For 28 years, The Legal 500 has been analysing the capabilities of law firms across the world. The GC Powerlist is the latest publication from The Legal 500, turning its attention to the in-house function, and recognising those corporate counsel who are driving the legal business forward. The latest edition is the GC Powerlist: US Teams, which identifies an array of the most influential and innovative in-house teams working in the United States.
Our commitment to the in-house market is expanding, not only through the publication of the GC Powerlist Series, but also with our wide range of events, seminars, roundtables and legal updates. We have also launched GC Magazine, a quarterly title (free of charge to in-house counsel) that looks at the business of being an in-house lawyer, from a strategic, commercial and theoretical standpoint. We understand that the biggest issues facing in-house counsel today are, in fact, rarely legal issues. Our editor-in-chief, Catherine McGregor is now based in the United States and is travelling the length and breadth of the country to meet, interview, analyse and finally share the very best that the in-house market has to offer.
If you have feedback on the GC Powerlist: United States Teams, or wish to nominate other in-house individuals (either in US or global), please do get in touch at [email protected].
We hope that this listing will stimulate debate around the role of the in-house lawyer and help corporate counsel with possible improvements and efficiencies in running their departments.
David Burgess
Publishing Director
Known as the ‘Pacto por México’, the package of structural reforms adopted by the current administration upon its election in 2012 has already helped bring more investment to Mexico. While it remains necessary to fully employ the national budget so as to create new jobs and further grow employment, major structural measures have already been legislated by Enrique Peña Nieto’s government and these will effect competition, energy, finance, labor, infrastructure, telecommunications, amparo law (a constitutional appeal), private data protection, public private partnerships, anticorruption, education, transparency and tax matters. Significantly, implementation has already begun. These structural reforms have been rolled out at a time when Mexico –like other jurisdictions- is enduring a notable reduction in oil prices, but this has had only a limited impact on global oil companies’ interest in Mexico’s offshore hydrocarbons potential, since the major oil-and-gas players are aware that such projects generally require years to develop and can provide returns for decades. According to the OECD, full implementation of the reform package in the short term is crucial to the country’s reaping the benefits that will accrue from a strong and sustainable recovery, and could add as much as one percentage point to the annual per capita growth trend of Mexico’s GDP.
Each of the reforms noted above, address the key issues and challenges in their respective sectors. The Mexican economy currently ranks as the world’s 11th largest and the country is also the fourth largest exporter of automobiles and manufactures the vast majority of flat screen televisions sold in the United States. In fact, Mexico exports more manufactured products than the rest of Latin America combined. Many US law firms have implemented or considered the hire of individuals or groups with significant business activity, opening offices in Mexico from where they can better serve their clients’ requirements or deliver services at a lower price. This scenario presents a unique opportunity not only to grow the services local firms provide to existing clients but also to compete for and acquire new clients.
On the other hand, the role of the in-house lawyer is crucially important since they manage the legal risks associated with the business and legal issues involved in all decisions by management. Moreover, in-house lawyers have to respond to increasing pressure on legal costs, responding proactively with initiatives for cost reduction and identifying appropriate benchmarks to permit the measuring of efficiency. When making the transition from private practice to an in-house role, most lawyers move from a specialist background to a more generalist role with responsibility for areas in which they have markedly less experience. This potentially opens huge areas of opportunity for them, since in-house lawyers who demonstrate the ability to make commercial decisions find it easy to connect with the (internal) business teams and will further a company’s ability to make sound strategic choices based on analysis that combines both legal and commercial factors.
In this regard, relationships between in-house lawyers and external lawyers are becoming increasingly important. The successful appointment of preferred legal advisors and the development of a close working relationship with a law firm can be a significant opportunity for in-house legal teams and can help save both time and money.
Basham, Ringe y Correa is one of the largest and most prestigious full-service corporate law firms in Latin America. Established in Mexico in 1912, Basham draws upon a century of experience in assisting its clients to conduct business throughout Mexico. The firm’s clients include prominent international corporations (many of them on the Fortune 500 list), medium-sized companies, financial institutions and individuals.
Our large group of lawyers and support staff are committed to maintain the highest professional and ethical standards. The firm currently has approximately 130 lawyers, plus 47 paralegals, four engineers and seven translators. Constantly exposed to the international legal system, many of our lawyers and other professionals have completed post-graduate studies at foreign universities and have worked at companies and law firms from abroad. The firm’s members speak English fluently, and in some cases French and German.
The specialization and development of each department, coordination and support between the different areas, and in-depth knowledge of markets and economic trends, provide our clients with innovative complete and timely solutions. It is because of these qualities and values, we believe, that our clients have continued to entrust their legal affairs to us for many years, some for many decades.
The firm has regulatory and practical expertise in all areas of a modern legal practice and advises clients on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, commercial contracts, project financing, domestic and international tax planning, in-bond manufacturing, antitrust, banking, bankruptcy, trusts, insurance, business organizations, international trade, NAFTA and WTO matters, anti-dumping, intellectual property (covering patents, trademarks, models, designs, copyrights, domain names, licensing, franchising and unfair competition), entertainment, administrative law, government relations, government regulations, immigration, labor, employment, employee benefits and human resources planning, environmental law, energy, telecommunications, health, transportation, aviation, railroads, maritime, tourism, mining, consumer protection litigation, arbitration, criminal law and inheritance, real estate and agrarian matters. We also have specialized litigation departments for civil, commercial, criminal, labor, tax and administrative areas as well as commercial arbitration and constitutional proceedings (juicio de amparo).
The firm has been actively involved in the development and globalization of markets, working with clients to formulate creative solutions that meet their needs. The firm represents domestic and foreign clients in the private and public sectors and Basham, Ringe y Correa prides itself on working with clients that have developed important projects in Mexico.
The firm is able to provide complete and accurate legal translations of laws and documents to ensure that our clients have a full understanding of their operations.
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.’