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 delight for Legal 500 to present the inaugural edition of the GC Powerlist: Belgium 2025 in Brussels, celebrating the outstanding in-house professionals shaping this jurisdiction’s corporate legal landscape.
This year’s reception welcomed the stemmed senior in-house counsel community in Belgium, recognising their contributions to adaptability, innovation, and integrity in the in-house legal sphere in the country. Their hard and committed work is positioning Belgium as one of the most dynamic and resilient jurisdictions in the region.
Carmen Godoy, editor of the Legal 500 team, opened the evening on behalf of Isabel Caine, lead editor of this very first edition of the GC Powerlist: Belgium 2025. It was wonderful to see some familiar faces from previous Benelux Powerlist editions and a pleasure to welcome those featuring in the GC Powerlist for the first time.
In her remarks, Godoy highlighted the powerful blend of adaptability, strategic insight and principled leadership that the in-house legal counsel of Belgium demonstrated throughout the research process. From playing a more proactive role in shaping business models to doing so while maintaining ethical standards, fostering trust, and supporting inclusive organisational cultures, the GCs, CLOs, heads of legal and other senior in-house counsel in the room had many achievements to celebrate.
Following Godoy, Christophe Laurent, managing partner of Loyens & Loeff Belgium, our hosts of the evening, addressed the audience with some remarks highlighting the invaluable contributions that in-house legal leadership brings to their organisations.
On behalf of the entire Legal 500 team, we extend our warmest congratulations to everyone included in the inaugural edition of the GC Powerlist: Belgium.
We would also like to take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude to Loyens & Loeff for joining us in recognising the exceptional talent driving progress across Belgium’s legal profession.
