Team size: Three
What are the most significant cases or transactions that your legal team has recently been involved in?
Over the past year, our team has been involved in a number of strategically critical commercial projects and organisational transformation initiatives for McDonald’s. Across these projects, led by multidisciplinary local and international teams, it has been essential to act swiftly in identifying, assessing and calibrating risks and contingencies in a pragmatic manner aligned with the company’s strategic priorities. What these matters have in common is their scale, their cross-functional nature, and the need for close alignment between legal analysis and business decision-making.
What do you value most in external advisers working alongside your team: sector knowledge, responsiveness, innovation, or something else?
We value external advisers who act as true business partners and as a natural extension of the Legal Department. This means lawyers who have a deep understanding of our sector and business model, the regulatory environment in which we operate, and our corporate culture. They should be comfortable challenging us with sound judgement and pragmatism, prioritising clear, practical and proportionate solutions, and sharing responsibility for outcomes. In this sense, we expect advisers to deliver far more than purely theoretical legal analysis.
How has the role of the legal function evolved within your organisation over recent years, and where do you see it adding the most strategic value today?
At McDonald’s, as in any organisation committed to responsible and sustainable management, the legal function has taken on an increasingly important leadership role. By translating legal complexity and promoting balanced risk management, it helps create the conditions for decisions to be made by the right stakeholders, in the right forums, and in a way that is practical and aligned with the company’s strategy.
In what ways does your legal team promote diversity, equity, and inclusion, both within the department and in your external legal partnerships?
Inclusion is part of McDonald’s DNA and one of its core values. It is not a standalone topic, but rather a principle that underpins how the company creates opportunities, manages its people and ensures that all employees feel respected and included. We expect our external legal advisers to adopt the same approach and uphold the same principles. As we view our advisers as an extension of the Legal Department, alignment in values – particularly regarding diversity, equity and inclusion – is essential.
