Team size: Five lawyers, Three data protection compliance members, one senior administrator

Key team members: Elizabeth Davis – partner and general counsel; Emma Kinsella – deputy general counsel; Deirbhile McKnight, and Matthew Mooney

What are the most significant cases or transactions that your legal team has recently been involved in?

The OGC Team had a very diverse and varied range of work come our way in the past twelve months, including significant commercial global contracts, data protection issues at both local and multi-jurisdictional level, corporate matters, litigation and employment matters. We have also seen a significant increase in the matters coming to our team since the team was first established in 2014. Given the wide array of professional services provided by PwC, PwC needs smart legal input as we partner with the business in managing its strategy.

In terms of the most significant matters and achievements in recent months, in 2022 we succeeded in fully closing out a very significant piece of litigation which had been ongoing for a number of years. In addition, the firm undertook its first acquisition of a small boutique tax practice. All of the legal work relating to this transaction – including legal due diligence, negotiation and completion of the definitive documents, and completion of the disclosure schedules – was completed in-house by the OGC team. This was a significant and strategic project for the firm and a particularly remarkable achievement for a small in-house team.

What has been the number one challenge that has impacted you over the past year?

The one that remains constant for us in OGC, as a small team, is ensuring we are involved from the outset in the higher risk matters which face the firm. Given that the professional services environment in which PwC operates, both locally and globally, has been evolving rapidly over the last number of years, we are now operating in a higher risk environment. OGC needs to be side-by-side with the business in managing the risks in this fast-paced environment, which means OGC needs to be flexible in responding to the reactive matters that arise day-to-day.

Has the increasing consciousness of climate change and sustainability affected your company and the team’s priorities, and if so how?

Sustainability is an inherent part of PwC’s business and as a firm we are committed to playing a leading role in achieving a sustainable future. As part of this, the firm is working towards becoming net zero by 2030 as well as more broadly incorporating ESG into all of our business processes. OGC is fully supporting the firm as it looks for ways to incorporate ESG into our business and into the way we perform services for our clients.