Conference programme Day Two: Wednesday 16 September

09:00 Chairman’s welcome
Charles Lawton, former general counsel, Rio Tinto

09:10 Keynote: Proactive management of external counsel
Dirk Tirez, general counsel, The Belgian Post

09.50 Open Forum: Managing risk to ensure business success
This open forum will allow delegates to interact with an expert panel as they conduct a cost benefit analysis of risk in today's business market. A thorough evaluation of the decision making process required to mitigate risk will be at the forefront of this session.
Charles Martin, partner, Macfarlanes LLP
Han Kooy, president of ECLA and senior counsel of Shell
International

10:40 Morning coffee

11:00 Interactive focus group sessions

A: People management: Influencing the external corporate agenda
This session identifies the role of general counsel in relation to a company’s corporate responsibility outside of the business. The session will outline the best methods of generating support, effecting change and making use of industry lobby groups to maximise the impact of general counsel outside of the business.
Tim Cowen, general counsel, BT Global Services

B: Risk management: Managing competition exposure - operational steps to ensure compliance
Failure to comply with competition law can lead to fines of as much as 10% of global turnover. Given the potential gravity of this legal threat in-house counsel must keep up to speed with the latest changes in EU competition law to safeguard the interest of your business. Hear leading experts in this field explain and outline the practical impacts of new changes in EU competition law.
Jasper de Gou, advocaat, competition counsel, Akzo Nobel
Stefano Fratta, competition counsel, Telefónica Europe

C: People management: Fine tuning company-wide risk management policy by transforming your legal function
Risk management is core to the role of in-house counsel, but to succeed in their role corporate counsel must be given the correct tools and skills to be able to meet the risk appetite of an organisation and understand their place within the business. With heightened government regulation and increasing corporate demands, this group will explore the various mechanisms that can be used to ensure your team is sure of their role and leading the way in enterprise risk management.
Philip Bramwell, group general counsel, BAE Systems
Gillian Haselden, deputy general counsel, Ernst & Young Global
Rees Morrison, president, Rees Morrison Associates

12:15 Lunch

13:15 Interactive focus group sessions

A) Strategic management: Capitalising on the benefits of technology to improve team productivity
Technology is often overlooked in corporate legal departments, but the reality is even established and simplistic technology such as an effective document management system can free up time for stretched legal teams to focus on the high risk and highly skilled work that provide real return on investment for a company. Join this open and practical group to discuss the myriad of technologies that have proven their worth and assisted in the efficient functioning of the modern legal department.
Daragh Fagan, general counsel, EMEA, Thomson Reuters
Ian Leedham, senior counsel – commercial, National Grid Legal Services

B) Risk management: Easing the stress of cross-jurisdictional deal management in emerging markets
The process of conducting business deals and carrying out litigation in emerging markets can be incredibly complex and daunting. What are the key commercial considerations and what regulatory hurdles must be overcome to effectively engage with the emerging markets. This focus group will explore the investment and litigation landscape present in emerging economies and will also cover effective methods of drafting and enforcing contracts to ensure effective deal management.
Richard Given, director, legal - emerging markets, CISCO
Graham Smith, partner, Blakes

C) People management - Sustaining a motivated and technically diverse legal team
Attracting and retaining top quality staff is one of the key priorities for today’s Head of Legal, but how does this fit in a world where cost savings and increased workload are an increasingly dominant theme? This session will explore the most effective methods of meeting business demands whilst still offering strong career progression for your team.
Carol Hui, general counsel, BAA
Simon Miller, head of commercial and dispute resolution, Hammonds

14:30 GC round table discussion
Choose one of three round table discussion sessions each dealing with a topical scenario you are likely to come across in the next 12 months. Providing unique and candid insight into the decision-making behind some of Europe's leading legal teams, you will gain practical solutions from your peers and legal experts on the critical issues ahead.

Round table one: Building and getting buy in for a company wide compliance programme

Round table two: Litigation vs. Alternative Dispute Resolution: minimise risk and maximise the chances of success

Round table three: Meeting the challenges of managing a legal function in the next 12 months

15:30 Chair’s closing comments

15:40 Close of conference

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