The Client Profile: Lindsay Beardsell, Tate & Lyle

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The Client Profile: Lindsay Beardsell, Tate & Lyle

Lindsay Beardsell is never one to rest on her laurels. She trained and qualified at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer but, as is the case for so many established general counsel (GCs), private practice failed to satisfy the need to be closer to a business.

She recalls: ‘My parents had their own businesses and that always interested me – the cut and thrust. I wanted to be close to the commercial aspects of the business. So I left Freshfields two years post-qualification, which was a bit of a shock to people, and went to British Gas for my first in-house role.’ Continue reading “The Client Profile: Lindsay Beardsell, Tate & Lyle”

Wilson ends Uber journey to take up head of legal role at Fremantle

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Wilson ends Uber journey to take up head of legal role at Fremantle

In-house stalwart and GC Powerlist UK regular Matt Wilson is leaving his position as associate general counsel (GC) for EMEA at Uber to assume the GC role at British TV production multinational Fremantle.

Wilson, who will join up with his new employers in August, calls time on a frenetic six-year stint at fast-growing Uber, which has been beset with thorny legal and regulatory issues throughout his tenure. Continue reading “Wilson ends Uber journey to take up head of legal role at Fremantle”

Smith rings off as Telefónica GC amid looming £31bn Virgin Media and O2 megamerger

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Smith rings off as Telefónica GC amid looming £31bn Virgin Media and O2 megamerger

Noted in-house veteran Edward Smith is to leave his role as general counsel of Telefónica UK after 20 years at the company as telecoms giants Virgin Media and O2 prepare to finalise their £31bn merger.

Smith (pictured) joined the company as legal counsel from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in 2001 and his career there has spanned roles including head of corporate and commercial law and head of legal. Continue reading “Smith rings off as Telefónica GC amid looming £31bn Virgin Media and O2 megamerger”

Vodafone puts emphasis on ESG in new eight-firm adviser panel

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Vodafone puts emphasis on ESG in new eight-firm adviser panel

Vodafone has completed the latest refresh of its legal advice panel, selecting eight firms based on a commitment to shared diversity and ESG best practice.

Latham & Watkins, Deloitte and TLT are the new additions from the last review in 2018, alongside Hogan Lovells, Linklaters, Osborne Clarke, Slaughter and May and Wiggin, which have retained their spots. This is a slight increase from the seven firms selected in 2018’s overhaul . The panel will provide broad legal cover on commercial, real estate, employment, regulatory and litigation, as well as support for legal transformation. Continue reading “Vodafone puts emphasis on ESG in new eight-firm adviser panel”

BT to invest £2.7m into 30-strong legal support hub in Northern Ireland

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BT to invest £2.7m into 30-strong legal support hub in Northern Ireland

Telecoms giant BT announced today (1 December) it is poised to commit £2.7m in investment to create a new legal support hub in Belfast which will house 30 commercial lawyer positions over the next four years.

The standalone centre will be the first of its kind for BT in Northern Ireland, with its lawyers being used to provide legal support to colleagues across the wider BT Group. Seven of the 30 commercial lawyer positions are already in place.  Continue reading “BT to invest £2.7m into 30-strong legal support hub in Northern Ireland”

In-house: HSF and Beachcroft win spots as Sainsbury’s makes big cuts to adviser panel

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In-house: HSF and Beachcroft win spots as Sainsbury’s makes big cuts to adviser panel

Herbert Smith Freehills and DAC Beachcroft were among the firms to win spots on Sainsbury’s most recent legal panel, with the supermarket chain cutting its roster by a third with 11 spots reduced to eight.

Morton Fraser was the third firm to be allocated a slot, while Addleshaw Goddard, Shepherd and Wedderburn and Cleaver Fulton Rankin, which were on the previous roster, no longer feature. Meanwhile, Linklaters, Dentons, TLT, CMS and Winckworth Sherwood all retain their spots. Continue reading “In-house: HSF and Beachcroft win spots as Sainsbury’s makes big cuts to adviser panel”

Dual role for Barclays’ company secretary as veteran GC Hoyt stands down

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Dual role for Barclays’ company secretary as veteran GC Hoyt stands down

Barclays has announced the appointment of Stephen Shapiro as group general counsel, in addition to his current role as group company secretary. Shapiro will succeed GC Powerlist regular Bob Hoyt on 1 August, who is stepping down after nearly seven years in the role.

Shapiro will join the executive committee and report directly to group CEO Jes Staley in his capacity as GC, and to group chairman Nigel Higgins in his role as company secretary. He joined Barclays in 2017 from SABMiller, where he was group company secretary and deputy general counsel, having previously held the role of global head of legal. Continue reading “Dual role for Barclays’ company secretary as veteran GC Hoyt stands down”

The BT interview – ideas from the bath

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The BT interview – ideas from the bath

Legal Business (LB): Eighteen months in the group general counsel role, what have been some of the key projects since you landed? The wider business has been through a lot of transformation, how is legal keeping up?

Sabine Chalmers (SC), group GC, BT: When I joined, Gavin Patterson was my boss. He’s since left the business and we’ve transitioned to Philip Jansen from Worldpay. During that time the focus has been on learning the company and industry, getting to know and work with a new CEO, new board, my team, and as a result of all that identifying as quickly as possible what the strategic priorities for the function are and how to best support the business. Early on I reorganised my leadership team to mirror the evolving structure of the business, to ensure we had GCs reporting to me that were lined up with each of the business and corporate units: we announced that in June 2018. Continue reading “The BT interview – ideas from the bath”

The imagination gap – Meet the GCs on the frontline of the climate change battle

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The imagination gap – Meet the GCs on the frontline of the climate change battle

Rising temperatures and sea levels, shrinking ice sheets and sea ice, extreme weather events. They’re all mainstays of today’s news cycles with a worrying – and growing – frequency.

‘The more you read about the shape of our planet, it’s inevitable you become concerned, it’s inevitable that you want to do something. The only way you can exist nowadays in an unengaged way, as a non-activist, is by shutting yourself off completely from all this information,’ says Jasper Teulings, general counsel of Greenpeace International. Continue reading “The imagination gap – Meet the GCs on the frontline of the climate change battle”

In-house: The client perspectives

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In-house: The client perspectives

Dan Webster, group general counsel at Harrods, discusses what it takes to advise one of the world’s most recognisable department stores

I studied law at the London School of Economics and went to law school in Chester. I got a training contract at what is now CMS. I qualified in litigation, stayed a couple of years at CMS and then moved to SNR Denton. I stayed there for a few years and then decided I wanted a change. To my surprise, an opportunity came up to be an in-house litigator at Harrods, where the then-owner was famously very litigious. Once at Harrods, I quickly realised I was meant to be an in-house lawyer and, over time, I’ve evolved into a commercial, corporate, employment, IP all-rounder. Continue reading “In-house: The client perspectives”