Profile – The In-House Lawyer

Philip Price – TP ICAP

Feature

The In-House Lawyer (IHL): Describe your career before your current role with TP ICAP and the company today.

Lindsay Beardsell – Tate & Lyle

Feature

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.

Julian Homerstone – Virgin Atlantic

Feature

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.

James Stebbing – Six Nations Rugby and the British & Irish Lions

Feature

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.

Dan Webster – Harrods

Feature

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.

Ria Sanz – AngloGold Ashanti

Feature

The mining firm’s in-house counsel considers the keys to success and the importance of values when heading a legal and compliance team.

Rupert Skellett – Beggars Group

Feature

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.

Sivan Whiteley – Square

Feature

Sivan Whiteley’s legal career began with the study of rational choice theory at university – decoding why people make the decisions they make.

Heather Mitchell – The Carlyle Group

Feature

‘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.

Christine Dekker: McDonald’s

Feature

The UK and Ireland GC on ten years at the fast-food giant and how tech is transforming the consumer trade

Tweets by The In-House Lawyer

GC Powerlist: Turkey

Congratulations to all the leading general counsel included in the GC Powerlist: Turkey 2019. Many thanks to everyone who attended the launch event at the fabulous Çırağan Palace Kempinski, Istanbul on Thursday 12 March 2020. Thanks also to Kılınç Law & Consulting for their support on this publication. See who made the list here

GC Powerlist: China 2019

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GC Powerlist: Central America Teams 2019

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GC Powerlist: Central and Eastern Europe 2019

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GC Powerlist: Brazil Teams 2019

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Private Practice Powerlist 2019 – The leading US attorneys with a focus on Mexico

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GC Powerlist: Italy Teams 2019

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GC Powerlist: Switzerland Teams 2019

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GC Powerlist: Australia 2019

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GC Powerlist: Norway 2019

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Enterprise GC 2022

Mon 25 Apr 2022 | , England

Venue: Hilton Syon Park, Park Rd, Isleworth, Brentford TW8 8JF

At a glance

Enterprise GC is the marquee, two-day general counsel event from Legalease (the business behind Legal Business and The Legal 500). This will be the fifth year of EGC, held at the Hilton London Syon Park.

The summit gathers more than 100 senior speakers and guests and provides sponsoring partners with a chance to work on a best-in-class event from one of the top legal publishers in the world.

The programme includes plenary sessions, workshops, keynote speeches and roundtables, drawing on the elite of Europe’s in-house profession as well as selected speakers from the wider business and academic community. Another highlight is the Monday-night gala dinner at the historic Syon House.

Agenda

Millennial who? Attracting and retaining the lawyers of tomorrow
As Millennials become the new boomers of the corporate world, we explore what it will take to attract, hire and motivate the lawyers of tomorrow. Will address the hugely-divergent experiences of companies in different sectors, including how to leverage – or work around – your brand when hiring.

Coded messages – tackling the new Corporate Governance Code
Coming effectively into force for premium listed companies in 2020, the code imposed new reporting and governance duties on major plcs. What do GCs need to know?

Talking a good game – in-house D&I under the microscope
2019 saw several high-profile examples of GCs calling out law firms for lack of progress on diversity on both sides of the Atlantic but are in-house teams living up to their own rhetoric? A frank debate assessing the victories and failures of the in-house community.

Bring me the horizon – events that your business needs to know about
Amid a hectic period for regulatory change our panel explores 2021 and beyond to look at the rules, judgments, trends and business developments that should be on the agenda of plcs and their legal teams. What are the five things coming that will matter to your board?

The Mindful Business Charter – can it deliver?
The Mindful Business Charter is the most high-profile attempt by in-house teams and law firms to tackle work-place stress but it has struggled to bring on board in-house teams. We explore the initiative and assess the profession’s wider record on tackling increasingly pressing quality-of-life issues.

A seat at the table – smarter tactics to influence the board
There has never been more pressure for GCs to have effective boardroom skills but support and training are hard to find. We hear from veterans and consider as well the challenge of taking on the company secretary role.

Lifelong learners – executive education for general counsel
There has never been more demand for general counsel to bolster their CVs with leadership training and business but do business schools have much to offer chief legal officers? We look at the options.

