People and panels

Legal & General
In its first panel review since 2004, insurance company Legal & General (L&G) has surprisingly decided not to reappoint Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer to its list of regular legal advisers, despite the expansion of its panel from 19 to 16.

The decision comes despite Freshfields’ previous success on the panel in advising L&G to challenge claims by the Financial Services Authority that the insurance firm mis-sold endowment mortgages.  The appointment of Allen & Overy means that Freshfields is now the only magic circle firm not included on L&G’s new panel, which will stand for three years. The review also saw the company’s legal advisers amalgamated onto a single panel, marking a break from previous years when five separate panels were announced.

L&G’s new panel is as follows: Allen & Overy, Beachcroft, Berwin Leighton Paisner, Clifford Chance, Dundas & Wilson, Eversheds, Halliwells, Jones Day, LG, Linklaters, Macfarlanes, Maples Teesale, McGrigor, Olswang, Sacker & Partners, Simmons & Simmons, Slaughter and May, Speechly Bircham and Wragge & Co.

Lloyds TSB
Lloyds TSB has its new legal panel, which includes the names of top City law firms alongside newcomer to the panel, Forsters. Allen & Overy, CMS Cameron McKenna, Denton Wilde Sapte, Eversheds, Linklaters and Lovells, have all retained their places on the bank’s main panel, whilst Forsters will feature on both the bank’s main panel and one of its sub-panels.  The announcement from Lloyds comes shortly before Lloyds TSB is expected to complete its takeover of HBOS. As yet, the bank has not indicated whether it intends to create a single legal panel following the merge.

Channel Five
Paul Chinnery has been promoted from chief legal officer to the director of legal affairs at TV broadcaster Five. Chinnery, who worked as a solicitor at Finers Innocent before joining Five in 1997, has been managing the legal affairs at the broadcasters in an unofficially capacity following the retirement of Colin Campbell in 2007. As well as being officially confirmed as director of legal affairs, Chinnery has also gained a position on the channel’s executive board and will continue in the role of company secretary.

Boston Consulting Group
Boston Consulting Group (BCG) is to review its European legal team with the intention of increasing its internal team and reducing external legal costs. BCG is expected to fill three newly created legal positions in Europe over the next few months, as it begins to redress the balance between external and internal advisers.   Norton Rose, Linklaters and Myer Brown are all firms who have worked closely with BCG in the past, but may become subject to the consulting group’s review. The management consulting group is expected to begin its review of external advisers in the latter part of this year.

Welsh Assembly Government
The Welsh Assembly Government has appointed four barristers from chambers 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square onto a newly created legal panel. The barristers will provide an in-house advocacy and advisory service to the Assembly. The barristers were appointed by in-house chief Carwyn Jones and will hold their positions for three years, before becoming subject to a standard review.

Serious Fraud Office
Vivian Robinson QC, member of barristers’ chambers QEB HollisWhiteman, has been appointed as first general counsel to the Serious Fraud Office. The criminal barrister and fraud specialist is due to begin in the role this spring. The creation of the post has come in response to the de Grazia report last year, which proposed the introduction of a chief counsel. It is hoped the appointment of Robinson will increase the SFO’s legal capacity and help to address the office’s low conviction rate.


McDonald’s
McDonald’s has promoted Della Burnside from UK head of legal services to general counsel and company secretary.  Since joining McDonald’s from easyGroup in 2007, Burnside has played a significant role in overhauling the company’s UK legal team. As general counsel and company secretary, she will now be responsible for all legal issues relating to McDonald’s key areas of business.

Sodexo
Facilities management company Sodexo has announced the appointment of Gareth John as its new general counsel. John will be in charge of managing Sodexo’s legal affairs, and will report to the company’s finance director, Aidan Connolly. John joins Sodexo from Transport for London, where he was director of legal and compliance. During his four years at TFL John worked on transport infrastructure projects, employment, commercial and public law disputes and planning issues.

Commerzbank
Commerzbank has confirmed its global and London legal heads are to continue in their roles, following the bank’s recent takeover of Germany’s Dresdner Bank. John Benson, who co-headed the bank’s legal team in London with Susan Cooksley has been appointed head of legal for London, whilst Guenter Hugger will continue as global head as soon as the merged banks’ legal teams are fully integrated. This is expected to occur in March.

Guardian News and Media
Gillian Phillips has been appointed as the new director of editorial legal services at Guardian News and Media (GNM). Phillips is currently head of litigation at Times Newspaper, where she has been for the last eight years. She is expected to begin to GNM in May, where she will be in charge of the company’s in-house editorial legal function. The commercial in-house legal team will continue to function separately as before.

WilliamsF1
Jane Moffatt will no longer act legal chief for WillimaF1, following her decision to leave the motor racing team for personal reasons. WilliamsF1 have begun the search for a suitable replacement. Moffat is due to move to General Electric Oil & Gas in Italy, where she will take up a senior legal position. WilliamsF1 are seeking someone to advise on regulatory matters, rights management, commercial and corporate work, and employment issues.

Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison
Beth Wilkinson, the former general counsel of Fannie Mae, has jpined the partnership of Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison. Wilkinson brings with her a wealth of experience. Previous roles include time as co-chair at Latham & Walkins’ white collar crime practise group, and eight years as prosecutor at the Department of Justice, during which time she successfully argued for the execution of Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh. She will be based in the firm's Washington office, where she is due to begin work this February.

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton has rehired Edward Greene from Citibank to their New York capital markets practise. Greene was is acting as general counsel of the bank’s institutional clients group and has previously worked as general counsel of the US Securities and Exchange Commission and as director of the Division of Corporate Finance. He is expected to begin work at Cleary’s New York office in February.

3
Jane Jellis has been appointed head of competition and regulatory at mobile phone operator 3. Jellis joins the group from Simmons & Simmons where she was senior associate. The newly created role will put Jellis in charge of handling 3’s relationships with Ofcom, the media and telecoms regulator. She will also be responsible for managing 3’s competition work.