McDonald's boosts legal team with hire of ex-easyGroup's Burnside

McDonald's UK legal team was boosted last month by the hire of high-profile ex-easyGroup general counsel Dell Burnside.

It is the second move in less than a year for Burnside, who left easyGroup only six months ago to head up the legal team at mobile phone trade group, the GSM Association (GSMA).

In her new role at McDonald's, Burnside will take responsibility for the procurement of external counsel from Julian Hilton-Johnson, the fast-food chain's UK general counsel.

Burnside's appointment comes after more than a year of searching by Hilton-Johnson, who started the hunt for a new member of the legal team at McDonald's in March 2006 when he announced that he would be shifting his role to focus on his corporate affairs remit.

Prior to joining easyGroup, where she led a substantial review of the company's legal panel in 2003, Burnside has worked as a partner at both Osborne Clarke and the London arm of US practice Altheimer & Grey.

She has inherited McDonald's' current informal roster of firms, which includes Forsters, Wragge & Co, Eversheds, BrookStreet des Roches, Reed Smith Richards Butler, Hamlins and Shoosmiths.

Advisers Burnside instructed at easyGroup included Addleshaw Goddard, Wragges, Norton Rose and Denton Wilde Sapte.

Hilton-Johnson told Legal Week: "Della's experience and expertise will allow us to further our strategic approach to legal services. I expect to see further growth in the legal team during the next 12 months."

Burnside, an intellectual property specialist when in private practice, commented: "McDonald's is an outstanding global brand. I greatly look forward to the variety and quality of the legal work."

McDonald's, which is one of the world's largest employers, has 30,000 restaurants across the globe and last year had total revenue of $20.6bn (£10.3bn).

Fagan replaces Chapman as new Reuters EMEA GC

Media giant Reuters has appointed Daragh Fagan as its new general counsel for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA).

Fagan is to join Reuters after 10 years at Italy's largest industrial company, Eni, where he was the gas and oil giant's assistant general counsel for the Middle East, North America and the North Sea.

He replaces Claire Chapman, who left Reuters to head up the legal team at automotive retail and distribution company Inchcape in January after two years at the news agency.

Fagan will join the company's 32-lawyer global legal team and will report to Reuters global general counsel Rosemary Martin. Kirsty Whitehead, who temporarily took over the role left by Chapman, will continue in the position until Fagan starts in September.

While at Eni, Fagan was involved in the energy company's merger with London-based gas supplier Lasmo in 2001 and has advised on more than 70 oil and gas joint ventures worldwide.

Reuters last month (15 May) agreed a merger with Canadian rival Thomson Group. The combined company, which will be known as Thomson Reuters, will be one of the world's largest news and financial data companies. Slaughter and May is leading a raft of international firms advising the media groups on the tie-up. Reuters currently has staff in more than 90 countries around the world and an annual global legal spend of approximately £12m.

MBA pioneer Deeming quits Linde

Linde's chief legal officer, Nick Deeming, is to leave the gas and engineering giant at the end of September.

Deeming, one of the UK's best-known corporate counsel, held talks with a number of business schools in May last year about the creation of an MBA course specifically designed for in-house lawyers. His next move, which is yet to be confirmed, will be watched with interest by Linde's European advisers, including DLA Piper, Linklaters, Hengeler Mueller and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett.

The firms were all appointed to the company's first-ever formal panel in February this year, after a four-month review launched by Deeming. The review was a response to the £7.5bn merger between Linde and FTSE 100-listed UK rival BOC, which completed last September.

Prior to the creation of the panel, BOC and Linde together had links with around 150 law firms in total.

National air traffic body legal head takes the reins as LDA GC

The London Development Agency (LDA) has named National Air Traffic Services (NATS) head of legal Debbie Adams as its new general counsel. Adams takes over from interim LDA general counsel Mick Lancaster, who is set to return to his former position as legal head of corporate and commercial when Adams joins the body on 3 July. She will report to LDA director of resources and risk Andrew Travers.

NATS has appointed TUI in-house lawyer Richard Churchill Coleman as its general counsel and company secretary.

New hire Vollmuller appointed FIFA marketing head of legal

Football governing body FIFA has appointed Jorg Vollmuller as its new marketing head of legal.

Vollmuller, who joined FIFA in March, reports to the international football association's general counsel and legal director, Marco Villiger. He joined from German sports rights marketing group Sportfive and is based at FIFA's headquarters in Zurich.

Earlier this year FIFA's marketing head of legal, Tom Houseman, left the body along with three other marketing executives after a New York judge ruled that it had acted wrongly in a World Cup sponsorship dispute.

HP promotes Norcini to oversee 100-strong EMEA legal team

Computer giant Hewlett Packard (HP) has appointed Joyce Norcini as its new regional general counsel for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Norcini has replaced Eric Herkens in the role and will now lead a team of 100 lawyers and support staff across the region.

Norcini joined HP in 1997 as a commercial and competition lawyer and was most recently HP's deputy general counsel in the company's technology solutions group.

HP is one of the world's largest computer companies with 150,000 employees and annual revenues of $90bn (£46bn).