Eminent retail brand Marks and Spencer (M&S) received multiple nominations this year after rising above some challenging scenarios, not least relating to the largestever legal collapse in the UK market. M&S had been a longestablished client of the European business of King & Wood Mallesons (KWM) before its collapse in January 2017. In the months leading up to the downfall, M&S had placed a lot of property work with KWM, meaning there was a scramble to spread the work around when the firm went under. That task fell to M&S veteran head of property legal Carolyn Lock, who ensured the work was accounted for as ex-KWM partners sought refuge at rival firms Addleshaw Goddard and Osborne Clarke (OC). OC partner Dolf Darnton, who has worked with M&S in the past, says: ‘It was a huge hassle, but they did pretty damn well to come up with a solution.’ Darnton specifically highlighted Lock’s ability to manage the situation effectively as an indication of her strong performance. GC Verity Chase is a popular figure in in-house circles. Darnton says she has ‘stepped up’ to her role after taking over from longstanding legal chief Robert Ivens, who retired in August 2016. Ivens first joined M&S in 1985, before becoming head of legal in 1989. Last year also saw M&S engage in a thorough overhaul of its real estate portfolio, in response to market conditions. In April 2017, it announced 36 new stores. But in January 2018, a further plan was announced to close six stores by the end of April, with M&S choosing to shift its focus to online sales. Property lawyers Amy Sanders, Helen Wright and Nick Tassoni were picked out for their continued work on managing the portfolio. Outside of real estate, M&S’s in-house team has been busy with regulatory and compliance, commercial litigation and employment work over the year. Patricia Howell, the head of employment law, is well regarded externally. Darnton concludes: ‘They are a very cohesive group of very able people who balance well the needs of the business and organise their external law firms very efficiently.’