Vodafone puts emphasis on ESG in new eight-firm adviser panel

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Vodafone puts emphasis on ESG in new eight-firm adviser panel

Vodafone has completed the latest refresh of its legal advice panel, selecting eight firms based on a commitment to shared diversity and ESG best practice.

Latham & Watkins, Deloitte and TLT are the new additions from the last review in 2018, alongside Hogan Lovells, Linklaters, Osborne Clarke, Slaughter and May and Wiggin, which have retained their spots. This is a slight increase from the seven firms selected in 2018’s overhaul . The panel will provide broad legal cover on commercial, real estate, employment, regulatory and litigation, as well as support for legal transformation. Continue reading “Vodafone puts emphasis on ESG in new eight-firm adviser panel”

BT to invest £2.7m into 30-strong legal support hub in Northern Ireland

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BT to invest £2.7m into 30-strong legal support hub in Northern Ireland

Telecoms giant BT announced today (1 December) it is poised to commit £2.7m in investment to create a new legal support hub in Belfast which will house 30 commercial lawyer positions over the next four years.

The standalone centre will be the first of its kind for BT in Northern Ireland, with its lawyers being used to provide legal support to colleagues across the wider BT Group. Seven of the 30 commercial lawyer positions are already in place.  Continue reading “BT to invest £2.7m into 30-strong legal support hub in Northern Ireland”

In-house: HSF and Beachcroft win spots as Sainsbury’s makes big cuts to adviser panel

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In-house: HSF and Beachcroft win spots as Sainsbury’s makes big cuts to adviser panel

Herbert Smith Freehills and DAC Beachcroft were among the firms to win spots on Sainsbury’s most recent legal panel, with the supermarket chain cutting its roster by a third with 11 spots reduced to eight.

Morton Fraser was the third firm to be allocated a slot, while Addleshaw Goddard, Shepherd and Wedderburn and Cleaver Fulton Rankin, which were on the previous roster, no longer feature. Meanwhile, Linklaters, Dentons, TLT, CMS and Winckworth Sherwood all retain their spots. Continue reading “In-house: HSF and Beachcroft win spots as Sainsbury’s makes big cuts to adviser panel”

Dual role for Barclays’ company secretary as veteran GC Hoyt stands down

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Dual role for Barclays’ company secretary as veteran GC Hoyt stands down

Barclays has announced the appointment of Stephen Shapiro as group general counsel, in addition to his current role as group company secretary. Shapiro will succeed GC Powerlist regular Bob Hoyt on 1 August, who is stepping down after nearly seven years in the role.

Shapiro will join the executive committee and report directly to group CEO Jes Staley in his capacity as GC, and to group chairman Nigel Higgins in his role as company secretary. He joined Barclays in 2017 from SABMiller, where he was group company secretary and deputy general counsel, having previously held the role of global head of legal. Continue reading “Dual role for Barclays’ company secretary as veteran GC Hoyt stands down”

The BT interview – ideas from the bath

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The BT interview – ideas from the bath

Legal Business (LB): Eighteen months in the group general counsel role, what have been some of the key projects since you landed? The wider business has been through a lot of transformation, how is legal keeping up?

Sabine Chalmers (SC), group GC, BT: When I joined, Gavin Patterson was my boss. He’s since left the business and we’ve transitioned to Philip Jansen from Worldpay. During that time the focus has been on learning the company and industry, getting to know and work with a new CEO, new board, my team, and as a result of all that identifying as quickly as possible what the strategic priorities for the function are and how to best support the business. Early on I reorganised my leadership team to mirror the evolving structure of the business, to ensure we had GCs reporting to me that were lined up with each of the business and corporate units: we announced that in June 2018. Continue reading “The BT interview – ideas from the bath”

The imagination gap – Meet the GCs on the frontline of the climate change battle

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The imagination gap – Meet the GCs on the frontline of the climate change battle

Rising temperatures and sea levels, shrinking ice sheets and sea ice, extreme weather events. They’re all mainstays of today’s news cycles with a worrying – and growing – frequency.

‘The more you read about the shape of our planet, it’s inevitable you become concerned, it’s inevitable that you want to do something. The only way you can exist nowadays in an unengaged way, as a non-activist, is by shutting yourself off completely from all this information,’ says Jasper Teulings, general counsel of Greenpeace International. Continue reading “The imagination gap – Meet the GCs on the frontline of the climate change battle”

In-house: The client perspectives

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In-house: The client perspectives

Dan Webster, group general counsel at Harrods, discusses what it takes to advise one of the world’s most recognisable department stores

I studied law at the London School of Economics and went to law school in Chester. I got a training contract at what is now CMS. I qualified in litigation, stayed a couple of years at CMS and then moved to SNR Denton. I stayed there for a few years and then decided I wanted a change. To my surprise, an opportunity came up to be an in-house litigator at Harrods, where the then-owner was famously very litigious. Once at Harrods, I quickly realised I was meant to be an in-house lawyer and, over time, I’ve evolved into a commercial, corporate, employment, IP all-rounder. Continue reading “In-house: The client perspectives”

In-house: RPC and DWF among four new firms on Dixons Carphone’s expanded roster

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In-house: RPC and DWF among four new firms on Dixons Carphone’s expanded roster

Retailer Dixons Carphone has added four firms to a revised legal roster, with DWF, RPC, Bristows and Carson McDowell winning spots.

The panel will run for four years following the expiration of its previous arrangement in March, which was the result of a 2016 review. The new additions join ten firms Dixons Carphone has kept panel relationships with, including Addleshaw Goddard, Clyde & Co, DAC Beachcroft, DLA Piper, Doyle Clayton, Fieldfisher, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Pinsent Masons, Shoosmiths, and Worthingtons. Continue reading “In-house: RPC and DWF among four new firms on Dixons Carphone’s expanded roster”

In-house: Novartis to withhold 15% of fees if new panel firms miss D&I requirements

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In-house: Novartis to withhold 15% of fees if new panel firms miss D&I requirements

As in-house legal departments continue to push their law firms to be more diverse, Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis has pledged to withhold 15% of fees if diversity and inclusion (D&I) levels are not met by its 22 panel firms.

The measure introduced as part of the company’s panel review, announced yesterday (12 February), has seen a host of advisers, including Magic Circle firms Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Linklaters, pledge that no fewer than 30% of associate time and 20% of partner time on a legal matter will be provided by ‘females, racially/ethnically diverse professionals, or members of the LGBTQ+ community, with an expectation that such commitments will move to parity over the next several years.’ Continue reading “In-house: Novartis to withhold 15% of fees if new panel firms miss D&I requirements”

The in-house lawyer debate – Fit for purpose

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The in-house lawyer debate – Fit for purpose

Mark McAteer, Legal Business: How has the role of the general counsel [GC] changed over the last five years and how will it be different in five years’ time?

Alessandro Galtieri, Colt Technology Services: It is now absolutely not enough to be just a specialist or a good manager of a team of lawyers. You need to be part of strategic conversation if you are sitting at the board level. Otherwise, you are not really adding value. Continue reading “The in-house lawyer debate – Fit for purpose”