#Metoo – The GC challenge
After two years that have generated terrible headlines for the legal profession, we assess the challenges for legal teams in managing poor behaviour in their own companies, the thorny issue of NDAs and ask if problems of harassment demonstrated in private practice extend to in-house teams.

Crossing the floor – GCs taking on commercial roles
Despite much talk of in-house counsel building commercial skills for their day job, few GCs take full-fledged commercial roles. A discussion looking at the practical options for individuals to take revenue generating roles, both to build their long-term legal careers and to permanently cross the floor. Will also address the role of GCs in encouraging secondments and transfers of their team into commercial roles.

Keynote speakers

James Kerr

James Kerr is a leadership and strategy consultant. Most notably he has studied the success of the New Zealand rugby team to uncover their strategies for success. The lessons range from leadership to embracing innovation.

For his best-selling book Legacy. What the All Blacks can teach us about the
business of life – 15 lessons in Leadership, James spent time with the All Blacks witnessing first hand how the team operates. He analyses how the team comes together and what enabled them to move from an impressive 75% win rate to 86% in five years, becoming a dominant force in world rugby, despite hailing from one of the smallest populations.

James’s conclusions have important lessons for anyone involved in leading,
building or working in a team. From having senior players tidy up the dressing
room to focusing everyone’s minds on the ‘core story’ of the team, its culture and its heritage. Other key points include the value placed on recruitment based on character not just talent, how working for a bigger goal delivers bigger performances, and why you should change your game when you’re on top of your game. In addition to writing, James has worked as a consultant for businesses including HSBC, Boeing and Shell, specialising in how to lead change and deliver top teams.

Trevor Faure, CEO, Smarter Law Solutions

Trevor Faure advises law firms and legal departments on performance and efficiency improvement. Author of Smarter Law: transforming busy lawyers into business leaders, he is ‘one of the most creative and systematic thinkers about contemporary business law’ (Ben W. Heineman, former General Electric GC).

A GC since 1990, Faure led existential change at:

EY Global: GC through $60Bn Lehman collapse and Madoff fraud
Tyco International: turnaround team after the Kozlowski scandal almost led to an Enron-style collapse.
Dell EMEA: ‘Dellionaire’ rocket-ride from No.7 to No.1 worldwide.
Apple EMEA: from loss-making spiral to Steve Jobs

Steering committee and speakers

The senior in-house counsel already joining our core advisory group to refine our programme and speak at the event include:

Rosemary Martin – Vodafone
Richard Price – Anglo American
Maaike de Bie – easyJet
Matt Wilson – Uber
Simon Croxford – UBS
Mel Rowlands – Smiths Group
Mark Maurice-Jones – Nestlé
Jeremy Barton – KPMG UK
Elizabeth Messud – Kingfisher
Sonya Rogerson – Bank of China (UK)
Dan Toner – Spire
Rushad Abadan – Standard Life Aberdeen
Hannah Hullah – John Lewis
Mark Gregory – Rolls-Royce
Catherine Johnson – London Stock Exchange
Ruwan De Soyza – Halma
Rob Booth – The Crown Estate
Justine Campbell – Centrica
Laila Coffey – SSQ
Trevor Faure – Smarter Law Solutions

The best of Enterprise GC

GC Powerlist: Denmark 2021

Thu 2 Dec 2021 | , Denmark

Venue: Nimb Hotel, Bernstorffsgade 5, Copenhagen

Agenda

GC Powerlist: Denmark 2021
4.00pm	Arrival and welcome drinks
4.45pm	Speeches
5.00pm	Networking with drinks and canapes
7.00pm	Event concludes

GC Powerlist: Norway Teams 2021

Thu 25 Nov 2021 | , Norway

GC Powerlist: Australia Rising Stars 2021

Thu 25 Nov 2021 | , Australia

GC Summit Nigeria 2021

Tue 2 Nov 2021 | , Nigeria

Venue: The Wheatbaker Lagos, 4 Onitolo Road (Old Lawrence Rd), Ikoyi, Lagos

The Legal 500 GC Summit China: Beijing 2021

Thu 14 Oct 2021 | , China

Venue: TBC

Overview

The role of general counsel and senior in-house legal advisors is constantly evolving to meet the rapidly changing demands of organisations in today’s business world. In addition to overseeing the day-to-day legal challenges affecting the business and managing legal staff, counsel are expected to diversify their service offering in order to overcome a growing list of commercial challenges. Whether it is managing internal investigations, defending their company in cross-border disputes or adapting to the shifting trends in Technology or M&A, following the global pandemic, the required skillset of the profession is developing at an exponential rate.

