Conference programme Day Two: Wednesday 14 September

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08.30 Breakfast discussion: Perceptions of value of the in-house legal function: the role of general counsel (sponsored by Nabarro)
Commencing with coffee and breakfast this session seeks to explore how general counsel can demonstrate the value of their in-house legal function to senior management. Do they need to change perceptions and if so, how should they go about it? This facilitated session will discuss key findings of Nabarro's new research, carried out in summer 2011 with 100 GCs, into the demonstration and recognition of value of the in-house legal function and the role of general counsel. The session will also explore what GCs want their external legal advisers to do to demonstrate value more effectively.
Jonathan Warne, partner and head of dispute resolution, Nabarro
Peter Williamson, partner, Nabarro

09.00 Early coffee

09.15 Opening remarks from the chairman Lord David Gold

09.25 Crisis management (earthquakes not credit crunches)
After bringing themselves up to speed on how best to mitigate against risk stemming from the financial crisis, recent events have brought home the importance of preparedness in the face of natural disasters. Does preparing for the latter draw obvious parallels with the former or does this require a novel approach? Where does corporate counsel fit into organising a well developed and fully integrated readiness programme? Hear from in-house lawyers with experience of handling both the fallout from the financial crisis and the most costly industrial disaster ever to hit the UK.
Jeremy Evans, director, JECCS Consulting
Jonathan Pearl, general counsel, Sony Ericsson

10.00 Panel discussion: Operating as your company's ‘moral' compass
In response to significant regulatory developments and a global re-evaluation of corporate standards the question "is this legal?" is increasingly becoming "is this right?" Principles based legislation is forcing organisations to reassess how they attain compliance, with in-house counsel being expected to lead such change. This panel will discuss ways in which counsel can face up to these significant demands and effectively embed themselves as the moral compass of their organisation.
Lord David Gold, David Gold & Associates
Orla Muldoon, general counsel, Kellogg Europe
Tom Kilroy, general counsel and company secretary, Misys
Dominic Bacon, general counsel, WorldSpreads
Donald MacFarlane, global head of operations and general counsel, LDM Global

11.00 Keynote Interview: All matters employment (sponsored by Squire Sanders Hammonds)
With the removal of the default retirement age, Agency Workers Regulations and changes to paternity and maternity pay, internships, equalities regulation and flexible working, employment disputes could be at the top of general counsels' problem list. Hear from a general counsel currently having to juggle such concerns in an insightful interview format
David Whincup, partner, Squire Sanders Hammonds
Marco Pagni, group legal counsel, AllianceBoots

11.35 Morning coffee

12.00 Interactive focus groups

A. General counsel as project managers (Sponsored by NCTM)
General counsel are now expected to cover a far wider range of responsibilities than ever before. Along with such a broad remit comes a need for a skill set that incorporates many techniques and competencies which a legal education and internal training may not adequately provide. Attend this focus group for an opportunity to hear from, and question, leading consultants as well sharing tips and ideas with your fellow delegates.
Guido Fauda, partner, NCTM
Daragh Fagan, General Counsel, EMEA, Thomson Reuters Markets Division
Marco Pagni, group legal counsel, AllianceBoots

B. In-house tech - where are we now? (Sponsored by Autonomy)
With much having been made of technology focused at legal departments revolutionising the way corporate counsel operate, what has actually worked? Can remote access be seamlessly integrated and what ‘on the go' tech solutions have really aided you in your role? Facilitated by general counsel with solid, hands on experience this focus group will allow you to compare and share your use of IT and tech solutions with you contemporaries.
David Kemp, executive director of legal policy, Autonomy
Jonathan Smith, general counsel, Fujitsu UK

C. Bribery Act compliance - sourcing personal experiences from corporate counsel (sponsored by LexisNexis)
Perhaps now being sick to death of being preached to about the implications of the act, this focus groups hands the floor to in house counsel to discuss how they, personally, have found complying with the act. What unexpected hurdles have you come across? What sector specific considerations have caused a real headache? Attend this focus group to find answers to your most pressing questions in an informal information exchange with other corporate counsel.
Mark Dunn, market planner manager: risk and compliance, LexisNexis
Anne Fletcher, compliance director, Royal Mail
Robert Amaee, of counsel, Covington & Burling

13.00 Lunch

14.00 Interactive focus groups

A. Cross-border management - how to effectively manage decentralised teams
Large, globally dispersed legal teams may well include members who seldom meet face-to-face, operating in different cultural environments and relying upon technology to keep in touch. What skills and processes must general counsel adopt to ensure that decentralised teams continue to function in an effective, efficient and trusting way, and what tools are at your disposal to facilitate this?
Ian Stoodley, deputy general counsel, Intel Capital
Robert Cummins, assistant general counsel, Intelsat

B. Metrics revisited: How to get the most value through data analysis
Which departments take the largest slice of your companies legal spend and why is this so? What problems do they experience which pushes them towards demanding your time? More importantly, however, is the question as to whether this time and spend is justified. Taking metrics beyond demonstrating your teams ‘value add' we explore how utilising data can help you assess where and how your time is being wasted in giving reactive legal advice where other cheaper alternatives could have stopped a problem in its tracks.
Amanda Baxendale, legal manager, Bupa
Des Cahill, director of research, Legal Week Intelligence

C. Office politics 101 (sponsored by Huron Legal)
Like it or not your team and all in-house legal teams are a support department, attracting all the grief and hassle that come with this: Client departments not listening to you, ill-conceived initiatives which you were never consulted on and people ignoring your advice. So what is one to do? Get some expert advice on influencing skills and voice your grievances in this insightful (and cathartic) session.
Jonathan Middleburgh, director, Huron Consulting

15.10 Plenary address: Legal Services Act for in-house counsel
An awful lot has been made out of ‘Tesco law' meaning the end to traditional law firms, but beyond such speculation what are the advantages, or disadvantages, of sourcing legal services outside of law firms? Further, what liability considerations arise from the use of LPOs, where does liability truly lie and are firms a safer bet?
Bruce Macmillan, general counsel, Legal Services Board

16.00 Chairman's closing comments

16.10 Close of conference