Paul van Straaten
Chief legal officer
Lebara Group
Paul van Straaten loves to be in the middle of the action. Whether it’s high-profile disputes before the European Court of Justice, major M&A transactions or projects in developing countries, Lebara Group is never just ‘ticking over’, he says.
He currently runs a modest legal team comprising just three people, but the team will be adding another lawyer this year. The size of the team means that he depends regularly on external legal advice and he says he expects his external advisers to not only understand Lebara’s business but to frequently share relevant information from the market and regulatory arena, tailored specifically for his company and its own situation.
‘As a Dutchman I expect competitive fee arrangements that suit our varying requirements,’ he says. His use of smaller firms shows he is a thrifty operator. For example, he uses TCI Rechtsanwälte in Germany, SYGNA Partners in France and Cremades & Calvo-Sotelo in Spain.
Law firms used: Baker & McKenzie, Bird & Bird, DLA Piper, Lewis Silkin
2009-present: Chief legal officer, Lebara Group 2007-present: Owner, PA van Straaten Beheor en Advies
2005-07: Director enterprise sales, Colt
1998-2005: Manager legal and regulatory affairs,Colt
1997-98: Legal officer, Poortinga Bouw-en Exploitatiemaatschappij
1996-97: Legal adviser to city of Haarlem