SC: BT does a lot of things as an organization in terms of leadership and development, so we just make sure to bring in people from the legal and co-sec team to benefit from it. As part of the legal and co-sec function, Jeff Langlands` team always manages to drop the ball from the park in our annual engagement survey. He thinks about it a lot. The In-House Counsel (IHL): Eighteen months as General Counsel of the Group, what have been the most important projects you have carried out since your arrival? The whole company has undergone a lot of transformation, how is the administration of justice keeping pace? SC: The big difference for me where I come from is that with consumer goods, it`s often the case that you end up with what the company wants to do first, and then the legal and regulatory issues are more related to enforcement. In telecommunications, it`s the other way around, not completely, but you almost always have to consider the legal, regulatory, and policy framework you work in to define business options, and it`s much more difficult. But it`s also very interesting, especially for people in the legal industry. In this way, you, as a team, can create real value for the company by being competent and creative. I graduated from the University of Kent in 2011 with a first-class law degree. After spending a few months in the world of legal recruitment and temporary work as an administrative assistant, I finally got a job as a legal assistant at a small London-based law firm specialising in personal injury and labour law.

HVR: What about the introduction of non-lawyers in any way? We celebrate success, excellence and innovation in advocacy in the UK. I also really enjoyed the variety of work, which consisted of following upcoming legal developments and assessing the impact on BT as a company. This was a «real» application of the law and required a thorough understanding of how BT operates as a company. As an intern at BT, you have a lot of responsibility and the opportunity to manage things with the appropriate support of your supervisor. So a typical day involves writing and reviewing contracts, legal research, internal calls with colleagues, and if I`m working on a transaction or supporting a colleague on a transaction, then an external call to a supplier to negotiate the terms of the contract. SC: I have nine reports. Corporate GC, Bruce Breckenridge; GC Technology, Chris Fowler; the CMs of each of our business units: Consumer, Russell Johnstone; Company, Jeff Langlands; global, Liz Walker; and then Openreach, a 100% Owned Subsidiary by Nigel Cheek that reports directly to Clive Selley, the CEO, but we have a dotted line. Initially, Chris was GC of Technology and also my Chief Operating Officer, but given the scale of the technology and transformation programs at BT, we quickly came to the conclusion that Chris should focus on technology and Dave Hart was promoted to Director of Transformation. In this role, Dave focuses on evolving job opportunities brought by technology and alternative service providers, talent retention and management, managing our budget, and more. When our former corporate secretary, Dan Fitz, joined the Crick Institute as GC, we promoted Rachel Canham from the legal team and also reported to me. Given the strategic importance of data to our business, a new role as Data Protection Officer will eventually join the management team, and we plan to make an announcement in the coming months. SC: When I left the UK in 1995 and moved to the US, I was shocked and, frankly, satisfied with the relevance and stature of in-house lawyers in the US.

Corporate GCs that did not report to the CEO or were part of the management team were in the minority. Much of this has been driven by the environment and litigation regulation, but it is also a country where lawyers have made careers in business, politics and many areas. The U.K. isn`t quite where the U.S. is, and maybe it never will be because the process environment is so different, but the gap has definitely narrowed. SC: For us, he leads the responsibility for talent and is aware of the different building blocks that you have to have in a career. In my experience, it`s not just about getting consecutive promotions, but also about gaining that variety of experiences in order to have a well-rounded career. Thus, it could be ensured that people who work in a business unit, such as consumers, also end up gaining B2B or business experience or another legal qualification or language. License our cutting-edge legal content to develop your thought leadership and build your brand. SC: This is a five-year managed legal services mandate that covers our insurance and part of our real estate work, where 40 of our employees have been transferred to DWF.

SC: There was headlines that BT Law – which is limited only to our ABS licensed claims business – was later acquired by DWF, and I think the name caused some confusion, which led people to believe that the entire legal function was affected in some way, but this is completely false. This has always been part of the deal that BT Law would pass on to DWF in the deal we announced this summer. The changes made to Companies House that were made were only the final formalization of the managed services agreement. Team Size 340 External Legal Fees Over £40 million per year Privileged Advisors Allen & Overy, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang, DWF, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer DIH: Where is legal technology in recent years and what influence do you expect? While I enjoyed my law school (honestly – insert geek emoji!), it wasn`t until I had the opportunity to experience working in practice that I decided to become a lawyer, and it was my time as a paralegal on BT`s employment team that really cemented my decision. 1987-93 Partner, Lovell White Durant, London 1993-95 General Counsel, Guinness, London 1996-99 General Counsel, Guinness/Diageo Latin America, Miami 2000-01 General Counsel, Diageo International Markets, Miami 2002-04 General Counsel, Diageo North America, Connecticut 2005-08 General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, InBev, Belgium 2008-17 Head of Legal and Corporate Affairs and Corporate Secretary, Anheuser-Busch InBev, New York 2018-present Group General Counsel, BT, London SC: Not yet, but I`m sure they will get there. If you look at the development of the world and the legal market, there are a lot of talented lawyers who, at some point in their careers, just need another kind of flexibility: where they live, when they work. They are suitable for a variety of legal service delivery models.