United Kingdom Teams 2024 – GC Powerlist
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United Kingdom Teams 2024

Supported by the Association of Corporate Counsel

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  • Industries

  • Powerlist

Food, beverages and tobacco

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 Sage UK Legal

| Sage Group

Information technology

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abrdn

| abrdn

Financials

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Accenture

| Accenture

Information technology

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Adobe

| Adobe

Information technology

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AIG

| AIG

Financials

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Amazon

| Amazon

Information technology

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American Express

| American Express

Financials

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Anglo American

| Anglo American

Materials and mining

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Aon

| Aon

Financials

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ASOS

| ASOS

Information technology

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AstraZeneca

| AstraZeneca

Healthcare

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Auto Trader Group

| Auto Trader Group

Information technology

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Industrials and real estate

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Bank of England Legal

| Bank of England

Financials

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Barclays

| Barclays

Financials

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Barratt Developments

| Barratt Developments

Industrials and real estate

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BAT

| BAT

Food

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BBC

| BBC

Sports and media

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BP

| BP

Energy and utilities

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British Airways Legal Team

| British Airways

Transport and Infrastructures

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Bupa

| Bupa

Healthcare

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Burberry

| Burberry

Consumer products

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Citi

| Citi

Financials

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Coca-Cola HBC

| Coca-Cola HBC

Food

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Food, beverages and tobacco

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Convatec

| Convatec

Healthcare

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Currys

| Currys

Consumer products

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Danone

| Danone

Food

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DHL

| DHL

Transport and infrastructure

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Diageo Legal

| Diageo

Food, beverages and tobacco

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DS Smith

| DS Smith

Manufacturing

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Easyjet

| Easyjet

Transport and infrastructure

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EDF

| EDF

Energy and utilities

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EG Group

| EG Group

Transport and Infrastructures

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Equinor

| Equinor

Energy and utilities

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Evri

| Evri

Transport and infrastructure

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Experian

| Experian

Information technology

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GSK

| GSK

Healthcare

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Haleon

| Haleon

Healthcare

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HSBC

| HSBC

Financials

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IHG Hotels & Resorts

| IHG Hotels & Resorts

Hotels

Industrials and real estate

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Informa

| Informa

Sports and media

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International Airline Group

| International Airline Group

Transport and infrastructure

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JLL

| JLL

Industrials and real estate

Landsec Legal

| Landsec

Industrials and real estate

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Legal & General Group

| Legal & General Group

Financials

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LiveScore Group

| LiveScore Group

Hotel

Lloyds Legal and Secretariat

| Lloyds Banking Group

Financials

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Lombard Legal

| Lombard International Group

Financials

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London Stock Exchange Group, Legal and Compliance

|  London Stock Exchange Group

Financials

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Marks & Spencer

| Marks & Spencer

Consumer products

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Meta

| Meta

Information technology

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National Grid

| National Grid

Energy and utilities

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Natwest

| Natwest

Financials

Food, beverages and tobacco

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Network Rail

| Network Rail

Transport and Infrastructures

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Next

| Next

Consumer products

Octopus Energy Group Legal

| Octopus Energy

Energy and utilities

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Phoenix Group Holdings

| Phoenix Group Holdings

Insurance

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Prudential

| Prudential

Insurance

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Reckitt

| Reckitt

Consumer products

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RELX

| RELX

Information technology

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Rio Tinto

| Rio Tinto

Materials and mining

Consumer products

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Insurance

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Sainsbury’s

| Sainsbury's

Consumer products

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Schroders

| Schroders

Financials

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Shell

| Shell

Energy and utilities

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Siemens

| Siemens

Industrials and real estate

Sky Legal

| Sky

Sports and media

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Smiths Group

| Smiths Group

Industrials and real estate

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SSE

| SSE

Energy and utilities

Standard Chartered Legal Team

| Standard Chartered

Financials

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Tesco

| Tesco

Consumer products

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The Carlyle Group

| The Carlyle Group

Financials

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The Crown Estate

| The Crown Estate

Industrials and real estate

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Trainline Legal

| Trainline

Information technology

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Unilever Legal

| Unilever

Consumer products

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Industrials and real estate

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Virgin Atlantic

| Virgin Atlantic

Transport and infrastructure

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Virgin Media O2

| Virgin Media O2

Telecommunication services

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Visa

| Visa

Financials

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Telecommunication services

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Industrials and real estate

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Wise

| Wise

Financials

Sports and media

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On behalf of The Legal 500, it is our distinct pleasure to present the GC Powerlist United Kingdom Teams 2024. This year, we are shifting our focus to highlight the remarkable efforts of legal teams and their collective role in driving the success of their companies, while also embracing and overcoming emerging challenges and demands. This edition provides an exclusive insight into the inner workings of the country’s top legal teams, gathered from a series of interviews.

