Ten firms have secured spots on FTSE 100 insurer Aviva’s refreshed legal panel, with RPC, Eversheds Sutherland and Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner winning new appointments.
The two-lot panel covering the group and investor businesses came into effect on 1 July after the previous panel, last reviewed in 2013, ran its course. It will run on an initial three-year term.
Slaughter and May, Allen & Overy (A&O), DLA Piper, Eversheds, Pinsent Masons and RPC have been appointed to the group panel, while Ashurst, Addleshaw Goddard, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner and CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang were assigned to the insurer’s investors panel.
Aviva’s head of legal operations Caroline Brown told Legal Business the legal team is increasingly looking at its advisers’ approach to diversity and inclusion as well as firms’ abilities to support the legal team around innovation.
Group general counsel (GC) Kirsty Cooper (pictured) said in this year’s GC Powerlist the company was looking to streamline its external panel: ‘Everyone is focused on the bottom line and wants to make sure we are getting a quality service and value for money. It’s not about headcount in legal, it’s about overall value and cost.’
Slaughters, A&O, Ashurst, DLA , Pinsents and Addleshaws all featured on Aviva’s 2013 panel, the review of which was led by former Aviva UK Life GC Monica Risam and included international and UK work and lower-cost national work.
