Interview
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Policing the business
By a:1:{i:0;s:1:" ";} | March 18, 2009
"Everything goes back to reputation," says Michael Blacker, general counsel of FTSE 100 project management and services company AMEC, while discussing the increased importance of compliance issues - to all companies, not just banks - in the post-Lehman world. "The old cliche is true: a good reputation is difficult to acquire and easy to lose. And one of the easiest ways to lose it is by breaking the law."He cites the nuclear sector - in which AMEC has invested heavily during recent years - as an example of where senior management must be made fully aware of the implications of falling foul of regulation. "Not only is nuclear highly regulated, but it is extremely vulnerable to negative publicity. Naturally, this impacts on strategy. As general counsel, it is about knitting all those aspects together," he says.
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The lost generation
By Mark Goddard | March 12, 2009
"Do not curse your fortune, but rather thank your lucky stars. You have been saved!" is Giles Coren's message to graduates concerned about a City recruitment freeze. Writing last month in The Times, the journalist and occasional TV personality continues: "If the banks have closed their doors and the law firms don't want you, all you need is... our congratulations." Coren says that back when he graduated in 1991 it was only the "Hooray Henrys with an expensive lifestyle but very little brain who sold out to Linklaters and McKinsey and Deutsche Bank".
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Dealmaker: James Palmer
By a:1:{i:0;s:1:" ";} | March 11, 2009
After a stand-off over the cheese question, Herbert Smith M&A heavyweight James Palmer hits Dealmaker
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Dealmaker: William Downs
By a:1:{i:0;s:1:" ";} | February 25, 2009
Hammonds' City corporate head on his own opera hell, ski suits and high regard for John Grisham
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Media darling
By a:1:{i:0;s:1:" ";} | February 25, 2009
With his thick-rimmed designer glasses and close-cropped hair, AOL international general counsel Tony Wales does not look like a lawyer. And, as he talks animatedly with a slight Brummie accent about 'brand value' and 'social networking verticals', neither does he sound like one.
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Dealmaker: Nigel Dale
By a:1:{i:0;s:1:" ";} | February 11, 2009
Eversheds veteran banking partner Nigel Dale on suicidal corporate events, straight-talking and bus-driving dreams
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Easy as one QC?
By a:1:{i:0;s:1:" ";} | February 11, 2009
Last June the de Grazia report slammed the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) for its low conviction rates and unfocused investigations, recommending, among other things, the appointment of a general counsel to oversee its team of 60 lawyers.Cue a period of soul-searching, the departure of former director Robert Wardle - replaced by Richard Alderman - and a recruitment process for the SFO's first ever GC, culminating in the arrival of leading criminal silk Vivian Robinson QC from QEB Hollis Whiteman chambers. Robinson, who will not formally take up his role until 14 April due to outstanding commitments, is making regular trips to the SFO's Holborn headquarters - conveniently located around the corner from QEB's building in the Temple - to familiarise himself with the challenges that lie ahead.
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Public service
By a:1:{i:0;s:1:" ";} | February 4, 2009
"It has been an extremely hectic past year," reflects the Financial Services Authority's (FSA's) general counsel (GC) Andrew Whittaker as he pours himself a glass of water in the meeting room at the FSA's huge Canary Wharf HQ, home to its 2,000 London-based staff. "During September and October we had an enormous number of issues to deal with."The 52-year-old Oxford graduate cites the ban on 'short-selling', which he was heavily involved in implementing, as a key challenge from that period. "It was very much a rapid response to market conditions - a sign that the regulator was able to take firm and effective action at very short notice, which was undoubtedly a shock to lots of people," he recalls.
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Dealmaker: Charles Randell
By Legal Week | January 28, 2009
Slaughters' Charles Randell on naval dreams, moral dilemmas and keeping sight of the big picture
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The shock of the new
By a:1:{i:0;s:1:" ";} | January 28, 2009
Good lawyers and good consultants do pretty much the same thing: we come up with creative solutions to problems," says Jeremy Barton, who has recently been appointed general counsel at leading global management adviser Boston Consulting Group (BCG)."This probably explains why I find them such a rewarding group to work with," he adds, leaning back in his chair at BCG's plush offices in Mayfair, central London. "You can really meet with them intellectually - they understand you, they challenge you."It may also explain why so many of BCG's 3,900 consultants, including the firm's regional chairs of Europe and the Americas, are legally trained, many arriving via stints at law firms.So how does Barton, 45, whose appointment at BCG was preceded by 10 years working in-house at Arthur Andersen and Ernst & Young, see himself - lawyer or consultant?
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