In this collection, we explore the distinctive culture and ethos that set these leading teams apart. Through candid conversations, we delve into their day-to-day dynamics, strategic approaches to legal challenges, and their collaborative efforts with other departments within their organisations.

It is evident that UK-based in-house legal teams are now at the forefront of navigating the complexities and potential pitfalls in today’s volatile business environment. Within these pages, you will find details on significant cases, transactions, and deals executed by the top in-house legal teams in the country.

Moreover, legal teams are increasingly at the cutting edge of technology and legal tech tools, using these innovations to anticipate regulatory changes and enhance risk management and compliance. As exemplified by the legal team at Trainline: ‘our vision statement “Power and Protect” reflects our dual responsibility to enable new opportunities while safeguarding the business from risks. At Trainline, the legal team is viewed not merely as a support function but as a pivotal business partner driving the company’s ambitious goals. Our role includes being thought leaders and solution-oriented, understanding business objectives, identifying potential challenges, and proactively devising strategies to meet or exceed these goals, all while protecting the business in a rapidly evolving regulatory and commercial landscape.

Similarly, many of the featured in-house legal teams have shared their initiatives and projects aimed at giving back to society. For instance, the legal team at BAE Systems shared: ‘The company is committed to creating a secure and sustainable future, and the legal team embraces this initiative in various ways. We have a chief counsel embedded within the company’s ESG team and our chief counsel for Business Development chairs our Community Investment Committee. Our function engages in activities such as a partnership with the University of Central Lancashire Legal Faculty, a solicitor apprenticeship programme, and a mentoring scheme for law students from diverse backgrounds, set to commence later in 2024. Additionally, we have been actively involved in sustainable energy programmes, including wind and solar power.’

Similarly, Aviva’s legal function shared their commitment: ‘We are dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive function with meaningful, long-lasting commitments to drive change. Our Social Mobility Initiative includes school visits, Social Mobility Business Partnership Days across several offices, virtual insight sessions, and a six-week internship providing participants with experience across legal areas and with the law firms we collaborate with. Our impact measurement showed a significant increase in confidence among interns, and 40% have secured training contracts at our panel firms, with 50% finding roles within a year of graduating.’

This publication captures these and many other remarkable stories. We extend our gratitude to everyone who participated in the interview process. Congratulations to all the legal teams listed in the 2024 edition of The Legal 500 GC Powerlist United Kingdom: Teams—your excellence is a testament to the high standards within the legal profession.

 

Sara Maggi | Lead Editor – The Legal 500 GC Powerlist United Kingdom Teams 2024

Allan Cohen| Lead Editor – The Legal 500 GC Powerlist United Kingdom Teams 2024

GC Powerlist Japan 2025

The Legal 500 was proud to host the third edition of the GC Powerlist: Japan 2025 at the Capitol Hotel Tokyu, honouring the top General Counsel, Chief Legal Officers, Legal Directors, and senior in-house legal professionals operating at the highest level of Japan’s corporate legal landscape. Held in Tokyo, this year’s reception welcomed around 100 of the most respected and senior corporate counsel from across Japan. It was an unrivalled success, and cements Legal 500’s status as the leading force in legal media supporting the achievements of in-house counsel in Japan. The GC Powerlist: Japan 2025 marks the continuation of our commitment to recognising excellence in-house, and this year’s edition represents the most competitive and selective list to date.

Joe Boswell, lead editor of the GC powerlist publication at The Legal 500, opened the evening with an introduction that reflected on the growing prestige of the Japan list. He emphasised how the Powerlist has grown stronger each year, both in scope and quality, making the task of selection more difficult. This year’s honourees emerged from a deeply competitive field, making their recognition even more meaningful.

