Howard Carter
General counsel
Transport for London
Transport for London’s general counsel, Howard Carter, deals with a broad range of legal issues from large commercial projects and property to employment, public law and disputes. Heading a team of 75 lawyers, he effectively runs a full-service firm, located at TfL’s Windsor House HQ in central London.
‘We use external lawyers on a range of issues, particularly for large commercial projects to support delivery and funding of TfL’s £6bn investment programme, where we run specific competitions for the work and also for property, employment and litigation,’ he explains. ‘We also instruct counsel direct on a range of public law issues for TfL, the Greater London Authority and the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime.’
Typically, external legal spend is around £15m per year. This is principally on large commercial projects, where TfL is continually improving its infrastructure and other operational and commercial activities.
Law firms used: Ashurst, Berwin Leighton Paisner, Bircham Dyson Bell, Clifford Chance, Eversheds, FJ Cleveland, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Herbert Smith Freehills, K&L Gates, Lewis Silkin, Osborne Clarke, Simmons & Simmons, SNR Denton, Trowers & Hamlins, Wragge & Co
2006–present: General counsel, Transport for London
2001–06: Legal director, Greater London Authority
