Six lawyers from Osborne Clarke’s (OC) procurement team have left to establish a new law firm in Cologne, named Esch Bahner Lisch. Andersen Tax & Legal has also opened an offfice in the same German city last week.
Continue reading “OC team sets up boutique as Andersen launches in Cologne”
Lewis Silkin has appointed Graeme Wood as chief operating officer (COO) from CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang, ‘to support long term growth’ at the firm.
Continue reading “‘Long-term growth’: Lewis Silkin appoints CMS director of change”
Pinsent Masons has acquired specialist diversity and inclusion (D&I) business Brook Graham for an undisclosed sum, fresh from buying a 20% stake in New Law outsourcing business Yuzu.
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett’s London office has advised CVC Capital Partners on its record-breaking €16bn fundraising.
Continue reading “Simpson Thacher acts for CVC on record-breaking €16bn new fund”
Humphries Kerstetter has launched a series of new £300m competition damages claims against MasterCard and Visa, on behalf of a group of 27 UK high street companies including betting firms, online retailers and a major supermarket.
Addleshaw Goddard has scored roles advising both Lloyds Banking Group and Metro Bank on two distinct acquisitions worth £1.9bn and £596.7m respectively, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Linklaters on the other side.
Kennedys and US insurance firm Carroll McNulty & Kull (CMK) have completed their merger, giving the firm over 1000 lawyers across the Americas, Asia-Pacific, Europe and the Middle East.
Continue reading “Kennedys complete merger with US insurance firm Carroll McNulty & Kull”
GC: Could you start off by telling me about GuocoLand and its business?
Derek Goh: GuocoLand Limited is listed on the Singapore Exchange and is the property arm of the Hong Leong Group of Malaysia. Our principal businesses are property development, property investment, property management and hospitality. Currently, GuocoLand operates in Singapore, China, Malaysia, Vietnam, United Kingdom and Australia.
Continue reading “In conversation: Derek Goh, general counsel, GuocoLand”
Lego, world famous makers of toy building bricks, declares that its mission is to ‘inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow’. It had this ethos front of mind when it began unveiling a state-of-the-art design concept for some of its major global offices.
Continue reading “The building blocks of working differently”
It’s a common refrain: law firms are not giving in-house teams what they want, in the way that they want it.
Amid the disruption of alternative providers and increasing automation of services, law firms should be listening closely to their clients. But, according to a recent report published by LexisNexis in collaboration with Judge Business School at the University of Cambridge, many are not.
Imagine the worst: within the last 72 hours, your company has been hit by a major crisis. Firstly, and most importantly, there may have been serious damage to the community in which you operate.
GC Magazine: Tell me about Digi Telecommunications and your role with the company?
Ola Hanson: Digi is one of the three big telecom operators in Malaysia, listed on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange. It is part of a global telecommunications provide Telenor Group and is a leader in driving progressive and responsible business practices. I was the General Counsel and Head of Legal & Regulatory for Telenor’s Swedish operations before coming over to Asia to work as the General Counsel for Digi.
Continue reading “In conversation: Ola Hanson, general counsel, Digi Telecommunications”
Innovation has become a much-used (some might say abused) term. It’s certainly a familiar buzzword in the legal world.
Continue reading “Innovation – knowing the right question to ask”
GC magazine editor Alex Speirs moderated the first panel discussion of the day, entitled ‘Recalibrating the global trade compass’.
GC: How did you come to be leading the legal function for Heineken across Asia Pacific?
Geraldine Lim: I joined Heineken in 2012 from Asia Pacific Breweries, after being responsible for handling much of the legal side of the integration of the two businesses. The amount of compliance and regulations that had to be followed as part of the acquisition, including de-listing a company that had been on the stock exchange since the 1930s was a big deal! But I’ve been working in beer for a long time now.
Continue reading “In conversation: Geraldine Lim, regional legal director, Heineken”
Corporations today are facing far greater regulatory scrutiny than ever before. Companies are grappling with stricter enforcement around corruption, cybersecurity, fraud, money laundering and data protection, to name but a few. Those operating in sectors such as banking, financial services, insurance, energy, pharmaceuticals and information technology are finding themselves increasingly under the spotlight, where penalties for non-compliance can be substantial.
GC: Transitioning from a law firm in Washington DC to a startup in Singapore is quite a change, how did you find it?
Christopher Chan: It’s great to shake up your life every now and then to get new perspectives and experiences. There is nothing like leaving behind a cushy, well-paid job in the United States to go someplace where you’re not sure if the company is going to exist three months from now – it pushes you beyond boundaries of personal risk tolerance and out of your comfort zone! However, it is an exhilarating experience, and I can honestly say I love what I do.
Continue reading “In conversation: Christopher Chan, general counsel, RedMart”
GC: Could you tell me about your own background and how you came into the role with LagfargeHolcim?
Patrick McGlinchey: Before the Lafarge and Holcim merger took place, I worked as the regional general counsel for East Asia Pacific for Holcim, based between Sydney and Singapore. Following the merger, I now lead the legal and governance function for LafargeHolcim APAC. I have been in practice for over 20 years in London, Sydney and Singapore and have been a general counsel with a few MNCs, as well being an M&A lawyer by training.
Continue reading “In conversation: Patrick McGlinchey, regional general counsel, LafargeHolcim”
So said Dwight D. Eisenhower. But for global businesses, often headquartered in countries that have long enjoyed the benefits of a robust judiciary, the connection between rule of law and profitability might not always be so obvious.
Continue reading “Respect for the law: the Bingham Centre Business Network”
‘I find it strange that whether or not we use technology is still such a common question asked of general counsel, because I can’t understand how any legal team can work without it,’ remarked Jenni Aldrich, director of legal – APAC, at Google.
