About

Team size: 220

Major legal advisers: CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang, Fieldfisher, Reed Smith, Sheridans, Wiggin

Establishing a legal training academy within BBC Studios, as well as apprenticeship schemes, has earned its GC Martyn Freeman recognition as an innovator during his 17 years at the legal helm of the BBC’s commercial arm. BBC Studios is an organisation that Freeman knows well. Before becoming GC, he was a director of business and legal affairs there for eight years.

What started out as an informal arrangement has turned into a well-regarded training programme. Formal training workshops in contract law, intellectual property (IP) and data privacy are also hosted by law firms for legal staff to attend for refreshers. Freeman expects all of his panel firms to provide training and wants at least one session a month for the next year.

A number of staff in the legal team have undertaken their legal training through CILEx, which provides a more flexible route for people to qualify as lawyers while training on the job.

‘The legal academy and providing development is an important part of the value proposition for us, especially if you’re not necessarily able to pay at the top end of the market,’ Freeman comments. ‘We offer a range of work, including corporate and IP. There’s a real opportunity for people to cross-skill and if you have been involved in, say, a big deal or piece of litigation, to get together and share your experience.’

Last year, BBC Studios bought Discovery from UKTV, adding a standalone channels business to its portfolio. Adjusting to change has been a theme over the last 18 months, following BBC Studios’ merger with its own in-house production business in 2018, which added 45 people to Freeman’s legal team.

‘It’s important for lawyers to engage with the business as a partner and make sure they know how to speak the language of the team they work with, including finance. We need to equip people in-house with a broader skillset other than legal skills and so we are re-launching our programmes for non-legal training,’ Freeman comments. ‘The final plank of the legal academy training is a two-day conference once a year. We’ll be gathering as many people as possible, looking at developments in the wider industry, such as social media strategy and industry trends.’