Event information
Agenda
6.00pm Registration and welcome drinks
6.50pm The strategic role of in-house counsel
GCs of today – and tomorrow – need more than legal knowledge alone. Faced with managing complex, unpredictable and often contradictory challenges, what toolkit of skills and methodologies do you need to have in your armoury to truly excel?
This inaugural Ireland GC forum brings together a panel of leading in-house counsel to share perspectives on the ever-changing demands of senior in-house lawyers. They will offer best practices to help you maximise the success and contribution of your legal teams, giving you confidence that you’re doing the right things, in the right areas and with the right people and skills to drive value both for your function and your wider business.
Talking points:
- Reimagining the value of in-house legal teams to demonstrate their impact as strategic business leaders.
- How in-house counsel have responded to the enhanced need for strategic decision-making under pressure. How the Covid-19 pandemic has required greater agility and new approaches.
- Building stronger engagement with your teams and retaining top talent. And the lessons learnt to maintain morale through a new era of hybrid working.
- How in-house counsel can contribute to the more practical aspects of integrating sustainability, diversity and innovation – the sharing of ideas, best practice and thought leadership.
Chaired by Nathalie Tidman, editor, Legal Business
7.45pm Drinks and canapés
11.00pm Event concludes
Speakers
Alex Potlog, legal director, UK & Ireland, AbbVie Ltd
Alex joined AbbVie in September 2019 as Senior Legal Counsel and took over the UK& Ireland Legal Director role in August 2020. Before joining AbbVie, he worked for Astellas Pharma, providing legal support to a group of 25 countries across Europe, as well as to the Global litigation and investigations team. Prior to moving in-house, Alex was a Senior Associate with DLA Piper, working in Bucharest (Romania) and London (UK) on a broad range of competition, compliance and commercial matters with particular focus on the life sciences industry. Alex read Law at the University of Bucharest, holds an LL.M. in competition law from Queen Mary, University of London, and speaks regularly at legal events in London and Brussels.
Sally Anne Sherry, director and GC, Bartra Group
Sally Anne Sherry is a Director and General Counsel with 20 years of experience. While her main areas of expertise are in real estate, contract and corporate governance, she is also experienced and interested in areas such as sustainability, the not-for-profit and charity sectors and start-up businesses.
Sally Anne has responsibility for all legal affairs across the Bartra Group where she leads transactions to acquire, build, sell, finance, operate and invest in real estate assets including nursing homes, social housing, offices, co-living and residential. Prior to her current role, Sally Anne was Legal Counsel for Treasury Holdings in Dublin and London and completed her legal training with Matheson in Dublin. She acts as an External Examiner for the Law Society of Ireland, has completed the Institute of Directors’ Chartered Director Programme and recently completed a course on Business Sustainability Management with the University of Cambridge. In a voluntary capacity, she is a Director on the board of a substantial Irish Schools’ Trust and on the board of an Irish charity which funds community groups. She is energetic, passionate about her work, committed to mentoring and family orientated.
Maura Connolly, partner and head of dispute resolution, Addleshaw Goddard
Maura is Partner and Head of Addleshaw Goddard’s Dispute Resolution team in Ireland. She also leads the Employment Law Group in Ireland.
Having practised for many years in the area of employment law, Maura’s practice includes advising both employers and employees on all aspects of employment law. She has been involved in many commercial transactions and has considerable experience of employment law issues arising in the context of mergers and acquisitions, including transfer of undertakings issues. She also advises on contractual matters, development of policies and procedures, management of disciplinary, performance, absence and other processes. This includes regularly appearing in the Workplace Relations Commission, the Labour Court and the Civil Courts. Data privacy and dealing with data access requests under GDPR is a feature of many cases in which Maura advises. Most recently she has advised extensively on Covid-19 related issues, restructurings, redundancies and legislative changes.
Maura’s disputes practice has involved the management of large scale litigation. This has recently included Commercial Court proceedings relating to professional negligence in the financial sector, management of a large e-discovery process, and acting in a landmark case relating to the “Gig Economy” and the status of workers. In addition to representing clients in the Courts, particularly the High Court and Commercial Court, Maura has advised extensively on alternative dispute resolution procedures including mediation. Maura’s practice includes advice on regulatory matters, including professional conduct investigations and decision making, administrative law and legal proceedings. She has also advised on statutory investigations, tribunals of inquiry and directors’ liability for statutory offences.
Nathalie Tidman, editor, Legal Business and The In-House Lawyer
Nathalie Tidman is the editor of Legal Business and The In-House Lawyer. She has been a business journalist since 2012 and has a special interest in corporate law, finance and ESG.
