Sega in-house interview: The counsel at the console
The creativity and energy of Sega’s game developers are infectious, says Nicky Ormrod, who is kept busy by the pace of technological change and the demands of compliance
British Heart Foundation’s GC on working for a charity in a climate of media scrutiny
After a spate of scandals at other charities, GC Richard Macmillan can give BHF a clean bill of health after a thorough policy review
Siemens Gamesa’s Javier Cabezudo on merging two legal teams
The merger of two energy giants means a period of frenetic activity for legal boss Javier Cabezudo as he integrates two best-in-class legal teams into one
Square’s Sivan Whiteley on breaking the UK market and having the CEO of Twitter as a boss
Square Inc has not only Twitter founder Jack Dorsey at its head but also a former Bingham litigator who found her real home in the start-up world of fintech
The lawyer turned tech trailblazer leading Santander’s transformation strategy
Santander’s Gloria Sánchez Soriano is the legal tech trailblazer tasked with implementing a transformation strategy at one of Europe’s largest banks
Simplyhealth GC: why individual relationships beat panels
Jon Jansen-Alder likes boxing analogies. A veteran of more than 20 bouts, he still steps into the ring to slug it out with heavyweight rivals – but has he got a big fight on his hands as group general counsel of Simplyhealth?
Moët Hennessy names new legal chief after Meyer exit
Luxury French conglomerate LVMH has named a new legal head for its Moët Hennessy brand in Europe, after the departure of former director Isabelle Meyer to Just Eat. Jeremy Barker has been appointed as its legal director, following a four-month stint as a consultant solicitor at the company. This is a continuation of his relationship with […]
Moët’s legal head exits for new role at Just Eat
Moët Hennessy’s European legal director Isabelle Meyer is to move on from the company in the New Year, after six years with the luxury goods conglomerate. The Lawyer can reveal Meyer will be joining Just Eat’s legal team, taking up a position as deputy general counsel. She will report to the company’s current group general counsel James […]
Lloyds Bank gears up for New Year panel review
Eight firms will be expected to fight for their places on Lloyds Bank’s UK panel in the New Year, with the bank poised to review its list of legal advisers. The firms currently on the core panel are CMS, Eversheds Sutherland, Herbert Smith Freehills and Ashurst, as well as Addleshaw Goddard, Hogan Lovells, and magic […]
TfL kicks off first panel review in six years
Transport for London (TfL) has kicked off its first panel review since 2012, putting scrutiny on the eleven firms already on the roster. The panel is worth at least £86m to its chosen firms, with the eight-lot roster running for a minimum of four years. The firms will be given until 18 January to tender, […]
HCA Hospitals legal team set for shake-up as leader departs after 30 years
Hospital Corporation of America (HCA)’s longstanding UK legal head is to stand down at the end of the year. Jasy Loyal is executive director and vice president of legal at the Nashville-headquartered healthcare company. Loyal’s time at HCA has spanned more than 30 years, during which time she oversaw one of the largest buyouts and […]
Royal Mail loses legal chief to FTSE 100 rival
Royal Mail’s general counsel has resigned from her position and will take the top legal spot at EasyJet in mid-2019. Maaike de Bie will replace EasyJet’s interim GC Daud Khan, who was seconded over from Clifford Chance where he is a junior corporate partner. Khan has been holding the fort at EasyJet since it was revealed […]
Post Office begins search for new legal panel
The Post Office has set out its stall for a new legal panel, adding that it plans to reduce its existing legal offering to seven firms. In a previous interview with The Lawyer, the Post Office’s legal director Ben Foat revealed that the company had an extensive roster of firms, including CMS Cameron McKenna and Womble Bond […]
Crown Commercial Service appoints over 40 firms to new panel
CCS has completed its new £320m wider public sector legal services panel, covering a broad range of legal services
Five firms dropped from £100m NHS roster
The NHS has finalised its 28-strong shared business services panel with firms including Addleshaws and Hogan Lovells winning places.
