As reported in KPMG’s 2016 Global Profiles of the Fraudster, more than half of the frauds were uncovered by whistleblowers and tip-offs. So to more effectively root out corporate malfeasance and corruption, some countries have promulgated laws to make internal reporting channels in both the public and private sectors mandatory. The laws include the Whistleblower …
Continue reading “Emerging need for whistleblower programmes”
Technology is dramatically changing the practice of law. Big data, machine learning, smart contracts and artificial intelligence are all making the assimilation and interpretation of large amounts of unstructured data much easier. Some doom-mongers see this as the end of the traditional practice of law. We believe, rather, that the trend will be for legal …
Continue reading “More vision, less admin: putting data to work”
The Polish have a somewhat colourful way of saying that something is not their problem – ‘not my circus, not my monkey’. Leaving private practice may well feel like you have escaped a zoo, but after a few days of taking over as in-house counsel it becomes increasingly clear that it is in fact your …
In April last year, US-based tech services provider DXC Technology was formed following the merger of The Hewlett-Packard Company’s enterprise division with Computer Sciences Corporation. It was the ideal opportunity for general counsel Bill Deckelman to sit down with senior management and establish what the legal function should look like. ‘To put things simply, it’s …
Over the past few years in London, our disputes practice has seen a rising tide in big ticket claims against individual directors. We have also seen a similar trend across our global network and in some of the offshore jurisdictions where we have strong links with local firms.
The asymmetric approach King Pyrrhus of Epirus famously said: ‘If we are victorious in one more battle with the Romans, we shall be utterly ruined.’ He was talking in 279 BC about the large number of soldiers he had lost in the battle of Asculum, but today he could just as easily have been referring to …
Technology is at the heart of the legal sector’s current, well-publicised drive for innovation. With the demands placed on in-house legal teams increasing, and legal budgets trending downwards, the pressure on outside counsel to provide genuine value to their corporate clients has never been greater.
Leading a global legal team is a complex role and many general counsel could be forgiven for spending all their energy just trying to get the job done. Not so at Michelin. Despite overseeing a legal community of 200 members, comprising lawyers, patent engineers, paralegals and admin staff, spread across 20 countries, group GC Benoit …
Retail and insolvency The increasing popularity of online shopping has resulted in a decline of footfall on the high street and rising business rates, wages and pension costs have resulted in a tough trading environment. With well-known retailers such as Toys R Us, Prezzo, Carpetright, New Look, Mothercare, House of Fraser and recently Homebase all …
‘A good general counsel should do three things,’ says National Grid’s Alison Kay: ‘Manage the legal requirements of the business, manage their people and manage their budget.’ But as managing the legal requirements of a large business becomes more time consuming, GCs are increasingly finding it difficult to pay adequate attention to costs and staff.