Spotlight on
Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton’s energy, infrastructure, and project finance team has risen from Tier 4 to Tier 2 in The Legal 500’s United States ‘Energy: Renewable/Alternative Power’ rankings between 2017 and 2019. Here, US editor (content), Helen Donegan, speaks with the team about its dramatic rise in the rankings, as well as the firm’s lateral hires and diversity and inclusion efforts
Helen Donegan: Please provide a brief overview of your practice. Sheppard Mullin: Jointly led by Chicago-based partner Katherine Gillespie and San Diego-based partner Tony Toranto, Sheppard Mullin’s multidisciplinary energy team includes more than 50 lawyers nationwide. We advise on tax equity financing, project development, regulatory matters, power purchase and sales contracts, and corporate and M&A …
Continue reading “Spotlight on: Sheppard Mullin’s power moves”
Interview with...
In a series of interviews with some of the top GCs across the US, fivehundred provides insights into the priorities and motivations of the influential in-house lawyers who are included in The Legal 500’s 2019 United States GC Powerlist For this month’s interview, Helen Donegan (US Editor (content)) spoke with Charles Broll (executive vice president and general counsel at Nestlé Waters North America) who shares his views on what matters most to him in his work and in the people he works with, and he reveals what he believes his career highlights will be.
Helen Donegan: To start off, can you tell me about your role? Charles Broll: I am the General Counsel of Nestlé Waters North America. We are a subsidiary of Nestlé and a part of a much larger Nestlé business around the globe and our products include Perrier, San Pellegrino, and Poland Spring. My responsibility is …
Continue reading “Going against the grain”
Interview with...
In August, Norton Rose Fulbright launched a new legal operations consulting practice led by former Barclays legal executive Stéphanie Hamon. As she tells The Legal 500’s senior research analyst, Peter Tweedley, Hamon intends the practice to provide management and operational advice to in-house legal teams at major financial institutions and corporations, and explains its likely impact on rival legal businesses
Peter Tweedley: In a growing market of alternative legal service providers and specialist legal technology companies, including consultants, what can a law firm bring to the table? Stéphanie Hamon: Legal operations consulting is a relatively new field of expertise and there is a limited pool of experienced talent who can deliver this advice. A …
Continue reading “The natural evolution of legal services”
Interview with...
Kennedys’ first global managing partner discusses the priorities of her new role, highlights the firm’s recent international expansion, and reveals what gives her the most job satisfaction
What will you be focusing on as global managing partner, and what do you hope to accomplish or change at the firm that will benefit its lawyers, staff, and clients? As global managing partner, I will be working closely with Nick Thomas, our senior partner, on the strategic and operational management of Kennedys’ global network …
Continue reading “Suzanne Liversidge: Leaders should be true to themselves”
Interview with...
The managing partner of Weil, Gotshal & Manges’ Hong Kong office talks about structural pressures, predictions for Asia’s financial hub, the link between talent retention and transparency, and how a ping pong table helps bring his team together
How would you define your firm’s culture, and how important is that culture to you? Weil has been and continues to be a first-mover in partnering with clients to understand the full picture of their needs and help them achieve strategic goals; as a pioneer in numerous fields such as restructuring, private equity, patent litigation, …
Continue reading “Tim Gardner: Belief in a single-minded focus”
Interview with...
Stewarts’ head of financial crime talks trading chambers for a law firm environment, the challenges ahead for the criminal Bar, and the current trends in financial crime
Why did you decide to leave the independent Bar and 2 Bedford Row to become a partner at Stewarts? At the Bar, I was involved in many large cases working as part of a large legal team. Over time, I realised that I enjoyed running these teams and empowering the other professionals I worked with. …
Continue reading “Richard Kovalevsky QC: We are in for a buoyant period”
Interview with...
Eversheds Sutherlands’ European managing partner talks about her new role, continental growth, cultural alignment, and challenges facing the real estate world
What are you planning to focus on in your new role as European managing partner? This is a really exciting time to take on this role. Eversheds Sutherland is going through a period of growth and investment across our European business. For example, in Germany and the Netherlands in the past six months we have …
Continue reading “Helen Thomas: Without a planet, all this tech is pointless”
Interview with...
Pinheiro Neto Advogados’ managing partner discusses Brazil’s economic uncertainty, how technology is forcing lawyers out of their comfort zone, and why there is no magic formula for talent retention
How would you define your firm’s culture? The most important thing in a firm is culture because it is a singular factor in these days of greater dissemination of knowledge and access to national and international good practices. We have a distinct culture because we are both traditional and modern at the same time, and …
Continue reading “Alexandre Bertoldi: Every plan is a big bet”
Interview with...
King & Wood Mallesons China’s managing partner talks ensuring continuity of client service, taking a people-oriented approach in management, and says associates must stay hungry and foolish to make partner
How would you define your firm’s culture? How important is firm culture to you? If I had to summarise our culture in one word it would be collaboration. By that I mean not only collaboration internally and with clients, but also with other professionals, including from other law firms. Client-centric, commitment and dedication, collaboration and …
Continue reading “Wang Ling: Dare to tackle new areas”
Interview with...
K&L Gates’ global managing partner on the influence of legal tech, alternatives to the billable hour, and what business drivers are critical to clients
How is technology changing the way you meet client needs? Which areas will be most affected by new tech? We have sought to be very proactive in utilising technology to meet client needs because it is a key vehicle for delivery of value to clients. Much of the focus in the business of law is …
Continue reading “James Segerdahl: Price is a poor proxy for quality or value”