Oil and gas giant Petrochina completes inaugural panel
Chinese oil and gas company PetroChina International and its London-based subsidiary Petroineos Trading have completed their first ever legal panel, with over ten firms making the cut. The new global full services panel spans Europe, Russia/CIS, Africa and China, and will cover the following specific areas: commodity trading; regulatory and compliance; shipping and shipping dispute resolution; corporate: midstream […]
Ten firms win roles on Lucozade’s inaugural panel
Lucozade Ribena Suntory has completed its first formal panel review, with newcomer Eversheds Sutherland taking top spot as primary provider across the UK and Ireland. The latest review, which kicked off in April, is the first to be overseen by general counsel Mary Guest, who took up the in-house post in November when she joined […]
Coca-Cola takes scythe to panel with over 70 firms cut
Bottling giant Coca-Cola European Partners has drastically reduced the size of its legal roster, selecting nearly 30 advisers from a panel of over 100. The panel is the first to be carried out under the leadership of general counsel Clare Wardle, who joined from Kingfisher in 2016. She joined the company a year after it […]
GC2B: From fintechs to banks, tech gives in-house teams the chance to reinvent themselves
At a dinner in the shadow of London’s Tower Bridge, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner (BCLP) hosted a group of legal heads to discuss the topic of reinventing themselves and their teams in a technology-driven world. Responses were varied and the attendees came from enormously diverse business models, though the prevailing mood was one of necessary and […]
GC2B: Managing external and internal legal teams in a global world
At The Lawyer‘s recent General Counsel Strategy Summit, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner (BLCP) hosted a round table on the topic ‘managing external and internal legal teams in a global world’, talking about the shaping of legal resources to business objectives, structures and diversity. BCLP partners Jonathan Morris & Rémy Blain led nine senior in-house lawyers […]
Lawyers shouldn’t play safe, they should take the lead
What does the term “progressive” mean to in-house lawyers? GCs explain how they build their in-house legal teams.
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Business ethics and the modern GC: How to navigate public scrutiny
Should in-house lawyers do the legal thing or the ethical thing? – there can be a subtle difference. Lawyers from UK companies tell how they balance business ethics, high public expectations and legal exactitude. Lisa Mayhew, BLP: You all work in very different businesses in multiple jurisdictions, so there are varying legislative, social and cultural issues. […]
GC2B event: How to build a progressive in-house team
The turning of a new calendar year sees a fresh set of challenges on the horizon for busy GC teams.
TLT’s legal tech kit that can advise not just triage
An innovative solution from TLT and US tech group LegalSifter can slash lawyers’ BAU admin burden, but it can also do so much more
Squire Patton Boggs’ “Apple-style” tool for employment advice
The firm is rising to the challenge of providing accurate employment law information about the world’s hardest-to-reach jurisdictions
How AI saved the day on the SFO’s Rolls-Royce probe
The Serious Fraud Office has expanded its use of AI software to speed up investigation time and bring down costs, but its use is not without its challenges
Tackling the problem of female talent retention – A&O-style
One of the biggest issues facing law firms is the retention of female talent. Allen & Overy is working on solving the problem.
Bayer’s formula for turning legal into a commercially driven function
Bayer’s law, patents and compliance function is home to some 800 professionals worldwide. Bringing it closer to the company’s commercial team is an ongoing project
Litigation too bespoke to pin down on price? HSF didn’t think so
HSF has adapted the fixed fees approach used for transactional work to the much less predictable world of disputes
HighQ launches AI survey, aiming to sift through the hype
When it comes to artificial intelligence in the legal industry, the number of platform options are soaring with almost 70 companies focused on creating AI-enabled legal technology solutions, according to a LawGeex report. It’s also clear that firms and other businesses will want to evaluate and invest in multiple AI platforms to solve different problems, […]
Case law update: December 2018
By David Smedley, Andrew Rayment Bellman v Northampton Recruitment Ltd – Employer held liable for managing director’s violent conduct The Court of Appeal has found a company vicariously liable for the violent conduct of its managing director at a Christmas party where the attack left an employee severely disabled.
New IR35 rules for contractors in the private sector from 6 April 2020
By David Smedley, Andrew Rayment New IR35 changes due to take effect in the private sector from 6 April 2020 will have a significant impact on businesses that engage consultants or contractors via intermediary companies (either directly or through an agency). Affected employers will need to plan for these changes well in advance. Following a […]
Employer National Insurance Contributions on termination payments will take effect from April 2020
By David Smedley, Andrew Rayment In Autumn 2018 budget news, there is to be a further delay before termination payments in excess of £30,000 will be made subject to employer national insurance contributions (NICs). There have been a number of recent changes to the tax and NI treatment of termination payments (especially payments in lieu […]
Ethnicity pay gap reporting
By David Smedley, Andrew Rayment Mandatory pay gap reporting on grounds of ethnicity (similar to gender pay gap reporting) could be on the horizon. In line with a manifesto commitment, the Government has published a consultation paper on introducing mandatory pay gap reporting on ethnicity grounds. The consultation comes on the heels of the Government’s […]
Government considering reintroducing employment tribunal fees
By David Smedley, Andrew Rayment It has been reported that the Government is considering reintroducing employment tribunal fees. No specific details have been provided but the Ministry of Justice has said that it is confident that a fee system can be found which does not deny claimants access to justice (the reason the original fee regime was […]
Microchipping: The future of employee surveillance?
By Stuart McBride Inspired by the initial move to microchip employees by a firm in Wisconsin last year; as many as 150 employees in the UK have already been fitted with microchip implants. As technology continues to impact the way we all work, there may be merits to the rumoured introduction. That said, there are […]
Upcoming webinar: Improve firm-wide collaboration, security and efficiency with one tool
Introduction The legal landscape is fierce and technology can help your firm get ahead, but only if your lawyers will actually use it. See how HighQ’s next-generation platform combines accessibility, collaboration and task management with security to offer your firm a competitive advantage. Join the webinar to explore: Intelligent collaboration and optimised legal service delivery […]
Christmas parties in the #MeToo era: how to minimise risk
By Michael Briggs A year has passed since the birth of the #MeToo movement shone the spotlight on accounts of sexual harassment across the globe. As we enter Christmas party season, employers should be mindful of their legal responsibilities to protect their employees. The Christmas party Christmas parties should be a time for people to celebrate […]
Employment essentials: November 2018
By Jane Fielding, Connie Cliff This month Gowling WLG’s employment, labour & equalities experts discuss their pick of November’s top five employment law developments that may affect your business: Unfair dismissal & employees entitled to PHI payments Disability discrimination & excluded conditions Holiday leave: use it or lose it? Non-disclosure agreements remain in the spotlight […]
Webinar: Tupe & Pensions – major concerns 2018
This TUPE Club webinar answers five pension-related questions which often cause headaches on transactions and outsourcings: Pensions don’t generally transfer under TUPE, so what do you have to do about them? What’s the difference between an occupational and a personal pension scheme and why does it matter on a transfer? When might the 60 day […]
Ontario government rolls backs the clock on 2017’s labour reforms
On Nov. 21, 2018, the Ontario government passed Bill 47, Making Ontario Open for Business Act, 2018 (“Bill 47“). This Bill was the Conservative government’s response to major legislative reforms by the predecessor Liberal government affecting Ontario’s workplaces. Bill 148, Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, 2017 (“Bill 148“) was tabled in June of 2017, and brought considerable amendments to the Employment Standards […]
Legal operations: How a small legal department can overcome challenges
Budget constraints prevent many small legal teams from being a part of the legal ops movement – but here is how technology can help you achieve your goals
Growing use of robots and AI by law firms
By Graham Richardson Faster decision-making, cost savings and fewer errors – robots and AI are already benefiting law firms and their clients, with many exciting developments still to come In the age of robots, AI and automated law, the role and outputs of the in-house team is about to experience its own ‘big bang’. No longer […]
High Court dismisses BT’s appeal on RPI
By Ian J Gordon, Chris Edwards-Earl BT has lost its attempt to convince the Court of Appeal that it should be able to move away from the retail prices index (RPI) for indexation of benefits for one of the sections of its pension scheme. The Court of Appeal upheld the High Court judgment that RPI had not […]
DPAs and associated guilt: How the recent SFO case collapsed
By Angela Craven After reporting restrictions were lifted, it was confirmed that the Serious Fraud Office’s (SFO) high profile fraud and false accounting trial against two former Tesco executives had collapsed after a submission of no case to answer by the individuals’ legal teams at the end of the prosecution case. The former executives faced […]
Webinar: Tupe & Pensions – major concerns 2018
This TUPE Club webinar answers five pension-related questions which often cause headaches on transactions and outsourcings: Pensions don’t generally transfer under TUPE, so what do you have to do about them? What’s the difference between an occupational and a personal pension scheme and why does it matter on a transfer? When might the 60 day […]