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International Edition

TfL legal director takes new GC role at facilities management company

Transport for London (TfL) director of legal and compliance Gareth John has been appointed as the new general counsel of facilities management company Sodexo. John, who joined Sodexo at the beginning of the year (January 5), will be responsible for legal affairs at the company and will report to finance director Aidan Connolly. TfL has now begun its search for John's replacement.
2 minute read

International Edition

McDonald's stays in-house with new GC appointment

McDonald's UK has appointed Della Burnside as its new general counsel and company secretary. Burnside, who has been at the fast food giant since May 2007, has been promoted from her current role as UK head of legal services with immediate effect, reporting to chief financial officer Brian Mullins and international general counsel Chris Hammer.As part of her new role Burnside will be responsible for legal issues surrounding key McDonald's business areas, including property, franchising, employment and intellectual property (IP).
1 minute read

International Edition

Keep calm, have a strategy

As we likely enter the most serious recession in living memory, most general counsel (GCs) are unprepared for the impact this will have. In particular, management of external spend is back on the agenda in a major way and as we head into a difficult new year both law firms and corporate law departments will be seeking greater clarity from each other as to the nature of their relationships.
5 minute read

International Edition

Predicting the unpredictable

As the financial downturn grew in intensity through 2008, a number of high-profile general counsel took proactive steps in response. ITV general counsel Andrew Garard, for example, banished the billable hour on completion of his panel review in November, and James Blendis, legal chief of T-Mobile, entered into a round of frank discussions with the company's legal advisers in a bid to drive down costs.Earlier in the year, Tyco's much-heralded contract with Eversheds, which ushered in detailed billing transparency and widespread use of fixed fees, attracted much attention as evidence of clients taking control of legal services procurement.But not all the in-house changes were positive - the continued loss of jobs in the banking sector led to widely reported losses in the legal teams at Barclays Capital and Nomura, with the cuts spreading to media companies including Channel 4.
8 minute read

International Edition

SFO names barrister as first-ever general counsel

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has appointed criminal barrister and fraud specialist Vivian Robinson QC as its first-ever general counsel. Robinson, who is a member of barristers' chambers QEB Hollis Whiteman, will officially take up the post in the spring but will work closely with the organisation in the interim. The appointment was prompted by the de Grazia report, published in June, which criticised the agency for its low conviction rate and urged the SFO to introduce a chief counsel to increase its legal capability.
2 minute read

International Edition

Cleary seals hire of Citi GC for capital markets team

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton has boosted its New York capital markets practice with the rehire of Edward Greene from Citi. Greene is general counsel of Citi's institutional clients group. He joined the banking giant in 2004 from Cleary.Greene, who is currently based in London, will relocate to New York to rejoin the firm in February. His joined Cleary in 1982, prior to which he was general counsel of the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as well as director of the Division of Corporation Finance.
2 minute read

International Edition

Broadcaster Five adds legal chief to exec board

TV broadcaster Five has promoted chief legal officer Paul Chinnery to the position of director of legal affairs and awarded the lawyer a place on the executive board. Chinnery, who has been unofficially managing the legal department for the last year, formally replaces previous director of legal affairs Colin Campbell, who retired from the role at the end of 2007.Commenting on the move, Dawn Airey, the chairman and chief executive of Five, said: "I am very pleased that Five has developed outstanding people in our business to take up such senior positions.
2 minute read

International Edition

Channel 4 appoints new legal controller

Channel 4 has appointed Prash Naik as its new controller of legal and compliance. Naik, who has been with Channel 4 for the last 14 years and was serving as deputy head of legal and compliance, will report to group finance director Anne Bulford.He replaces Jan Tomalin, who left the broadcaster to start her own legal consultancy last month.Commenting on Naik's appointment, Channel 4's director of television and content Kevin Lygo said: "Naik has been absolutely instrumental in getting many of our most impactful and provocative programmes on air, as well as effectively defending them both in court and before regulatory bodies.
2 minute read

International Edition

Rugby board legal chief scores new role at the FA

International Rugby Board (IRB) legal chief Darren Bailey is set to take up a new role at the Football Association (FA). Bailey, who was head of legal and legislative affairs at the IRB, will become the FA's new director of football governance and regulation.Bailey's appointment will not affect the FA's separate corporate legal arm. He will work closely with his predecessor Jonathan Hall, who quit to take up a new position as director of football services with the FA in the summer, to ensure a smooth transition. His responsibilities will include dealing with the FA's disciplinary, football regulation, regulatory legal advice, financial regulation, doping control and equality and child protection functions.
2 minute read

International Edition

Bank of America names new general counsel

Bank of America has named its new general counsel as it completes its purchase of Merrill Lynch. The bank's current president of global corporate and investment banking, Brian Moynihan, will become the new legal chief, replacing current general counsel Timothy Mayopoulos, who is to depart the bank.Moynihan, who is also a member of the bank's executive management team, joined Bank of America in 2004 after it acquired FleetBoston Financial - where he had served as deputy general counsel since 1993.
2 minute read

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