In-house reshuffle: JPMorgan hires Goldman Sachs’ John Tribolati as new EMEA general counsel

US banking giant JPMorgan Chase continues its strategic expansion of its legal function, and has recruited Goldman Sachs heavyweight counsel John Tribolati as its new EMEA general counsel (GC). Tribolati succeeds Piers Le Marchant, who has now been appointed as global head of compliance for corporate and investment banking.

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Reckitt Benckiser group GC Mordan looks to review and formalise panel

Reckitt Benckiser (RB) is making plans to carry out a UK panel review, with Bill Mordan, senior vice president and group general counsel (GC), also looking to formalise the company’s current panel arrangement.

The multinational consumer goods company currently has an informal panel arrangement in the UK, which consists of a two-tier system of seven firms. Tier one comprises Magic Circle firms Slaughter and May, Allen & Overy and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, while tier two includes firms such as Eversheds and, in particular, Thrings’ office in Swindon, which support contract work, negotiations and some civil disputes.

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Succession planning: RBS and Barclays lose their GCs

Last month saw both Barclays and The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) put succession planning into place as global general counsel (GC) of corporate and investment banking at Barclays, Judith Shepherd, announced she would step down in the first half of 2015, while RBS’s group GC Chris Campbell was replaced as he prepares to retire.

Shepherd had risen steadily through the ranks, having joined as deputy group GC in 2006 from US firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, where she was a partner specialising in M&A, particularly public takeovers and cross-border securities issues.

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Client profile: Neil Harnby, Royal Mail Group

The postal service provider’s GC on unique legal work for an iconic British institution

As general counsel (GC) of Royal Mail, it would be fair to say that Neil Harnby’s corporate calendar over the last three years has been busier than most: a privatisation, a panel review, an inaugural corporate bond and an Ofcom-led Competition Act investigation are just some of the set-piece activities he has faced since joining the company in January 2012.

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Q&A: A year on – Shell’s legal director Donny Ching on handling oil industry pressures and a 1000-strong team

Donny Ching (picturedreplaced Peter Rees as Royal Dutch Shell’s legal director in February 2014. After almost a year in the top role, Ching talks to Legal Business about law firm collaboration, appropriate fee arrangements and pressures facing in-house teams in volatile industries.

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‘Looking for new challenges’: KPMG’s GC to depart after 18 years in the role

Vanessa Sharp, KPMG‘s general counsel (GC), is to retire from the partnership after 18 years in the role. The process to replace Sharp, who departs in May is currently ongoing, and Legal Business understands that the replacement is likely to be an external one.

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Mounting departures: Barclays’ global head of financial crime steps down

Days after Barclays global general counsel (GC) of corporate and investment banking Judith Shepherd announced that she will be stepping down in the first half of this year, Barclays global head of the financial crime legal team Jonathan Peddie has quit the banking giant after nine years.

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Q&A: Heineken UK’s Graeme Colquhoun and DLA Piper’s John McKinlay talk sole adviser mandates

Having appointed DLA Piper as principal legal adviser this month (January) in a bid to cut down on external spend, Heineken UK’s head of legal Graeme Colquhoun (pictured) and DLA Piper IP/IT partner John McKinlay talk to Sarah Downey to discuss the perks of having a one-stop-shop and its possible extension.

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