GC Summit China: Beijing 2021 invites the most esteemed in-house counsel from the country’s most prolific companies to discuss their changing roles as in-house leaders and the challenges, issues and opportunities they are facing in 2021 and beyond. Between comprehensive panel discussions and the opportunity to meet and engage with fellow in-house counsel, GC Summit China promises to be a practical, forward-looking event bringing together the region’s top legal minds.

Agenda

GC Summit China: Beijing 2021
9.30am	Breakfast and Registration
10.00am	Welcome address from Bei Zhou, China Editor, The Legal 500; Dajin Li, Partner, East & Concord Partners; and GC Keynote speaker.
10.15am	Panel Discussion One
11.15am	Coffee Break
11.30am	Ignite Session – Legal 500 Lightning Talks
12.30pm	Lunch and Networking
1.30pm	Panel Discussion Two
2.30pm	Panel Discussion Three
3.30pm	Coffee Break
3.40pm	Fireside Chat – Interview With
4.00pm	Ask Me Anything Panel Discussion, followed by closing notes from Bei Zhou, China Editor, The Legal 500
5.00pm	Cocktail Reception

Speakers

Bei Zhou, China Editor, The Legal 500
Bei Zhou heads up The Legal 500’s editorial team for China and works closely with general counsel, law firms and market experts to develop thought-leadership publications, events and online content. Bei has researched China’s legal market for over 7seven years, compiling the research for The Legal 500’s annual Asia Pacific guide. Prior to joining The Legal 500 in 2013, Bei Zhou graduated with a Masters in Radio Production from Bournemouth University and prior to that a BA in Media and Communications from Goldsmiths, University of London.

Dajin Li, Partner, East & Concord Partners
Since his legal practice from 1982, Li has been a legal counsel for hundreds of enterprises, public institutions and government agencies. He has taken thousands of legal cases, accumulating extensive experience and enjoying high reputation in industry as a senior lawyer. Li specialises in the litigation and arbitration of intellectual property, right of reputation, international trade, civil and commercial disputes, and investment projects. He provides regular legal advice and special legal services for big state-owned enterprises, government agencies and multinational companies.

Zhang Liguo, Chief Partner, Grandway Law Offices
Attorney Zhang Liguo is the chief partner of Beijing Guofeng Law Firm and a well-known legal expert in the field of Chinese securities and capital markets. He has served as a member of the 7th Listing Committee of the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, a member of the 1st Listing Advisory Committee of the Shanghai Stock Exchange, and Shanghai Securities Member of the Review Committee of the Fourth Board of the Exchange, currently a member of the Stock Listing Committee of the First Science and Technology Innovation Board of the Shanghai Stock Exchange, an expert consultant of the Asset Securitization Professional Committee of the China Securities Investment Fund Association, and a member of the National Science and Technology Achievement Transformation Guidance Fund Council , Supervisor of the 11th Beijing Lawyers Association Board of Supervisors, Chairman of the Supervisory Committee of Beijing Dongcheng District Lawyers Association, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of the Beijing Dongcheng District Lawyers Committee of the Communist Party of China, and Director of the Beijing Legal Aid Foundation.

Jiang Ruiming, Managing Partner, Grandway Law Offices
Mr Ruiming Jiang is proficient in securities issuance, company restructuring and establishment, acquisition and merger, asset reorganisation, investment and financing, etc. During his career, Mr Jiang has provided legal services for dozens of corporations on matters related to this and he is trusted deeply by customers and other cooperative agencies.

