The In-House Lawyer - The magazine of choice for counsel
Features
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Change is now
It’s fair to say that legal directories have come in for more than their fair share of flack over the years, particularly when it comes to speed of change. But if proof were needed that The Legal 500 is more than capable of setting the pace, then the latest UK gender diversity stats neatly provide …
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Balancing growth and risk
As part of an ongoing series of thought leadership roundtables and webinars we have been hosting with Paul Hastings before, during and after lockdown, we were delighted to finally have an in-person debate at Paul Hastings’ London office in November 2021. We gathered together leading general counsel and Paul Hastings partners to discuss the role …
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Top of the agenda
Cyber security, environmental and social issues, shareholder activism – corporate governance has never been so high up the business agenda as it is today. And the role GCs play in ensuring proper systems of checks and balances are in place and adhered to at their companies cannot be underestimated. Against a backdrop of continued economic …
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The melting pot
With only a small degree of hindsight available, it is abundantly clear that London is experiencing one of its great disputes booms as the UK emerges from the Covid-19 pandemic. One may expect that the unique economic situation, underpinned by unprecedented levels of state financial support, may be the key catalyst for contentious issues. But …
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Crisis averted?
‘The whole property industry would have been paralysed had most landlords and tenants not been able to navigate their way through it,’ says Joanna Lampert, Mishcon de Reya’s property litigation partner, reflecting on the impact of the pandemic.
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Out of the shadows
According to Sandy Bhogal, co-chair of Gibson Dunn’s global tax practice, ‘General counsel will probably be more involved in tax affairs now than they’ve ever been’. With this in mind, he identifies three major trends in corporate tax that will keep lawyers busy for the foreseeable future: the knock on impact of the pandemic to …
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Validity in the opposition
A cursory glance at The Legal 500’s IP coverage – which was recently split into a distinct patents table alongside a trade marks, copyright and design table – makes for a head-scratching read. In a legal discipline that attracts sophisticated, technical expertise, fortune favours the innovative as much as the who’s who of the City …
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Caught offside
It was the football story of the year – eclipsing even Lionel Messi’s move to PSG and football not quite coming home – almost beyond belief in its audacity. On Sunday 18 April, The Times broke a story that 12 leading clubs from England, Spain and Italy had agreed to break away from UEFA’s Champions …
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Banking on battles
The In-House Lawyer (IHL): What has been keeping you busy in banking litigation over the past 12 months?
Events
About us
Established in 1992, The In-House Lawyer is the magazine of choice of the in-house counsel of the UK and EMEA. Relied upon and trusted by heads of legal departments, company secretaries and managing directors of FTSE 250 companies for providing authoritative and independent editorial content, The In-House Lawyer boasts the largest and most comprehensive published resources of professional knowledge and expertise.
Latest Issue
Profiles
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Sarah Holford – Scania UK
Shortly after completing the Legal Practice Course, Sarah Holford was looking for somewhere to kick-start her career. An opportunity presented itself at Games Workshop, the British manufacturer of miniature war games, with space-themed Warhammer 40,000 among its best-known products.
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Chris Thomas – Brewin Dolphin
‘I do employment law because I love personalities and people, whether they are friend or foe. You can learn from that.’ So speaks Chris Thomas, senior legal director at Brewin Dolphin, who was recognised as an in-house Rising Star at the Legal Business Awards 2021.
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Stephanie Dominy – Snyk
‘There is a creative and artistic side to me but also a very pragmatic and logical one. While I left that creative side behind, sometimes it still wants to get out.’ From speaking to Stephanie Dominy, general counsel of the hyper-complicated, open-source software security start-up Snyk, both her logical and creative credentials are in no …
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Ahmed Badr – GoCardless
Ahmed Badr did not want to be a lawyer. A self-professed ‘huge geek’ at school, he was never happier than when sat a computer doing some programming or web design. ‘You would never find me playing football,’ he reflects.
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Anthony Kenny – GSK
The In-House Lawyer (IHL): Can you describe your career path so far and tell us a little bit about your current role at GSK?
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Philip Price – TP ICAP
The In-House Lawyer (IHL): Describe your career before your current role with TP ICAP and the company today.
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Lindsay Beardsell – Tate & Lyle
Lindsay Beardsell is never one to rest on her laurels. She trained and qualified at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer but, as is the case for so many established general counsel, private practice failed to satisfy the need to be closer to a business.
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Julian Homerstone – Virgin Atlantic
The transatlantic airline’s GC talks to The In-House Lawyer about what it takes to advise one of the world’s most high-profile carriers amid a global pandemic.
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James Stebbing – Six Nations Rugby and the British & Irish Lions
James Stebbing talks to The In-House Lawyer about breaking into sports law, working with two of rugby’s best-loved sporting brands and what the Covid-19 pandemic means for next year’s South African tour and beyond.
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Dan Webster – Harrods
The retail group GC talks to The In-House Lawyer about what it takes to advise one of the world’s most recognised department stores.
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Rupert Skellett – Beggars Group
As general counsel for one of the UK’s premier record companies, Rupert Skellett tells The In-House Lawyer about the realities of being at the forefront of negotiations with some of the world’s most exciting artists.
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Ria Sanz – AngloGold Ashanti
The mining firm’s in-house counsel considers the keys to success and the importance of values when heading a legal and compliance team.
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Sivan Whiteley – Square
Sivan Whiteley’s legal career began with the study of rational choice theory at university – decoding why people make the decisions they make.
