United Kingdom: Hall of Fame 2026
Supported by the Association of Corporate Counsel
General counsel and company secretary | British Airways
Chief operating officer - legal, governance and corporate affairs | Rio Tinto
General counsel and company secretary | Coca-Cola Europacific Partners plc
Chief risk officer, global general counsel for investments, and head, EMEA | The Carlyle Group
General counsel, compliance officer and data protection officer | E.ON UK Legal, Compliance and Data Protection Team
General counsel and compliance officer | Nestlé UK and Ireland
Director of legal services and company secretary | Associated British Foods
Group general counsel, director of regulatory affairs | BT
Managing director and general counsel, global head of services, legal | Citi
Director of legal - corporate & deputy secretary to the Board | Virgin Media O2
Legal and corporate affairs director | Anglo American (soon to be Anglo Teck)
It is my honour to announce the launch of Legal 500’s inaugural GC Powerlist UK: Hall of Fame, in partnership with Lexis Nexis. This exclusive group is made up of senior in-house counsel who have consistently stood out throughout our UK research over several consecutive years.
Our Hall of Fame honourees boast extensive experience, with careers spanning the world’s largest financial institutions, government bodies, tech giants, and media conglomerates. This impressive cohort represents more than just legal advisors; they are integrated business partners. As Simon Croxford, General Counsel, investment bank and EMEA at UBS Group Legal UK, reminds us, ‘a good lawyer will go beyond an advisory role’. For Croxford, this means being ‘a strategic partner who… is at the table for key discussions with stakeholders’.
GCs are increasingly relied upon to provide advice that is both legally and commercially viable, remaining compliant while also driving growth. ‘Ultimately, they act as a trusted advisor to the Board and the business, enabling the business to grow while remaining legally and ethically sound’, says Alison Yapp, group general counsel and company secretary at Compass Group.
But the influence of in-house counsel extends beyond legal or commercial objectives. Mark Maurice-Jones, General Counsel and Compliance Officer at Nestlé UK and Ireland, sees ‘an increasing role for in-house counsel in driving forward the company’s purpose and values’. Alongside our other Hall of Famers, Maurice-Jones points to the impact that GCs have on company culture and employee wellbeing. He highlights the work that in-house leaders can do in supporting their organisations’ core values, from ESG and human rights initiatives to fostering an ethical working environment.
Legal 500 is proud to celebrate such an innovative and influential group of in-house counsel, who play an integral role in driving progress both within the legal world and beyond.
Isabel Caine
Editor – Corporate Counsel
Legal 500
The recent news that elite US firm Sullivan & Cromwell had apologised to a judge over AI hallucinations in a court filing prompted a collective wince from the legal profession.
But while some lawyers remain wary of AI, others are striking a more open-minded note, and at the LexisNexis AI Forum hosted this Wednesday (20 May) by Legal 500 and Legal Business, panelists argued that the risks are far outweighed by the opportunities.
Barbara Zapisetskaya, principal technology counsel at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, made the case that hallucinations and other potential pitfalls can be overcome with a shift in mindset.
‘What makes a difference,’ she said, ‘is empowering your lawyers to take responsibility for AI output – helping them become active AI operators, not just passive AI users. You have agency to decide whether you agree with the output or not.’
Zapisetskaya was among a line-up of leading in-house figures speaking on two panels, which covered everything from practical steps for AI implementation to the key decisions GCs need to be making in the coming months.
Financial Times general counsel Dan Guilford began by stressing the importance of building the right culture for AI adoption. In addition to proactively upskilling himself, Guilford talked about how he had implemented a voluntary weekly ‘show and tell’ meeting for team members to share successful use cases – or an exercise that became a gratifying measure of progress.
Other panelists discussed how increased in-house productivity is altering the dynamic with their external counsel.
While some see the use of AI by law firms as a precursor for reduced fees, Russell Davies, head of global operations for legal and compliance at Dentsu, said that faster results – however they are delivered – are something to be valued.
GSK assistant general counsel Anthony Kenny agreed, saying that while there was an expectation that external counsel would be utilising AI, the focus should be on the value of the output, rather than an overemphasis on identifying AI use as a justification to reduce fees.
Speaking on the second panel, MUFG EMEA general counsel James Morgan stressed the critical importance of education, noting that educating the C-suite on the advantages and risks of AI is just as important as enabling large in-house teams to use these tools.
Shanthini Satyendra, vice-chair of the AI Committee, Society for Computers & Law, CEO and founder of Manisain, offered a reminder of the importance of making the connection between tasks and the purpose behind them, extolling the virtues of identifying use cases for AI that can solve a meaningful problem.
Zapisetskaya concurred, adding that one of the most important tasks for GCs across the next six to twelve months is to create AI playbooks and templates, noting that ‘it is easy for lawyers to see problems – much harder for lawyers to see opportunities.’
There was also broad agreement among panellists that GCs should focus on upskilling their junior lawyers on AI, rather than – as some may expect – cutting back their workforce. As Satyendra summarised: ‘Some people are replacing human capital with AI without thinking about what’s required to make AI work. Retain your people and train them up.’
The panels were moderated by Emma Millington, head of the UK Lexis+ Finance Group, and LexisNexis director of segment management Stuart Greenhill.
