GC Powerlist: Northern England 2026

General counsel from companies including Adidas, Manchester United, Asda and Odeon Cinemas are among a line-up of leading in-house lawyers to have been named in Legal 500’s first-ever Northern England GC Powerlist.

The list, which officially launched yesterday at a reception at Manchester’s Midland Hotel, includes more than 100 senior in-house lawyers based across the north of England.

Legal leaders from leading British and global corporations were selected for inclusion in the list based on their contributions to their company or industry sector over the last year, with the research drawing on input from their peers, the private practice partners they instruct, and the Legal 500 GC Powerlist research team.

Legal heads at 101 unique companies have been awarded a place on the list, with multiple spots for lawyers at larger corporations such as Aviva, Barclays and Lloyds Banking Group.

The launch event was introduced by Eversheds Sutherland global co-CEO Keith Froud (pictured), who paid tribute to the growing influence of in-house counsel working in the key business centres across the North.

Twelve FTSE 100 companies are represented on the list, including Autotrader, BAE Systems, Croda, DCC, Experian, HSBC, IMI and United Utilities, with strong representation from companies in the financial services, manufacturing, retail and technology sectors.

Legal heads at household name retail and consumer goods brands include Fraser Group head of legal Emma Reid, B&M general counsel Alex Simpson and Debenhams GC Sarah Petrie, who has led the company’s legal team through a busy period which has included a rebrand and a major refinancing.

Sports and media companies are also well represented on the list, with seven legal heads at Premier League football clubs, including Newcastle United GC John Devine, Manchester United GC Martin Mosley, Liverpool FC GC Jonathan Bamber and Simon Cliff, the GC of Manchester City Football Club parent company City Football Group.

Energy, utilities and infrastructure companies comprise a significant portion of the list, with representation from Siemens Energy, United Utilities, Northern Powergrid and Sellafield Limited.