Conference programme Day Two: Wednesday 15 September

09.00 Chairman’s welcome
Peter Kurer, former chairman, UBS

09.15 Panel discussion: Corporate governance and the general counsel - sponsored by Macfarlanes
Corporate governance best practice continues to evolve. This panel will discuss best practices for both listed and private companies, addressing themes including the relationship between corporate counsel and non-executive directors, risk committees, and the general counsel’s role in reporting to management and oversight committees.
Richard Hennity, head of legal – group counsel, HSBC
Charles Martin, senior partner, Macfarlanes
Orla Muldoon, chief counsel, Kellogg Europe

10.00 Workshop: Is my team well-structured?
Defining the right role for each member of an in-house legal team is crucial to managing a growing workload. Senior corporate counsel who have recently restructured their legal teams will explain why and how they took their decisions on the responsibilities and accountability accorded to each member. The discussion will also cover the issue of structuring a multi-jurisdictional team.
Daragh Fagan, general counsel EMEA, markets division, ThomsonReuters
Piers Le Marchant, European general counsel, Nomura
Jean Macdonald, general counsel, EDF

11.00 Morning coffee

11.30 Interactive focus groups

A. Advisor reviews and external costs – are general counsel scared of metrics?
What models have been successfully used by general counsel to analyse the value for money they get from their external counsel? This session will look at both qualitative and quantitative models that have been used.
Ian Leedham, senior counsel, National Grid

B. Scotching the Myths: Anti Bribery and Corruption – sponsored by Winston & Strawn
How to avoid prison, fines & blacklisting from EU contracts. New UK Anti-Bribery and Corruption laws simplify the legal position - but life is not always so black and white. This focus group will make understanding and complying with the new law simple, and will address the grey areas and what to do if corruption is uncovered.
Richard Kovalevsky QC, 2 Bedford Row Chambers
Barry Vitou, partner, Winston & Strawn

C. Training your internal clients to better understand risk - sponsored by Autonomy
Why should an in-house team endeavour to educate internal clients about risk management? And what is the best way of training these clients? This focus group will explore success stories and challenges involved in this emerging area of an in-house team’s responsibilities.
David Kemp, executive director of legal policy, Autonomy
Rachel Wheeler, head of legal, international asset management, BNY Mellon

12.45 Lunch

13.45 Interactive focus groups

A. Small legal teams – lessons from lawyers who work on their own, or in small in-house teams - sponsored by Blake, Cassels & Graydon
How much influence can you have on the board if you are a one-man band? How do you expand an in-house team beyond a membership of one, and how do you work effectively with external counsel and integrate them into your team?
Jeremy Evans, director, JECCS Commercial Consultancy Services
David G. Glennie, office managing partner, London, Blake, Cassels & Graydon
Alison Hampton, general counsel, HG Capital
Adrian Rubenstein, general counsel, Incisive Media

B. How to retain and motivate your staff when hardly anyone gets promoted
In-house legal teams typically have a flat career structure, which can make motivating in-house lawyers difficult – general counsel share tips to help keep the best lawyers in your team, to tackle the avalanche of regulation and tougher governance that will dominate the decade ahead.
Julian Allen, head of legal, insurance & investor services division, Capita Group
Tim Bratton, general counsel, Financial Times

C. The Digital Economy Act
This controversial piece of legislation has been much-criticised for its content. This focus group will look at how the Act is affecting media and copyright businesses, and what practical steps general counsel can take to ensure they stay within the law.
Neil Brown, solicitor, Vodafone
Samantha Hammonds, head of legal, copy and copyright, BSkyB

15.00 Workshop – closing session: The new normal – is it here to stay?
Fees and panels have been cut, the hourly rate has been seriously challenged. How long will this new dynamic with external counsel last and what are the new trends in billing/working with law firms? The session will include case studies on companies, such as Pfizer, that have moved to different fee systems.
Andrew Garard, general counsel and company secretary, ITV

15.50 Chairman’s closing comments
Peter Kurer, former chairman, UBS

16.00 Close of conference

View conference programme day one: Tuesday 14 September

To reserve your place at the Legal Week Corporate Counsel Forum Europe, click here to book online, download the fax booking form, call Steve Hands on +44 (0)20 7004 7460 or email legalweekconference@incisivemedia.com