GC: Could you describe your role and background for our readers?
Lucia Giancaspro (LG): I have been working as general counsel for the company for four years more or less, but I came from a very different environment. My previous company is actually in the renewable energy sector. Continue reading “In conversation: Lucia Giancaspro, Group General Counsel, DOCOMO Digital Group”
The dramatic collapse of two established major European airlines demonstrated the volatility facing many sections of the industry, with British-headquartered Monarch Airlines and German-based Air Berlin becoming the latest casualties of turbulence in the market. Continue reading “Wings of Change”
A new diversity initiative has taken shape in the United States. Called the Black General Counsel 2025 Initiative, the key goal is to see African-Americans better represented in the in-house legal profession – particularly as general counsel or chief legal officers of larger public and private companies. Continue reading “Black General Counsel 2025 Initiative”
Corporate crisis events are on the upswing. A faster-paced R&D cycle, improved (but potentially riskier) technology, 24-hour news… the list of potential triggers goes on. Continue reading “Crisis: Adding value when the pressure’s on”
Storyteller. Ninja. Scrum Master. Brand Champion. Evangelist. The modern commercial world has created many new genres of work, but sometimes it’s hard to know what they mean. Continue reading “Riding Schumpeter’s Gale”
GC: Now less than a year out from the United Kingdom’s scheduled withdrawal from the European Union, how would you characterise the current state of negotiations between the UK and the EU? Continue reading “Rt Hon Dominic Grieve QC MP”
GC: Tell us about yourself and your role in Huawei.
Jan Bredehöft (JB): I started my career at Shearman &amnp; Sterling here in Düsseldorf, focusing on competition law, and then moved to an M&A outfit in Cologne. Continue reading “In conversation: Jan Bredehöft, head of legal Germany, Huawei Technologies”
A set of shared values and beliefs. In the workplace, these define the organisation and the way people work in it. Continue reading “Trend Flash Report: Culture Change and Diversity”
With five destinations in total – Berlin, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Munich and Stuttgart – 75 general counsel joined GC, represented by editor-in-chief Alex Speirs and deputy editor Greg Hall, for the dinners. Continue reading “Dinner with GC: Germany”
Pressure for business to ‘go green’ has been building steadily for much of the past decade. What started in patches from a vocal minority has fast become a corporate imperative, as progressive governments impose both incentives and penalties on businesses, while an increasingly informed consumer base vote with their wallets. Continue reading “Clean commerce: Finance goes green”
GC: How did you come to be at Discovery?
Marcello Dolores (MD): I’m now in my seventh year at Discovery. I started to work for Fox International Channels, based in Rome, and in those seven years, there was a big expansion and startup of Fox’s business in Europe. Continue reading “In conversation: Marcello Dolores, VP – Corporate Legal and Regulatory Affairs for Southern Europe, Discovery Networks”
Change in business is inevitable and the in-house legal department is no exception. GCs, the teams they lead, the way they are viewed and the work that they do are all changing. Continue reading “Facing The Inevitable: shaping the legal department and the law firm of the future”
One would be forgiven for thinking that a sense of normality may be returning to Spain following a calming of the rhetoric coming from separatists in Catalonia. Continue reading “A fresh start for Spain”
GC: Could you tell me about Edison and about your role?
Marco Lorefice (ML): Edison is the oldest European energy company. It’s named after Thomas Edison – a Milanese engineer met him at the end of the 19th century, and set up the first electric energy company in Italy after his name. Continue reading “In conversation: Marco Lorefice, Senior Oil and Gas and International Arbitration Lawyer, Edison SpA”
GC: What is your role at AIG, and how did you come to be here?
Diego Manzetti (DM): I joined AIG in 2011. I was previously working for Norton Rose Fulbright. The time I joined, AIG in Italy did not have a legal department. Continue reading “In conversation: Diego Manzetti, Head of Legal South European Zone, AIG”
For this quarter’s column, I’m going to take a look at legal operations, which appears to have replaced ‘innovation’ as the main buzzword in legal circles. Continue reading “Legal Operations: have you drunk the Kool-Aid?”
Many were surprised when Darren Jones was elected Labour MP for Bristol North West – none more so than Jones himself. Except for, perhaps, his boss at BT Legal. Continue reading “In-house to in the house”
After years of convincing growth on the back of its rapid international expansion, private wealth specialist Withers increased its turnover by a modest 1% to £176.6m this year.
Growth in profit per equity partner (PEP) also slowed down and was up by 3% to £402,000 after jumping 25% to £381,000 last year, when the firm increased its top line 8% to £174.5m. Continue reading “Withers’ expansion rush comes to an end as revenue grows 1% to pass £175m mark”
In a case that has put antitrust law on the front pages, the European Commission (EC) has fined Google a record €4.34bn for breaching competition rules after Clifford Chance (CC)’s client FairSearch triggered a long-running investigation.
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton and Allen & Overy (A&O) were on the losing side as the EC found Google had illegally required manufacturers of smartphones running its Android operating system to pre-install its internet browsing and search engine apps. Continue reading “CC wins out as Google’s record fine in landmark antitrust case heralds new era”
Ashurst has culled more than half of its secretarial staff in London as its redundancy review draws to a ‘difficult’ conclusion.
The firm confirmed on Wednesday (19 July) that 54 of its 100-strong secretarial team had been made redundant following a consultation which put 80 jobs at risk. Two secretarial roles in the Middle East have also been axed. Continue reading “‘A difficult time’: Ashurst axes 54 City secretaries following redundancy review”
