‘I find it strange that whether or not we use technology is still such a common question asked of general counsel, because I can’t understand how any legal team can work without it,’ remarked Jenni Aldrich, director of legal – APAC, at Google.
For the past three decades, Asia Pacific has been the engine of growth for the global economy. In the wake of the East Asian financial crisis in the late 1990s, a gradual opening of economies and markets, most notably from China, has led to a boom – establishing new pillars of global economic strength alongside traditional mature economies in the region.
When the global financial crisis struck in 2008, the impact reverberated far beyond the traditional financial centres of the west. Initial speculation was that Asia would be relatively well insulated from the crisis due to the growing financial independence of the region. But instead, the effects hit at a speed and depth that surpassed all expectations. Under fire, financial institutions sought to reduce their exposure to the region, resulting in a steep decline in the value of currency and equity markets, at a time when the price and volume of exports was plummeting.
While the concept of social responsibility and ethical behaviour by business has been a component of the corporate playbook in North America and Europe for more than a decade, Asia has somewhat lagged behind in the sustainability stakes. With troubling corruption levels, poor reporting standards and significant environmental risks a prominent feature of many countries in the region, the lofty standards now frequently expected by consumers were historically falling well short of the mark.
Continue reading “A social conscience – sustainability and Asia”
GC: What has been the most significant use of technology that you have adopted in performing your legal function?
Ted Lazarus: Without question, the ability to work collaboratively on documents, presentations and spreadsheets using cloud-based Google applications has transformed the way we do our jobs. Teams of lawyers exchanging ideas in real time, both with each other and with other functions, ensures that all points of view are heard and maximises efficiency.
Continue reading “New tech frontiers and the in-house counsel”
Lego, world famous makers of toy building bricks, declares that its mission is to ‘inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow’. It had this ethos front of mind when it began unveiling a state-of-the-art design concept for some of its major global offices.
Continue reading “The building blocks of working differently”
It’s a common refrain: law firms are not giving in-house teams what they want, in the way that they want it.
Amid the disruption of alternative providers and increasing automation of services, law firms should be listening closely to their clients. But, according to a recent report published by LexisNexis in collaboration with Judge Business School at the University of Cambridge, many are not.
Imagine the worst: within the last 72 hours, your company has been hit by a major crisis. Firstly, and most importantly, there may have been serious damage to the community in which you operate.
Innovation has become a much-used (some might say abused) term. It’s certainly a familiar buzzword in the legal world.
Continue reading “Innovation – knowing the right question to ask”
The GC Powerlist is a publication designed to highlight the most influential and innovative general counsel in a given market, involving a three-month process of nominations, background research and interviews. Each individual has made a demonstrable impact to their team, company or industry through innovative approaches to their everyday work.