Boswell extended heartfelt congratulations to all honourees and acknowledged the critical support of key partners and sponsors who made the evening possible. Special thanks were given to Anderson Mori & Tomotsune, Morrison Foerster, iManage, JustLegal, and SS&C Intralinks for their generous sponsorship and ongoing collaboration.

In a moment of reflection, Joe paid tribute to Tim Mackey, chief legal officer at SoftBank, who sadly passed away unexpectedly earlier this year. Tim had contributed to the Powerlist in each of its three editions and was known not only for his exceptional legal acumen but also for his warmth and generosity.

The evening featured insightful remarks from distinguished speakers representing our partners and the broader legal community: Mischa Mulligan, Japan Director at SS&C Intralinks; Hiroki Kodate, Partner and Management Committee Member at Anderson Mori & Tomotsune; Jeremy White, Global Co-Chair of M&A for Morrison Foerster; and, representing those awarded in the Powerlist, Naoki Hamada, General Counsel for Japan at HSBC.

Each speaker provided reflections on legal innovation, leadership, and the evolving role of in-house counsel in Japan’s corporate landscape. Their remarks added valuable context to the achievements celebrated throughout the evening.

The formal awards segment celebrated this year’s GC Powerlist honourees. With assistance from long-time collaborator Isaac Uchiyama who read out awardees’ names, recipients were invited to collect their certificates, pose for photographs, and be formally recognised by their peers.

Certificates were presented on stage by Hiroki Kodate or Anderson Mori & Tomotsune and Jeremy White of Morrison Foerster, whose participation further underlined the deep support of the Japanese and international legal communities.

The GC Powerlist: Japan 2025 reception reaffirmed Legal 500’s commitment to spotlighting the very best of in-house legal talent. With record levels of interest and unmatched quality among candidates, the Japan edition continues to solidify its place as one of the most respected publications in the global GC Powerlist series.

We extend our sincere congratulations to all honourees and thank our partners, sponsors, and speakers for making the evening a success.

We look forward to returning to Tokyo again next year. As a parting gift, you can view Naoki Hamada’s excellent keynote address below, where he touches on a lot of issues and themes that many other GC, whatever country they operate in, will recognise:

‘Good evening, everyone. I am Naoki Hamada of HSBC. I am very pleased to be here speaking to you today. It is a great pleasure and honor, and at the same time, I feel a bit overwhelmed being surrounded by the busiest and most expensive lawyers in the industry—even if I know that nobody will be charging us for their time. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Legal 500 for organizing such a great event, and Anderson Mori & Tomotsune, Morrison Foerster, iManage, SS&C Intralinks, and Just Legal for sponsoring and supporting it. And, huge congratulations on the recognition each of you is receiving, which is truly a great accomplishment and the result of your hard work and the accumulated trust the entire industry has placed in you.

It must be emphasized that this award is given only to general counsels. Being a general counsel means a lot more than just being a subject matter expert. You are a most reliable strategic partner for the business, and I am sure that you have distinguished yourself from the crowd by your ability to identify underlying risks, devise legal solutions, ensure the right processes and governance for corporate decisions, influence others, and educate the next generation of lawyers. This is what you are being recognized for.

Looking back on my career, I have been hugely helped by lawyers in other companies through various industry communities. When I joined the in-house world 12 years ago from a Japanese law firm, large international banks were all struggling with a huge wave of regulatory reform. Back then, I was relatively new to that particular area of finance, and my hiring was somewhat potential-based. Nonetheless, I was assigned to lead the regulatory reform efforts locally. My predecessor had left the bank before I joined, there was no sufficient handover, and I was completely lost as to what to do. What helped me most were the industry peer group discussions, where in-house counsels from major banks would get together to discuss common issues. I learned so much from what was discussed there and absorbed as much as I could. Without that network, I am sure that I wouldn’t have survived that time.

However, our situation today is far more difficult. The changes in the landscape we face today are unprecedented. Technological developments and the corresponding shifts in geopolitical and industrial landscapes are completely unpredictable, and the speed at which they happen is far faster than before. We might face a time that requires us to pivot, forcing us to redefine how we add value and rebuild the way we work. That is somewhat intimidating. But, I am confident that a way forward will be found through the collective wisdom and effort of the people in this room. I would like to be a part of that, and this network of people is enormously valuable and truly priceless.

Finally, let’s have a drink and celebrate our achievements for now – before your CEO calls asking you to join a call! Thank you so much.’