Dentons targets in-house lawyers as it adds new consultancy service to Nextlaw family

Posted on |
Dentons targets in-house lawyers as it adds new consultancy service to Nextlaw family

Dentons has embarked on yet another chapter in its experimentation with the legal services model as the 8,000-lawyer giant announced the launch of Nextlaw In-House Solutions yesterday (15 November).

The fifth service line to come out of the firm’s spin-off Nextlaw business, the new consultancy service will see 50 of the firm’s lawyers – all former GCs – advise existing in-house lawyers on matters including procurement for panels, relationship with the c-suite and use of technology. Continue reading “Dentons targets in-house lawyers as it adds new consultancy service to Nextlaw family”

The Legal 500 view: we are changing to reflect the needs of in-house UK

Posted on | and

Alexander Boyes and Hayley Eustace review the latest launch of the UK edition

The 2017 edition of The Legal 500 is our biggest yet, for a number of reasons. The demand for ʻlegal directoriesʼ has increased in the past few years, due in part to more movement in the market, firms getting smarter at marketing, clients having less time, globalisation – which all leads to a need for independent third-party review. Continue reading “The Legal 500 view: we are changing to reflect the needs of in-house UK”

Guest post: How should in-house counsel lead? It’s all about purpose

Posted on |
Guest post: How should in-house counsel lead? It’s all about purpose

To be a leader as an in-house lawyer today is to be faced with a bewildering array of ideas, strategies and influences. Reports are written with grim regularity, it is impossible to read them all. Conferences are organised with grim regularity, it is impossible to attend them all. Consultants always have the next great idea with grim regularity, it is impossible to take a sharp stick and poke them all.

The quality of leadership in-house is nothing like as strong as the quality of the legal work our in-house lawyers do or the quality of the people who are the in-house counsel. Collectively we need to get better at leadership. Continue reading “Guest post: How should in-house counsel lead? It’s all about purpose”

London calling: the client view

Posted on |
London calling: the client view

‘I prefer to use the Magic Circle rather than US firms. They are, if anything, becoming better-run businesses.’
Philip Bramwell, BAE Systems

It should come as no surprise that clients on the global stage continue to demand more from their advisers. Yet, for the most part, those London-headquartered firms at the top end of the Global 100 report are delivering for clients despite the influx of international firms, particularly those based in the US, into their home market.

‘I continue to believe that the Magic Circle firms offer excellent strength and depth on big-ticket issues,’ says Philip Bramwell, group general counsel (GC) of multinational defence, security and aerospace company BAE Systems. ‘Their strength is in their gene pool – their core systems and the processes that they continue to invest in – and they are, if anything, becoming better-run businesses.’

Continue reading “London calling: the client view”

The Companies of Tomorrow: Pharma and Life Sciences

Posted on |
The Companies of Tomorrow: Pharma and Life Sciences

DEEPMIND HEALTH

Industry/sector: Medical research/data

Founded: 2010 (DeepMind), 2016 (DeepMind Health)

Founders (DeepMind): Demis Hassabis (pictured), Shane Legg, Mustafa Suleyman

General counsel: Trevor Callaghan (DeepMind)

Based: London

In early 2016, Google-owned artificial intelligence (AI) specialist DeepMind announced it would create a healthcare division. DeepMind has chalked up some notable successes in advanced AI – including creating AlphaGo, the first programme to beat a human player at the game of Go – making the formation of DeepMind Health one of the most touted recent developments in the life sciences sector.

Continue reading “The Companies of Tomorrow: Pharma and Life Sciences”

News in brief – April 2017

Posted on |
News in brief – April 2017

300 JOBS CUT AHEAD OF CMS MERGER

Approximately 300 support staff roles are to be cut at CMS Cameron McKenna, Olswang and Nabarro ahead of their triple merger next month. The firms ran a redundancy consultation from January to March, with 650 of the 950 support staff offered roles in the combined firm.

 

Continue reading “News in brief – April 2017”

The Companies of Tomorrow: Trailblazers

Posted on |
The Companies of Tomorrow: Trailblazers

SECRET ESCAPES

Industry/sector: Travel

Founded: 2010

Founders: Tom Valentine, Alex Saint

Head of legal: Christine Cordon

Heralded as one of the UK’s runaway tech success stories, members-only British travel company Secret Escapes has made its mark in the travel industry selling heavily discounted luxury hotel stays and trips through its website and mobile app.

Continue reading “The Companies of Tomorrow: Trailblazers”