Roger James
Senior vice president and general counsel
Viacom
Roger James has enjoyed a meteoric rise at MTV (now part of Viacom) that has seen him move from a junior position in the UK legal team to overseeing business and managing legal affairs teams based in London, New York and Miami.
James expects the same drive and hunger from his external advisers that he exhibits himself. Despite a sizeable in-house team of about 100, the company calls on law firms for specialist advice and although Viacom doesn’t have an official panel, there are firms that it uses regularly.
Law firms used: DLA Piper, Field Fisher Waterhouse, Kennedy Van der Laan, King & Wood Mallesons, Olswang, Schivartche Advogados, Shearman & Sterling, Shin & Kim
2009-present: Senior vice president and general counsel, Viacom
1997-2009: Legal counsel, MTV Networks Europe