Client profile: Sarah Davis, Guardian Media Group

The media lawyer talks about the diversity of London’s workforce and the handling of that Snowden story. When interviewing for the client profile, in-house counsel will often list a slew of generic corporate M&A deals when citing what they consider ‘interesting work’. Guardian Media Group (GMG)’s longstanding group commercial legal director, Sarah Davis, is an …

The In-House Lawyer Survey – More than a number

Our fourth annual client survey shows the maturing role of in-house counsel leading to greater job satisfaction. But in winning more responsibility, are they taking on more than they can handle? Career-wise, in-house is the new black. As Chris Fowler, general counsel (GC) for BT’s UK commercial legal services division, observes, there is now much …

The In-House Lawyer Survey – Bang for your buck

Our fourth in-house survey shows a softening stance towards external advisers from general counsel, reflecting the need for high-quality consultative advice. With more than 20 years spent in multiple in-house legal positions, BAE Systems’ group general counsel (GC) Philip Bramwell has been at the centre of the evolution of the in-house legal profession. But despite …

The In-House Lawyer Survey – Buying IBM

Client rankings from our fourth annual in-house survey show that GCs continue to trust premium advice. Can non-law firm providers make headway? During the 1990s, when ITV’s current group general counsel (GC) Andrew Garard was serving a stint as head of legal at Reuters, a deal landed on his desk that required external advice. A …

BT kicks off strategy review to overhaul internal function

BT’s in-house legal team has begun a wide-reaching strategic review on how to change its internal structure to bring its lawyers closer to the business, while the telco also prepares for its next panel review. Chris Fowler, general counsel (GC) for UK commercial legal services, said the review will see the team ‘centrally manage the …

‘Absolutely outrageous’ – Gove floats £60m-plus tax on City law firms to fund criminal courts

New justice secretary Michael Gove is set for a tussle with City lawyers after floating a plan to impose a multimillion-pound tax on commercial law firms to pay for the abolition of a controversial criminal court charge on guilty defendants. Gove’s plan has been proposed as a means to replace the revenues generated by the …