Mr Ruiming Jiang is the executive partner of Grandway Law Offices. He is also the core member of China Galaxy Securities Co, Ltd and Donghai Securities Co, Ltd, part-time professor of the Business School in University of International Business and Economics, and independent director of Beijing Capital International Airport Co Ltd and other companies. Mr Jiang used to be the member of the 10th and 11th Issuance Examination Commission of the China Securities Regulatory Commission and has rich practical experience on it.

Cui Qiang, Partner, Commerce & Finance Law Offices
Mr Cui practices disputes with special focus on contentious matters regarding equity investment, commercial real estate, construction, international trade and transport, IP and competition, and asset management, etc. Mr Cui has represented numerous financial institutions, MNCs, Chinese SOEs in over 400 proceedings before Chinese courts of various levels and arbitral tribunals at CIETAC, BAC/BIAC, SHIAC, HKIAC and other arbitration institutions.

GC Powerlist: Ireland Teams 2021

Tue 12 Oct 2021 | , Ireland

GC Summit Spain 2021

Tue 5 Oct 2021 | , Spain

Venue: The Westin Palace, Plaza de las Cortes, 7, 28014 Madrid, Spain

Overview

The Legal 500 invites the best in-house counsel and GCs from some of Spain’s most prominent companies to the GC Summit Spain.

Through comprehensive panel discussions, Q&A sessions and the opportunity to meet and engage with fellow in-house and private practice legal luminaries, attendees will be able to hone their understanding of some of the major issues affecting them and the profession as a whole, and discuss these with their contemporaries. Put simply, the GC Summit Spain promises not only to be interesting and insightful, but also an event that will provide practical, tangible benefits to attendees.

The day’s panel discussions will see topics addressed and dissected by legal experts across four panels. Firstly, trademark and anti-counterfeiting efforts will be analysed, before the already-present but ever-growing challenge of cyber security will be unpacked. After this, collective actions and related recovery efforts will receive the attentions of an extremely well-qualified panel. The final panel is still to be confirmed, but also promises to be an engaging and insightful discussion.

These panels are specifically designed to give the audience the right knowledge to handle the challenges and opportunities presented by the corporate legal sector with the best legal strategies designed by experts of the most successful companies in the country.

Agenda

GC Summit Spain
1.15pm	Registration and light lunch
2.00pm	Opening remarks
2.15pm	Best practice benchmarks for trademarks and anti-counterfeitingSafeguarding the intellectual property of their businesses is the foremost concern for many in-house counsel, particularly those at consumer goods companies with strong – and often-pirated – brands. The only way to ensure a successful response to these threats is through enacting a proactive strategy underpinned by robust internal processes. This panel will examine how to go about organizing in-house legal functions to protect their companies’ trademarked goods and intellectual property in the most effective way.
3.10pm	Cyber Security There is scarcely a business functioning that does not consider cyber security threats to be a major concern. For large corporate entities, who often hold vast amounts of customer data on record, the risks are correspondingly larger and will undoubtedly assume greater importance for in-house legal operators as time goes on. How to best approach cyber security issues will be a matter for each individual company as best practices are honed over time, but this expert panel use their vast experience to analyse some of the major considerations for in-house counsel looking to safeguard their companies.
4.00pm	Coffee Break
4.15pm	Collective actions: maximising recovery opportunities Collective actions can cause major losses to a company if the issue is not foreseen or mitigated against, or if recovery efforts are unsuccessful. Despite this, many in-house counsel are unfamiliar with these procedures and run the risk of failing to protect their companies when such a threat develops. This panel will provide practical insight into this less-understood aspect of corporate safeguarding.
5.10pm	Dispute Resolution This panel will outline effective dispute resolution mechanisms, providing insight on a number of perennial questions for in-house counsel faced with a dispute process: Court or Arbitration? When and how to get management and commercial teams on board, and when to seek the advice of external counsel? All these questions and more will be the focus of this expert panel discussion.
6.00pm	Closing remarks
6.10pm	Drinks and canapes

Speakers

David R Scott, Managing partner, Scott & Scott

Vicente Marot, Partner, Andersen Tax & Legal

María González Gordon, IP & Digital Business Partner, CMS

GC Powerlist USA Teams 2021

Thu 23 Sep 2021 | , United States

GC Powerlist: Colombia 2021

Thu 23 Sep 2021 | , Colombia

Location: Bogota (venue TBC)