Adrian Marsh
Head of legal
ING UK
As UK legal head for Dutch bank ING, Adrian Marsh has sat at the epicentre of the industry’s divestment trend; as a condition of ING’s receipt of state aid following the credit crisis, the EU required that it dispose of its insurance and investment management operations.
Barclays also recently took over the online retail banking arm of ING, ING Direct UK, with Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer advising ING opposite Linklaters for Barclays.
Marsh doesn’t believe in making radical changes to his panel of external law firms. ‘Our legal panel was last formally reviewed three years ago; we’re not great fans of chopping and changing,’ he says. ‘We believe in loyalty and developing the relationship. I know people talk about cost but the quality of advice is the fundamental thing at the end of the day.’
Law firms used: Allen & Overy, Baker & McKenzie, Clifford Chance, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Linklaters, Norton Rose, Sullivan & Cromwell
1992-present: Head of legal, ING UK