United Kingdom 2016
Supported by the Association of Corporate Counsel
For the 2016 edition of GC Powerlist we return to the original format of the report – launched in 2013 – focusing on senior general counsel (GCs). Over that time, the report has expanded hugely to become one of the most important strands of Legalease’s portfolio. Expanding the report also reflects the reality that in understanding GCs, you need to look at the specifics. While law firms operate on a few variants of the same model, in-house teams are defined much more by the industry and the individual company in which they work.
But there are broad trends as well. The upward march of the in-house profession that this report was originally launched to chronicle has, if anything, accelerated. While law firms are struggling for growth in many sectors, in-house teams continue to expand in the UK and take on greater swathes of work. It’s becoming increasingly mainstream to encounter teams with multimillion-pound budgets that put only a tiny minority of their work to law firms. Where they are instructing outside counsel, a good proportion of GCs now barely bother to conceal their tactic of pushing law firms down the value chain… and their teams correspondingly upwards.
RPC’s managing partner on how the modern GC made law a part of business (and vice versa).
It was late 2012 when RPC first became involved with Legal Business’ GC Powerlist. Back then, over four years after Lehman Brothers collapsed, the world economy was still looking parlous.
Another four years on and, although we’re now certainly on a firmer footing economically, there are still plenty of reasons to be fearful, or at least cautious, over what the future might hold for businesses: the slowdown in China; the collapse in the price of oil; stock market woes, here and in Asia; and uncertainty surrounding Britain’s possible exit from Europe, to name just a few.
Jonathan Watmough
Managing Partner
RPC
It has been a pleasure for Legal 500 to present the 2026 edition of the GC Powerlist: Germany in Frankfurt, celebrating the outstanding in-house professionals shaping this jurisdiction’s corporate legal landscape. The evening reception took place in the Restaurant Opéra, a beautiful location at the heart of country’s legal and financial hub.
This year’s reception welcomed the stemmed senior in-house counsel community in Germany, celebrating the blend of strategic authority, operational precision, technological adoption, and principled leadership that defines Germany’s in-house legal community today.
Carmen Godoy, lead editor of this third edition of the GC Powerlist: Germany 2026, welcomed everyone in the room. It was wonderful to see some familiar faces from previous editions and a pleasure to welcome those featuring in the GC Powerlist for the first time.
Following Godoy’s introduction, Mr Florian Weisner, managing partner at FPS Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft, our hosts of the evening, addressed the audience with valuable remarks highlighting the value of the professional and personal exchange in the legal sector in Germany. He was followed on the stage by Dr Dierk Schindler, vice president of legal innovation and head of legal services global purchasing and logistics at Robert Bosch. Our keynote speaker of the evening focused on highlighting one of the hot topics of the in-house legal sphere worldwide: legal developments surrounding AI.
In her remarks, Godoy unveiled the findings of this year’s research into Germany’s in-house legal market. From ensuring legal is decisively embedded in strategy, to integrating AI in the legal teams’ daily practice and operating under geopolitical and regulatory pressure. Germany’s general counsel are leading with transparency, accountability, and a clear sense of responsibility.
The GCs, CLOs, heads of legal and other senior in-house counsel in the room had many achievements to celebrate.
On behalf of the entire Legal 500 team, we extend our warmest congratulations to everyone included in this 2026 edition of the GC Powerlist: Germany.
We would also like to take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude FPS Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft for joining us in recognising the exceptional talent driving progress across Germany’s in-house legal profession.
