For the new in-house counsel freshly arrived from a top-tier law firm, the future looks bright. Equipped with analytical skills hewn from a rigorous academic and practical training, the eagle eyes of a seasoned risk-spotter, and the quick wits of a problem-destroyer, new corporate counsel could be forgiven for thinking that the time is nigh to relax into the kinder work-life balance that company life promises. Continue reading “What I wish I’d known: moving in-house”
The world’s greatest management thinker: Clayton Christensen
Being ranked as the foremost management thinker in the world is not a title that appears to daunt Clayton M. Christensen.
At the age of 62, the Kim B. Clark Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School is widely acknowledged as one of the world’s leading lights in innovation. In both 2011 and 2013 he achieved the top billing on the Thinkers50 chart which compiles the global ranking of management thinkers. Continue reading “The world’s greatest management thinker: Clayton Christensen”
Whistle-blowers and the in-house lawyer – a question of ethics and objectivity
The term whistleblower is said to have been coined in the 1970s by US activist Ralph Nader to avoid the negative connotations of terms such as ‘informer’ and ‘snitch’, instead invoking the referee in a sports match, blowing the whistle to stop the game when there is unfair play. Continue reading “Whistle-blowers and the in-house lawyer – a question of ethics and objectivity”
Revolution!
Robert Robinson, GC of insurer Amlin, recently restructured and unified a collection of disparate legal teams. He explains the operational advantages, and challenges, of such a move to GC’s Catherine McGregor. Continue reading “Revolution!”
From client to colleague: Network Rail
In the first of a series profiling legal departments that are pioneering innovative Ways to meld legal with business, GC meets with UK rail infrastructure company Network Rail’s Natalie Jobling, Cathy Crick and Dan Kayne. Continue reading “From client to colleague: Network Rail”
A dangerous game of bluff
When I was talking recently with the GC of a multinational operating globally, they outlined the purpose of their legal function to me. They said it existed to ‘provide high quality legal services tailored to the organisation’s needs, carried out by more knowledgeable lawyers than could be secured from external providers, yet at a much reduced price than would be paid if solely using an external supplier’. Continue reading “A dangerous game of bluff”
Harvard thinking and data protection
The first in GC and The Legal 500’s Corporate Counsel Summit series, which took place in september in new york, combined innovative management theory and cutting-edge legal developments. Continue reading “Harvard thinking and data protection”
Rules of engagement
The world is ‘living in an era of unprecedented level of crises and troubles,’ UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told delegates to the UN General Assembly Meeting during his welcoming address in September. What does this mean for organisations doing business on the ground in troubled jurisdictions? Continue reading “Rules of engagement”
The 5-minute financial analysis
If you’re anything like the picture of a lawyer painted by our contributor Edward Smith of TELEFÓNICA UK (see Where are all the lawyer-CEOs?), you might be thinking about flicking past this section out of fear of being outed as a finance-phobe. We know that’s a stereotype… but lots of our in-house lawyer friends have confided that, for many, finance is an Achilles heel. Continue reading “The 5-minute financial analysis”
What’s your IP strategy?
Intellectual property is a critical issue for every company these days, whether they’re looking at traditional IP issues like patents and copyright, or emerging IP issues around employee knowledge. However, one experienced in-house IP lawyer argues that companies are not doing enough to adopt a proactive position in protecting and advancing their IP rights. Continue reading “What’s your IP strategy?”