On Wednesday 22nd April, Legal 500 was delighted to host the GC Summit: Ireland 2026 at The Marker Dublin.<\/p>\n
The day\u2019s insightful agenda began with a panel discussion on building a sustainable in-house legal team. Moderator Isabel Caine, editor \u2013 corporate counsel at Legal 500, was joined on stage by Orla Joyce, legal director at Heineken Ireland, Lindsay Stevens, head of legal (Ireland) at Danske Bank, Lisa Gallagher, general counsel at An Post and Margaret Maguire, general counsel at Fexco Group.<\/p>\n
Acknowledging how the in-house role has developed in recent years, the panellists considered the evolving skillset now required within a legal team and recommended essential attributes to prioritise when hiring and training employees. Each speaker highlighted potential challenges in a lucrative hiring market and strategies to attract talent \u2013 from flexibility in hiring processes to company perks and reputation. Offering practical takeaways, such as skills frameworks and communication guidelines, the panel considered how to create an environment that nurtures employees in a way that benefits both themselves and the organisation; the panellists wrapped up with advice on how to ensure longevity, but also efficiency, within an in-house legal team. Questions from the audience centred on motivating a team, particularly senior lawyers, and the role AI will now play within a department when it comes to training and junior lawyers.<\/p>\n
After a break for refreshments and networking, Brian McElligott, partner and head of artificial intelligence at Mason Hayes Curran, took to the stage to moderate the second panel: \u2018Make AI work for your legal team: how to \u2018do more with less\u2019 without compromising risk or integrity\u2019. Dr Don Hughes, VP and general counsel (EMEA and M&A) at Hitachi Digital Ireland, Ruth Murphy, head of legal at Google, Ireland and Sarah Grace, global head of corporate governance at Stripe, made up this topical panel. Each shared war stories from their own AI journeys and lessons learned along the way, such as tighter policies around security and confidentiality.<\/p>\n
Ending on a positive note, the panel reminded attendees that AI can be used to enhance legal teams. When fed structured prompts, AI makes for a great delegation tool; the trick is to tell AI what to do effectively \u2013 something lawyers do well, the panel joked. Don\u2019t hesitate to ask AI to show how it reached solutions, to not fill gaps if it doesn\u2019t have the information, to provide detailed schedules or training materials for personal development. Ultimately, final accountability sits with the human, so make sure what you put in and what you get out of AI is credible and valuable.<\/p>\n
The final panel of the day was entitled \u2018From advisor to influencer: how in-house counsel can drive decisions and shape business strategy\u2019, moderated by Lynda Nyhan, partner and head of employment at TaylorWessing. Jennifer Adams, head of legal and company secretary at Veolia Ireland, Emer Walsh, chief legal officer at Gas Networks Ireland, and Stephen MacKenzie, general counsel at Citibank, shared their experience<\/p>\n
of how the in-house role has shifted. As GCs become more integrated into organisations as strategic partners, challenges present themselves as a result of balancing different facets of the role. The panel discussed how to manage the tensions that arise when wearing multiple hats, providing advice that is both commercially and legally sound and building relationships with key stakeholders.<\/p>\n
Legal 500 would like to thank all speakers for their valuable contributions and insights and all attendees for their involvement and engagement on the day. A big thank you to our sponsors, TaylorWessing and Mason Hayes, and networking partners Harvey and FTI Consulting.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
On Wednesday 22nd April, Legal 500 was delighted to host the GC Summit: Ireland 2026 at The Marker Dublin. The day\u2019s insightful agenda began with a panel discussion on building a sustainable in-house legal team. Moderator Isabel Caine, editor \u2013 corporate counsel at Legal 500, was joined on stage by Orla Joyce, legal director at … <\/p>\n