from the UK subsidiary of the German electronics and engineering giant.

Global IT services company Sema told The Lawyer in November it was looking for a lawyer to fill the position as part of a shake-up.

Chief legal counsel and company secretary Nick Deeming said he wanted to introduce a clear management structure into the department.

Loughrey will be in charge of 10 UK-based lawyers and will answer directly to Deeming, who will liaise with the 25 other lawyers that Sema employs worldwide.

The appointment comes two weeks after Bird & Bird emerged as the company's primary adviser following a dramatic down-scale of its 15-strong panel.