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The last several years have been highly eventful for general counsel Michael Mitchell’s 19 person legal department at Qatar Foundation. Having adapted the attitude that lawyers are service providers ‘whose main purpose is to support the clients in the achievement of their objectives’ according to Mitchell, the team has been at the core of the foundation’s affairs. ‘While we have an obligation to act as protectors of the organisation, we fulfil that role while making things happen’, Mitchell shares. The team’s seamless support of such important project work as the Foundation’s recent governance restructuring project and affiliate review and restructuring project, coupled with the team’s internal innovations have been significant areas attracting praise. An example of the latter can be seen in the team’s implementation of a training and continuing legal education program that balances the opportunity for attendance at programs outside of Qatar with programs at Qatar Foundation for those who cannot or choose not to travel. In addition, the team has impressed with its implementation of a proven legal matter management system that has both pleased clients and addressed audit and control concerns. In addition to Mitchell, assistant general counsel Ali Al-Muhannadi, senior legal counsel Fatma Al-Emadi and acting deputy general counsel Zahid Ali have all been singled out during this year’s research.