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Heather Mitchell – The Carlyle Group
‘One reason I’m doing this interview is so I can send it to my parents. They’re really important to me. Ah, suddenly, the hard-woman persona crumbles,’ jokes Heather Mitchell, global general counsel (GC) for investments and head of EMEA at The Carlyle Group.
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Christine Dekker: McDonald’s
The UK and Ireland GC on ten years at the fast-food giant and how tech is transforming the consumer trade
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Sonya Branch: Bank of England
The GC of the UK’s central bank talks Brexit, having a mission and making partner at 31
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Anna Cosgrave: Graze
The self-confessed fitness freak and head of legal on the allures of in-house law and healthy snacks
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Hugh Pugsley: HSBC
The banking giant’s UK law chief on retaining perspective, understanding your advisers and the value of mentors
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Charlotte Heiss: RSA
How kidnap threats and vodka-fuelled due diligence helped shape the insurance giant’s group legal chief
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Matt Wilson: Uber
The EMEA legal head of one of the world’s most valuable private companies on sticking along for the ride
Briefings
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Why employers should engage more with employee mental health
For several years, employers have been urged to do more to look after the mental health of their workforce. Even before the pandemic, in January 2019, mental health at work was a primary discussion topic at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting accompanied by huge estimations of the financial impact, globally, in terms of lost …
Continue reading “Why employers should engage more with employee mental health”
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The rise of ESG – beware the say-do gap
Companies increasingly face scrutiny of their environmental, social and governance (ESG) activities, including from investors, regulators, prosecutors, consumers, NGOs and other stakeholders. While robust ESG programmes can provide new business opportunities and other competitive advantages for companies, ESG issues also can pose legal and reputational risks, particularly when there is a gap between what companies …
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Corporate governance in Japan: recent developments
Introduction Corporate governance reforms for Japanese listed companies have been accelerating in recent years. However, a tide of shareholder activism is hitting corporate Japan even harder in the era of the Covid-19 pandemic, demanding more effective governance, sustainable growth, attention to environmental and social issues, as well as decent shareholder returns. The reforms are ongoing …
Continue reading “Corporate governance in Japan: recent developments”
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New ESG rules in Switzerland: how to mitigate the risk of criminal liability
New ESG disclosure and due diligence rules On 1 January 2022, the indirect counterproposal to the so-called Responsible Business Initiative has been introduced in the Swiss Code of Obligations (CO). The new rules in articles 964a ff. CO require that companies of public interest domiciled in Switzerland, such as listed companies and large companies supervised …
Continue reading “New ESG rules in Switzerland: how to mitigate the risk of criminal liability”
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Corporate governance in the United States: overview and outlook
There are four key sources of corporate governance law and regulation in the United States: state corporate law (predominantly Delaware, in which over half of all US publicly traded corporations are incorporated); federal securities law, including the US Securities Act of 1933 and the US Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and the regulations of the …
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The main changes to corporate governance in Brazil in 2020 and 2021
The last couple of years were difficult and challenging for all countries and the situation was no different for Brazil.
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Corporate governance meetings in the face of social distancing
More than two years have gone by since the world confronted a new reality and a new way of living due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Social distancing policies necessitated adjustments to routines, family and work life, and economic stability as the impossibility of continuing with daily activities as usual came to the fore. All these …
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Good governance in the Maltese corporate sector
The importance of companies adopting proper corporate governance practices has grown significantly over the last decade in Malta. In general, effective corporate governance practices are said to provide proper incentives for the board and management to pursue objectives that are in the interests of a company and its shareholders. Corporate governance principles are therefore intended …
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Meeting the challenges of complex civil fraud in 2022
The new year is a good time to reflect, and as Seladore Legal enters 2022 at frenetic pace – having concluded a trial in early December 2021, and another due to start in early February – it occurs to me: has there ever been a better time to be practising complex commercial litigation, and in …
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EPPO regulation in Romania: a new chapter in criminal investigations of fraud with EU funds
This article highlights the essential role that the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) will play in criminal investigations aimed at preventing and sanctioning individuals and/or legal entities who perpetrate crimes against the financial interests of the European Union (EU), as well as the competence of the European prosecutors delegated to perform criminal investigation activities in …
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US authorities set an aggressive white-collar enforcement agenda after historic lull
In the United States, the Department of Justice (DoJ), including the regional US Attorney Offices, have federal criminal enforcement authority. Certain state regulators including District Attorneys and Attorneys General have criminal authority for state-level offences. There are several federal regulatory agencies who are very active in regulating the financial services arena, but who are limited …
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Canada’s evolving response to fraud and white-collar crime
As in most jurisdictions the pandemic has caused widespread disruption in Canada. The historic level of disruption has expedited reliance on technology and e-commerce across all sectors, setting the stage for a perfect storm when it comes to fraud and white-collar crime risks. Canada has long been considered a nation soft on white-collar crime, with …
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Red alert on crypto advertising
Crypto currencies have been around since 2009, with Bitcoin believed to be the first ever created. It is now thought that about 5% of the UK population (Broker Chooser) have a crypto currency asset, the highest level of investment in Europe.
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Assisting clients in the present and anticipating the future
2022 is a pivotal year We are going through unprecedented crises requiring a major evolution of our society. One of King & Spalding’s strengths is to be at the side of our client in this context. So far, more than 330m people have contracted the Covid-19 virus, all variants combined, and at least 6m have …
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On the property litigation horizon
The Covid-19 pandemic has had a seismic impact on the real estate sector. As the pandemic enters its third year, real estate litigation specialists continue to grapple with an ever-changing legal landscape.