We have long heard about the expectation that general counsel need to be more like business leaders rather than just lawyers. But while in-house counsel may have once viewed this evolution as aspirational or optional, the proliferation of technology and the pace of business today have made it mandatory. The GC role requires a plethora …
Continue reading “The GC disrupted: eight trends redefining the role”
Shortly before Richard Price went in-house as group general counsel and company secretary at Anglo American, the legal team’s headcount was cut in half. This was not coupled with a reduced workload, however. Expectations remained the same.
A lively debate over coffee recently with Axiom founder Mark Harris took me back to the discussion that manifests most frequently in my line of work these days: the extent that legal services are transforming with new providers and tools. While Harris highlights many genuine changes in the industry and buying behaviour we disagree on …
Vietnam is a wonderful country, full of wonderful people, with a rapidly developing economy that persistently grows at world-leading rates. Vietnam is also a fascinating, challenging, and rewarding legal jurisdiction for M&A lawyers. There are many things for which Vietnam has made itself noteworthy as a jurisdiction during the last 20 years, but sophisticated competition …
Continue reading “Developments in merger control rules in Vietnam”
EDF and Co-op overhaul panels Big six energy supplier EDF Energy has almost halved its external advisers in a panel review that cut the number of law firms from 14 to eight. CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang and Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner (BCLP) were added, while Baker McKenzie, Herbert Smith Freehills, Pinsent Masons, Eversheds Sutherland, …
Daniel Toner had done his research. Before an interview to become head of legal at Bupa Hospitals in 2006, he noticed the company had shifted some of its non-hospital assets to a new division. At the interview he asked, tongue-in-cheek, whether Bupa was selling its hospitals division. He was told: ‘Absolutely not. That would never …
Israel has been, and continues to be, a highly desired market for foreigners to invest in. 2017 saw total Israeli exit transactions of approximately $23 billion, including Mobileye for $15.3bn. Though this is down in terms of volume, it is up in terms of value. This is perhaps an indicator that the Israeli market is …
You may not have heard the term ‘gamification’, but the chances are you have experienced a form of it. Perhaps you’re an executive in a FTSE 500 company with a generous bonus triggered when your performance meets certain conditions. You could be a corporate client, flicking through the ranked lawyers in The Legal 500, preparing …
The global M&A market is booming. Bill Mordan, general counsel at FTSE 100 drug-maker Shire, would know. Shire’s board recently recommended a £46bn takeover offer from rival Japanese pharma giant Takeda.
Alex Novarese, The In-House Lawyer: Will the UK legal system be more or less trusted post Brexit? Andy_Tyler_Photography_Legal_Business_Roundtable_08.02Abhijit Mukhopadhyay, Hinduja Group: As a business, we trust English law and the English courts. Whenever we do business in any part of the world, unless it is in the US, we always go for English law. So …