The in-house legal team at National Grid has transformed itself over the last three years, spurred by the realisation it was providing services that were not needed following an in-depth analysis of the function. The wider business was changing with the rapidly-moving energy industry and there was a recognition the legal function needed to move at the same time. As National Grid group general counsel (GC) and company secretary Alison Kay puts it: ‘As the business changed its ways, and became more efficient and focused on process efficiency, why on earth shouldn’t legal?’ Another driving force was broader changes in the legal world, and the expectation the in-house team would rely much more on technology to streamline processes. A significant part of that has been the oft-cited chief operating officer at National Grid, Mo Ajaz, who attracted multiple nominations for his work: ‘He’s been hugely instrumental in the operational efficiency and he’s very well respected externally. People are looking to him simply because National Grid has been earmarked as having taken a big step in this direction,’ says Kay. Ajaz, who has been with National Grid since 2002, was appointed head of legal operational excellence in 2015. The team is split into around 30 lawyers in the UK and 80 in the US, managing the core regulated businesses in each jurisdiction. From these teams, ten lawyers will transfer to National Grid’s new arm, National Grid Ventures, established in April last year to look at new energy opportunities outside those regions. To complete the realignment of the in-house team as a business partner to National Grid, Kay refreshed its panel, cutting the number of firms from 15 to 12 in 2015 and changing the emphasis to ensure it was an extension of the in-house team, delivering a more agile service. The main project on National Grid’s books has been the £13.8bn separation of its gas business, announced in late 2016 and internally dubbed Project Piccadilly. Linklaters and Eversheds Sutherland advised, in what Kay describes as an innovative collaboration that provides a glimpse of the future of firms working together, an ‘absolute must’ for its panel. Otherwise, the in-house team is dealing with a sea of regulatory change, particularly the next round of price controls set by energy regulator Ofgem, effective from 2021. Kay is most proud, however, when talking about the team’s focus on efficiency, words she confesses would never have come from her lips five years ago. One example of this is working on contract software in a bid to automate at least 15 of its largest, most repeatable contracts by the end of 2018. ‘We still need legal advice in many, many areas, but it’s absolutely beholden to us to ensure that we do it at the best possible price, only using it when absolutely needed,’ Kay says. ‘We’re operating it as a true business and I have no hesitation in saying that none of it would have happened without Mo at my side.’