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International Edition

Key privilege ruling makes in-house lawyers feel inferior

Top in-house lawyers believe the recent Akzo Nobel judgment on privilege for corporate counsel has had a negative impact on their professional status, but corporate counsel concede that employed status limits independence. Michelle Madsen reports
5 minute read

International Edition

A&O projects head Vinter quits for BG in-house role

Allen & Overy (A&O) projects chief Graham Vinter has quit the magic circle giant to take up the role of general counsel at BG Group, it has emerged today (23 October). London-based partner Vinter - who led A&O's global projects, energy and infrastructure group - will oversee a 100-lawyer global team and will also sit on the energy production and distribution company's general executive committee.
2 minute read

International Edition

Balfour Beatty names Vaughn as first-ever GC

Former SABMiller deputy legal chief Chris Vaughn has been named as the first-ever general counsel of UK construction giant Balfour Beatty. Vaughn took on his new role at Balfour Beatty earlier this month and now heads up the company's team of 30 lawyers worldwide, reporting to chief executive Ian Tyler.
1 minute read

International Edition

BBC says restructuring likely to spare legal team

The BBC's 100-strong legal team looks set to escape cuts in the broadcasting giant's controversial restructuring, it was stated today (19 October). The corporation had issued a statement on Thursday (18 October) that it expected to shed 75 jobs from its professional services arm, which includes the legal, marketing and finance teams, from a total of 1,800 new redundancies.
2 minute read

International Edition

Editor's Comment: Whose dysfunction?

You can make a strong case to support the assertion of Peter Kurer, UBS' general counsel, that the legal services market is "dysfunctional". Kurer argued in a recent Legal Week debate (see pages 26-27) that surging profits at leading firms were largely the result of rising legal bills and proof that the market for law just isn't working properly. His comments are timely, coming so soon after the Commerce & Industry Group's recent report on fees once again illustrated simmering client anger over costs. With partner profits having more than doubled over the last decade, it does seem evident that something is not right with the market.
3 minute read

International Edition

Cisco set to grow its global in-house team

US technology giant Cisco is set to grow its emerging markets in-house legal team by a third over the next year. The company, which has increased the size of its team in developing countries from four to 10 lawyers in the past 18 months, plans to hire lawyers in Russia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt. Richard Given, Cisco's general counsel for emerging markets, said he also expected further legal roles in the department to be created in central Africa and Eastern Europe.
1 minute read

International Edition

That old rate debate

Explaining hefty legal bills has never been far from the thoughts of general counsel - money-related friction between clients and lawyers is as old as the profession, having become a staple of countless lawyer jokes.
8 minute read

International Edition

Philip Reed: Falling out of love with litagation

One of the most rapidly evolving areas of the legal services economy is that concerned with contentious work. The challenges facing those engaged in the resolution of commercial disputes are intense. Having seen these challenges from the perspective of the commercial Bar, partnership in the dispute resolution department of a major City firm and now that of general counsel at Threadneedle, it seems to me that three themes emerge.
4 minute read

International Edition

Five's legal director leaves starring role

Five's director of legal and business affairs Colin Campbell has announced that he is to retire at the end of the year, leaving his role to be split between two existing members of the channel's executive team. Campbell joined legacy company Channel Five in 1997 from the BBC's broadcast division, where he was head of business affairs. He was formerly group director of legal affairs at Central Television and a legal adviser at ACC Media Empire.
2 minute read

International Edition

TXU's Petersen to star in new Blockbuster role

US home entertainment giant Blockbuster has appointed former TXU Corporation legal chief Eric Petersen as its new general counsel and company secretary. Petersen joined US energy giant TXU in 2002 as its first-ever general counsel after a spell with Detroit-based DTE Energy.
1 minute read

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Legal Speak is a weekly podcast that makes sense of what’s happening in the legal industry.

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