Lessons I Learned in Law

In this episode of Lessons I Learned In Law, I am joined by Felicitas Stern, General Counsel EMEA at Omni Bridgeway, a leading litigation funder. Felicitas made the switch to Omni Bridgeway when she was on the brink of Partnership in a top law firm in Amsterdam, where she practiced Real Estate and Construction. She wanted more variety in her role and worked with a coach before deciding a move in-house was the next step. Felicitas shares her motivations for moving in-house, the differences between working in a law firm and in-house, and the various lessons she learned throughout her career. We delve into how she made the career switch and some of the challenges she has faced in making that transition. We also cover some of the cultural differences across countries in legal practices, and Felicitas' personal journey from her native Germany to the Netherlands - so not one to be missed! Follow Heriot Brown: Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram

In this episode of Lessons I Learned in Law, Scott meets with Maria Barros, Chief Legal and Public Affairs Officer at Booking.com. Maria is a true Citizen of the World. Born in London, from a Brazilian family, Maria loves travelling (passion and profession have collided at Booking.com) and has lived in the UK, US, Brazil, Mexico, Belgium and is now based in the Netherlands, where, in addition to her role as Chief Legal & Public Affairs Officer, she is a member of the Management Board of Booking.com and Board member of ACC Europe, the largest global association of in-house counsel. Before that, Maria was General Counsel Europe and Middle East of AB-InBev, the global brewer. Maria shares her insights on how she has built a best in class integrated legal and public affairs function at Booking.com with a strong focus on developing talent. We also discuss the importance of developing a strong reliable network and hear how the ACC has been a "home away from home" and a fantastic support network for in-house lawyers. A really interesting story with a unique International legal career at some huge global brands! ---------------------------------------------------- To find out more information on the ACC and how to get involved see the links below: - How to learn more about the ACC – More information on the ACCE website: Europe | Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) - How to become an ACC member - individual and group – see this link: Membership | Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) - How to register for the May conference – see this link: Registration - ACC (acceurope.com)

In this episode of Lessons I Learned in Law, Scott Brown speaks to Kenny Roberston, Head of Outsourcing, Technology & IP legal team at NatWest Group. In his role, he leads up a team which supports some of the largest outsourcing transactions in the UK and which continually pushes to be innovative and progressive and provide great customer experience for stakeholders. He is also Chair of the Law Society of Scotland’s Wellbeing Steering Group. Kenny shares some of the lessons he’s learned in law including: · Be Yourself! Giving legal advice is a relationships game, and its hard to build relationships without being authentic. · Play with your head up (to use a sporting analogy). Be aware, be able to identify opportunities, adapt to change and be ready for whatever might be around the corner. · Create and nurture a positive culture within your team. Kenny admits that early on in his career he tried to live up to his pre-conceived ideas of what a lawyer should be, and how damaging this can be for lawyers’ wellbeing. He explores where these ideas might stem from, how the legal profession is changing and how developments such as AI may even alter the skillset required to be a lawyer in the future. Kenny shares details of his pioneering initiative in collaboration with the Scottish Ethnic Minorities Law Association. Kenny also reveals how he’s worked to cultivate a transparent and psychologically safe organisational culture within his team at NatWest. He elaborates on the three pillars that form the bedrock of his team's ethos: High Performance, Progressive Mindset, and Teamship, and how they factor into the bank's ESG agenda and climate goals. Presented by Scott Brown of Heriot Brown Legal Recruitment. Follow Heriot Brown: Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram

