The theme for this year’s In-house Counsel as Business Partner in association with EY is ‘Myself, My team, My business’. The event supports in-house lawyers on all levels and in all aspects of their job: individual development, managing the in-house legal function and the business they work for.
Attendees can tailor their participation from a choice of panels, TED talk-style sessions, workshops and roundtables all focusing on specific challenges identified in our research with the in-house community. All sessions are practical, engaging and interactive and leave you with some clear takeaways from the event.
Which sessions top my list to attend this year?
It’s a hard choice, but the four sessions that jump out the most to me are:
How do you foster innovation within your team?
The event kicks off this year with a crucial session on innovation. EY head of law for UK&I Philip Goodstone together with National Grid group head of legal operational excellence Mohammed Ajaz, Wolseley UK general counsel Vanessa French, Smiths Group director of legal operations & innovation Jamie Fraser and Dixons Carphone general counsel and company secretary Nigel Paterson will share their views on what it means to be innovative when it comes to legal services.
Smarter working and the magic formula for “doing more with less” for cost-conscious businesses
Designed for those in-house lawyers who are yet to find the magic formula for doing more with less, this second session on my list aims to equip attendees with some alternatives. Novartis head of operational excellence Maurus Schreyvogel, Colgate-Palmolive general counsel for special projects and business development Bryn Thomas and Imperial College London head of legal services Milena Radoycheva will talk about how they have gone about making their legal function more efficient and what operational excellence means for them.
Under pressure: coping with the demand to be commercial
The pressure on in-house lawyers to be commercial and show innovation is constant and sometimes this can result in feeling under pressure to cut corners and take risks. Drawing on the lessons learnt from the 12 years as an in-house lawyer in financial services, Stewart Brown will share with the audience some practical ways for dealing with pressure.
The in-house lawyer – strategic adviser to the business
GSK head of legal consumer healthcare Europe, global categories and R&D Neil Laventure, Barclays head of legal for emerging markets in EMEA Amol Prabhu, Seedrs chief legal officer Karen Kerrigan and Southampton FC legal director Tim Greenwell will talk about using their knowledge, skills and expertise to influence and advise on the strategic direction of their organisation and how to engage with your company so that you are no longer the “last resort”.
The In-house Counsel as Business Partner conference is being held at the Hilton London Tower Bridge Hotel on the 6-7 November. If you’d like more information on the event, including the full agenda and speaker line-up as well as how you can register to attend please visit the event website.
