Client Intelligence Report: Data View
Client profile: Mark Maurice-Jones, Nestlé
Unusually for the current UK and Ireland general counsel (GC) of Swiss multinational and famed KitKat creator Nestlé, Mark Maurice-Jones’ career started in teaching.
Armed with a chemical engineering degree from the University of Cambridge that he was unsure how to utilise, Maurice-Jones opted for a year-and-a-half-long stint in Hong Kong teaching maths, physics and chemistry. But ultimately he found the pull of a career in the law more alluring. Continue reading “Client profile: Mark Maurice-Jones, Nestlé”
‘Exactly what Uber needs now’: Beleaguered app hires PepsiCo’s Tony West as chief legal officer
Just a month after Uber drafted in Hogan Lovells to launch a legal challenge to Transport for London’s (TfL) decision to not renew its private hire licence, the US-based ridesharing company has hired Pepsico’s Tony West as its new chief legal officer.
In a company email, Uber’s chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi said that West, who served as PepsiCo’s executive vice president for public policy and government affairs, general counsel (GC) and company secretary, was ‘exactly what Uber needs now’. Continue reading “‘Exactly what Uber needs now’: Beleaguered app hires PepsiCo’s Tony West as chief legal officer”
In-house wrap: National Grid renews roster as Barclays responds to ring-fencing demands with new appointment
This week in buy-side news saw in-house teams respond to some of the biggest issues facing clients: bank ring-fencing and smaller panel arrangements. Energy giant National Grid renewed its current legal panel until 2019, while Barclays appointed Paul Loftus as head of legal for banking products and propositions in response to ring-fencing requirements.
National Grid, which carried out its last full panel review in 2015, reappointed 12 firms to its roster including Norton Rose Fulbright, Addleshaw Goddard, Irwin Mitchell and Herbert Smith Freehills. These firms, which were newly appointed in 2015, join CMS Cameron McKenna, DLA Piper, Eversheds, Linklaters, Berwin Leighton Paisner, Bircham Dyson Bell, Dentons and Shakespeare Martineau on the panel. Continue reading “In-house wrap: National Grid renews roster as Barclays responds to ring-fencing demands with new appointment “
The cutting edge
During Apple’s earnings conference call in May, chief executive Tim Cook discussed the company’s long-running and bitter dispute with Qualcomm, a company that manufactures internal components for the iPhone.
‘Qualcomm is trying to charge Apple a percentage of the total iPhone value. They do some great work around standard-essential patents, but Qualcomm’s component is only one small part of the iPhone. We don’t think that’s right, so we’re taking a principled stand on it and we strongly believe we’re in the right. I am sure they think they’re in the right, and that’s what courts are for.’
Continue reading “The cutting edge”
Beware the Black Swan
Imagine the worst: within the last 72 hours, your company has been hit by a major crisis. There may have been serious damage to the community in which you operate. Your customers may have suffered, people’s livelihoods may have been destroyed, the environment may be irretrievably damaged. Some of your employees and contractors may be injured, or worse. Your investors will be livid, and the board looking to assign blame. By the end of the first week, chances are your organisation will be facing dozens of lawsuits, some set to become class actions over time.
At this early stage, you will realise that verifiable facts are few and far between. Opinions and rumours abound. You will have little or no idea of the extent of any physical or financial damage, or to what degree the organisation was complicit in the event. You do not even know which of your top team you can count on. Some of them may be implicated; others may be operationally inexperienced, unfamiliar with the political realities, or temperamentally unsuited to the new situation – filled with good intentions, but uncertain what role to play. Continue reading “Beware the Black Swan”
Banking on change
When the global financial crisis struck in 2008, the impact reverberated far beyond the traditional financial centres of the West. Initial speculation was that Asia would be relatively well insulated from the crisis due to the growing financial independence of the region. Instead, the effects hit at a speed and depth that surpassed all expectations. Under fire, financial institutions sought to reduce their exposure to the region, resulting in a steep decline in the value of currency and equity markets, at a time when the price and volume of exports was plummeting.
The immediate impact of the crisis gave way to an equally brisk recovery, bolstered by strong domestic demand in China and Indonesia preventing both economies from falling into recession. But while sophisticated financial centres were swift in their regulatory response to the crisis, particularly where reform to over-the-counter financial products and transparency were concerned, much of Asia has lagged behind. Continue reading “Banking on change”
Client profile: Angus McBride, News UK
The veteran criminal defence lawyer turned legal head on bridging the gap between journalism and law
While a student at the University of Wales, Angus McBride mulled his career prospects. During his first year at university, he was obliged to choose three subjects to study. ‘I took English literature and philosophy and then decided I was going to do law as well. It was a last-minute thought.’ Continue reading “Client profile: Angus McBride, News UK”
Client Intelligence Report: Data view
Q: For a routine instruction, how important are the following criteria when selecting a firm?
(1 = not at all important, 5 = expected, 10 = essential)
Analysis of the responses to this question from clients in the UK and US exposes marked differences between client priorities in the two jurisdictions. Scores are illustrated proportionally on the graphs below and to the right. Continue reading “Client Intelligence Report: Data view”
Sole survivor – Eversheds gets the lot from Turkish Airlines as company slashes legal roster from 120 to one
It has been a legal trend more discussed than delivered in recent years but Eversheds Sutherland has made good on its pioneering work as a sole adviser to major corporates to secure the panel work of Turkey’s national flag carrier Turkish Airlines.
The arrangement, which will last for three years, will cover all of the airline’s day-to-day legal needs across 116 countries with Eversheds Sutherland’s head of global client development Stephen Hopkins managing the relationship. Ali Uysal, chief legal counsel for Turkish Airlines, said the deal would provide ‘efficiency and cost certainty’. The deal will not include domestic work as Eversheds does not have a local practice. Hopkins added: ‘Our partnership with Turkish Airlines is a long-term, strategic relationship.’ Continue reading “Sole survivor – Eversheds gets the lot from Turkish Airlines as company slashes legal roster from 120 to one”