In this episode of Lessons I Learned in Law, Scott Brown speaks to Chris Fowler, Chief Operating Officer for Legal, Governance and Compliance at mining business Rio Tinto. Prior to that Chris spent 24 years at BT Group including as General Counsel for BT’s Technology division which builds and operates BT’s networks, its IT infrastructure and its research and development unit. After a long career in telecoms, Chris explains his motivation for switching sector and how he’s finding his first few months with Rio Tinto. “Fundamentally I wanted to work in an organisation that's got some pretty big challenges, but also is somewhere that I found personally really exciting” Chris says. Chris also discusses the potential professional benefits that can arise from switching sectors, as well as the things you should watch out for. Chris shares some of the lessons he’s learned in law including: · If it doesn’t feel comfortable, you’re learning. Be prepared to test yourself! · As a lawyer you can have a huge impact on the people around you and their lives. Invest in people and value relationships. · Say ‘yes’ when you don’t necessarily have all the facts. Take the leap! Chris also shares how he made the most of his ‘break’ in-between roles, something he would advise everyone to do and to make the most of if you get the opportunity. Presented by Scott Brown of Heriot Brown Legal Recruitment. Follow Heriot Brown: Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram

Welcome to the latest instalment in our mini-series, Lessons I Learned in Law X Inside the Agency, where we aim to lift the lid on Heriot Brown In-House Legal Recruitment to give you a better idea of what we do. We are flipping the script on our usual format and putting our Consultants and team members in the spotlight to share more about the people who make us tick and help us provide fulfilling careers for lawyers. On each episode of Inside the Agency you will get to know more about how recruitment works and we hope we can dispel some of the myths!! This week we're chatting to Chloe Rowan. Chloe is our team’s Personal Assistant at Heriot Brown, responsible for assisting with the day to day operations of the business. With 15 years’ worth of administrative experience, 9 of which as a virtual PA, Chloe brings a wealth of expertise to the Heriot Brown team. Chloe shares: Presented by Scott Brown of Heriot Brown Legal Recruitment. Follow Heriot Brown: Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram

In this episode of Lessons I Learned in Law, Scott Brown speaks to Matt Wilson, General Counsel at TV Production company Fremantle. Fremantle produces over 12,000 hours of original programming every year across drama, entertainment, documentaries and film. Matt started his career with four years at Baker & McKenzie and has also worked at Arsenal Football Club (he is a huge Arsenal fan), as well as Telefónica and Uber. Matt shares some of the lessons he’s learned in law including: · If you’re giving advice that you want to rely on or evidence in the future, make sure you write it down! · Never assume and always be curious. This applies when offering advice in a professional capacity but also in understanding people, maintaining relationships and managing teams. · This, too, shall pass! A positive mindset is required when it comes to crisis management and response, and remind yourself that everything works out in the end. Matt explains the power of Personality Insights when it comes to understanding people and getting the most from your team. When recruiting, Matt looks for people who are good at the things that he’s not so good at, to ensure diverse perspectives and a comprehensive skillset across the team. Matt is well travelled and explains how a legal career can offer fantastic opportunities for travel, if that’s something you wish to do. Drawing on his own intriguing experiences living abroad, Matt showcases the monumental value of diversity and its role in enriching our teams. Presented by Scott Brown of Heriot Brown Legal Recruitment. Follow Heriot Brown: Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram

Welcome to the latest instalment in our mini-series, Lessons I Learned in Law X Inside the Agency, where we aim to lift the lid on Heriot Brown In-House Legal Recruitment to give you a better idea of what we do. We are flipping the script on our usual format and putting our Consultants and team members in the spotlight to share more about the people who make us tick and help us provide fulfilling careers for lawyers. On each episode of Inside the Agency you will get to know more about how recruitment works and we hope we can dispel some of the myths!! This week we're chatting to Stephanie Jones. Stephanie specialises in placing lawyers in-house within the financial service industry, working with a range of clients such as retail and consumer banks, global investment banks, private equity funds, asset managers and insurance companies. Stephanie shares: Presented by Scott Brown of Heriot Brown Legal Recruitment. Follow Heriot Brown: Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram

In this episode of Lessons I Learned in Law, Scott Brown speaks to wellbeing advocate Emilie Berge. After an 18 year career in-house in the Tech and Defence sectors Emilie is now on a mission to empower high achievers to reach their career goals without burning out. She provides corporate training to companies who want to improve their staff wellbeing and host a retreat abroad once a year. Emilie shares the lessons she learned during her career in law, including: · Look after yourself, so that you can perform better. · It’s OK to be wrong. Particularly in-house, you need to be able to negotiate and compromise to unblock a conflict. Don’t allow your ego to get in the way. · Stay humble. Emilie began her mental health and wellness blog in 2017; she talks through her own struggles with mental health, how that inspired her to research and begin the blog, and how it has developed since. Check out the blog here: How To Be Happier At Work - Me My Health And I This episode is particularly appropriate as World Mental Health Day is coming up on October 10. Presented by Scott Brown of Heriot Brown Legal Recruitment. Follow Heriot Brown: Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram

Welcome to the latest instalment in our mini-series, Lessons I Learned in Law X Inside the Agency, where we aim to lift the lid on Heriot Brown In-House Legal Recruitment to give you a better idea of what we do. We are flipping the script on our usual format and putting our Consultants and team members in the spotlight to share more about the people who make us tick and help us provide fulfilling careers for lawyers. On each episode of Inside the Agency you will get to know more about how recruitment works and we hope we can dispel some of the myths!! This week we're chatting to Martin Evensen. Martin specialises in placing legal and compliance professionals into construction/infrastructure/transport/retail businesses on a permanent basis. Martin shares: Presented by Scott Brown of Heriot Brown Legal Recruitment. Follow Heriot Brown: Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram

In this episode of Lessons I Learned in Law, Scott Brown speaks to Ailsa Zoya Longmuir, General Counsel for Centrica Energy Marketing & Trading and Centrica Business Solutions. Ailsa has been with Centica for 12 years and is responsible for all Legal, Compliance and Regulatory Affairs matters for these business units globally. She is a leading Executive Sponsor for Diversity & Inclusion and Charitable Initiatives and is also chairwoman of Centrica Energy Trading A/S’ board. Ailsa shares the three lessons she’s learned in law including: · Isolate the issue. Try to advise the business on what they need to know, rather than overdelivering with unnecessary information. · Ask why! You need to fully understand the business and its goals in order to effectively advise. · Trust your instincts. If you have a gut feeling about something, it is quite often correct! Ailsa explains the structure of the legal team at Centrica, and why she thinks legal teams are integral to the success of the business they’re advising. Including the legal team in decision making will ‘improve their commerciality in the long run, and give them the ability to come up with more creative legal solutions to make what the business wants to happen, happen’. Ailsa also reveals the impact that the Russia-Ukraine war has had on Centrica as a business and the energy market more broadly. Presented by Scott Brown of Heriot Brown Legal Recruitment. Follow Heriot Brown: Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram

Welcome to the latest instalment in our mini-series, Lessons I Learned in Law X Inside the Agency, where we aim to lift the lid on Heriot Brown In-House Legal Recruitment to give you a better idea of what we do. We are flipping the script on our usual format and putting our Consultants and team members in the spotlight to share more about the people who make us tick and help us provide fulfilling careers for lawyers. On each episode of Inside the Agency you will get to know more about how recruitment works and we hope we can dispel some of the myths!! This week we're chatting to Michi Nishikawa who recruits at all levels. From paralegals to General Counsels, placing emphasis on cultural fit and transferable skills above sector specialism to cater to the adaptive nature of the regional market. Michi shares: Presented by Scott Brown of Heriot Brown Legal Recruitment. Follow Heriot Brown: Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram

In this episode of Lessons I Learned in Law, Scott Brown speaks to Francesca Porter, General Counsel and executive team member at Onfido, an AI company who digitally prove people’s real identities using a photo ID and facial biometrics. Francesca shares the lessons that she’s learned in law, including: · Smart people simplify. The power of lawyers is not only to understand and articulate the legal position, but also to convey a message to key business stakeholders and to drive influence on key risk areas. · To be effective as lawyers we need to be more of an airbag than a seatbelt, helping businesses to grow and scale responsibly in an enduring way. · The power of the network is huge - particularly when trying to solve challenging problems at pace, it can save re-inventing the wheel. Francesca explains what it’s like to work at Onfido, an agile, relatively new tech firm compared to Hewlett Packard where she worked as LegalCounsel. She details how she endeavoured to incorporate best practice from HP at Onfido, without slowing their rapid rate of growth. Outside of work Francesca loves to write. She details some of her literary works and the courses she undertook to help write her novels. She also explains how writing outside of work improved her ability as a lawyer, enabling her to be more energised and approach problems in a more creative way. Presented by Scott Brown of Heriot Brown Legal Recruitment. Follow Heriot Brown: Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram

Welcome to the latest instalment in our mini-series, Lessons I Learned in Law X Inside the Agency, where we aim to lift the lid on Heriot Brown In-House Legal Recruitment to give you a better idea of what we do. We are flipping the script on our usual format and putting our Consultants and team members in the spotlight to share more about the people who make us tick and help us provide fulfilling careers for lawyers. On each episode of Inside the Agency you will get to know more about how recruitment works and we hope we can dispel some of the myths!! This week we're chatting to Kevin Hunt who has 20 years recruitment experience in executive search, domestic and international. He has a strong track record in delivering projects in the Energy, Heavy industry and across several technical based campaigns. Kevin shares: Presented by Scott Brown of Heriot Brown Legal Recruitment. Follow Heriot Brown: Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram

In this episode of Lessons I Learned in Law, Scott Brown speaks to Maryam Ziarati McLoughlin, General Counsel at Paddle. She joined the team in 2019 and since then has led the business through two funding rounds, grown the legal team, put in place a training contract scheme and lead the people and talent function & DE&I. Maryam shares the three lessons she has learned in law including: · Lead with empathy and assume nothing. · Value personal relationships and enjoy getting to know people on a personal level. · Fortune favours the bold. Be prepared to take risks. Maryam reveals that through law school she hadn’t wanted to be a lawyer as she hadn’t seen a side of law that appealed to her. That was until she was doing work experience and discovered the creativity inherent to problem solving and the potential flexibility of the legal system. Presented by Scott Brown of Heriot Brown Legal Recruitment. Follow Heriot Brown: Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram

Welcome to the latest instalment in our mini-series, Lessons I Learned in Law X Inside the Agency, where we aim to lift the lid on Heriot Brown In-House Legal Recruitment to give you a better idea of what we do. We are flipping the script on our usual format and putting our Consultants and team members in the spotlight to share more about the people who make us tick and help us provide fulfilling careers for lawyers. On each episode of Inside the Agency you will get to know more about how recruitment works and we hope we can dispel some of the myths!! This week we're chatting to Mark Bailey who specialises for Heriot Brown in providing interim solutions for clients and consultants, ranging from fixed term contracts, maternity covers, short term assignments, to ad-hoc consultancy projects. Mark shares: Presented by Scott Brown of Heriot Brown Legal Recruitment. Follow Heriot Brown: Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram

In this episode of Lessons I Learned in Law, Scott Brown speaks to James Morgan, Managing Director and the Co-General Counsel for EMEA at Japan’s largest bank MUFG. James is responsible for overseeing all legal issues of MUFG Bank, including litigation and enforcement matters, corporate structure and acquisitions as well as regional corporate governance. James shares the three lessons he has learned in law including: · Be adaptable. When changes happen try and embrace them. · Don’t be siloed. Try and be generalist in your approach to your career and any opportunities that may arise along the way. · Be patient. A legal career can be a bit like climbing a mountain. You may need to sidestep, or even move down in order to move up. Don’t feel you need to achieve giant strides in a short space of time. James explains how his Co-general Counsel role came about, and how MUFG have subsequently adopted co-head roles in other departments as a result of the proven gains in flexibility and performance. ‘One plus one equals three’, James says. James also reveals he’s a dab-hand at Karaoke – something that’s been surprisingly useful recently in his career! Presented by Scott Brown of Heriot Brown Legal Recruitment. Follow Heriot Brown: Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram

Welcome to the latest instalment in our mini-series, Lessons I Learned in Law X Inside the Agency, where we aim to lift the lid on Heriot Brown In-House Legal Recruitment to give you a better idea of what we do. We are flipping the script on our usual format and putting our Consultants and team members in the spotlight to share more about the people who make us tick and help us provide fulfilling careers for lawyers. On each episode of Inside the Agency you will get to know more about how recruitment works and we hope we can dispel some of the myths!! This week we're chatting to Olivia Sacco a Senior Consultant who's experience is in-house focused specialising across the Technology, Pharmaceuticals, Life Sciences, FMCG, and Restaurant sectors. Olivia shares: Presented by Scott Brown of Heriot Brown Legal Recruitment. Follow Heriot Brown: Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram

In this episode of Lessons I Learned in Law, Scott Brown speaks to Adam Woodhall, founder and CEO of Lawyers for Net Zero - a non-profit that supports GCs and their teams to utilise their position as a corporate leader to enable effective engagement with climate and ESG issues. Adam shares the three lessons he has learned in law including: · General Counsel are the most influential individuals in the legal sector. They interface with many colleagues in different roles across the organisation, and choose which law firms to work with. · General Counsels have gone way beyond the ‘Department of No’! · This is not theoretical - GCs are working on ESG and advocating for change in their organisations right now! If you, as a GC, are thinking of working in this field then know there are many others similar to you who are already making it happen. Adam reveals how many GCs are using ESG initiatives as a way of exercising their leadership. GCs often sit on the board of organisations or advise very senior management and are doing so with regards to issues on sustainability. Adam has worked with over 100 in-house lawyers via Lawyers for Net Zero's ‘Leaders Programme’, including the global GCs from Rolls Royce, WPP, BUPA, Centrica, National Grid and Specsavers. Hear all about the programme which focusses on supporting GCs to generate action via their role through peer-to-peer networking and training. You can find out more about the programme here. Fancy a giggle? Check out Adam’s sustainable stand up on YouTube where he purports to be Head of Sustainability for the Death Star! Watch it here. Presented by Scott Brown of Heriot Brown Legal Recruitment. Follow Heriot Brown: Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram

Welcome to the third instalment in our mini-series, Lessons I Learned in Law X Inside the Agency, where we aim to lift the lid on Heriot Brown In-House Legal Recruitment to give you a better idea of what we do. We are flipping the script on our usual format and putting our Consultants and team members in the spotlight to share more about the people who make us tick and help us provide fulfilling careers for lawyers. On each episode of Inside the Agency you will get to know more about how recruitment works and we hope we can dispel some of the myths!! This week we're chatting to Emma Bower who is Head of Community with a proven track record of bringing together in-house counsel and fostering a strong sense of community, both at The Lawyer and now at Heriot Brown. Emma shares: Presented by Scott Brown of Heriot Brown Legal Recruitment. Follow Heriot Brown: Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram

In this episode of Lessons I Learned in Law, Scott Brown speaks to Dina White. Dina is General Counsel at Zodia Markets, where she leads the Legal function, including providing guidance and direction on strategic, governance and risk issues. Prior to her current role, Dina spent much of her career at Bank of New York Mellon and U.S. Bancorp, focusing on mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructuring, corporate trustee work and complex financial products. Dina shares the three lessons she has learned in law including: · Lawyers have a privilege and its our duty to give back to society. · Do the work you love, but don’t ignore the boring parts of the job! · Communication and connection are key to our work and our wellbeing. Dina discusses the powerful impact that lawyers can have on society, supporting people in need and providing access to the law to those who need it most. To this end, she describes how rewarding she found some of the pro-bono work that she’s carried out throughout her career. Dina writes regularly on LinkedIn about developments in the world of digital assets, and was named one of Financial News’ Twenty Most Influential Women in Crypto. If that’s a subject you’re interested in, definitely give her a follow on LinkedIn. Presented by Scott Brown of Heriot Brown Legal Recruitment. Follow Heriot Brown: Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram