ACC and Lexology hosted the 11th annual European Counsel Awards.
London, United Kingdom – Lexology, together with the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC), hosted the 11th annual European Counsel Awards at London's historic One Great George Street last night. The gala event celebrated the achievements of in-house counsel recognised by their peers as excelling in their chosen fields.
As Liz Walker, general counsel at BT Global Services, explained:
"The aim of the awards is simple — to find and recognise the best in-house lawyers based in Europe with attributes that really matter in the ever-changing corporate world. This encompasses communication skills, commercial awareness, and flair for both leadership and innovation. In essence, it is the ability to add value to one's company."
To identify the winners, the research team conducted in-depth analysis of in-house lawyers and legal departments worldwide, receiving more than 4,000 nominations globally. Respondents were asked to focus on criteria such as effective communication, legal understanding, commercial awareness, depth and strength of team and management skills. The following awards were presented: Competition, Corporate Tax, Employment, General Commercial, Intellectual Property, Litigation, M&A, Regulatory (Financial and Non-financial) and Compliance Innovator of the Year.
Alasdair Moodie of Thermo Fisher Scientific was named General Counsel of the Year after receiving multiple individual nominations from colleagues and partners at leading law firms. One respondent enthused:
"Alasdair has developed the culture of the EMEA Legal team through a bold and transformational strategic vision, which in turn has repositioned EMEA Legal as a key strategic business partner for these businesses."
The event sponsors were Allen & Overy LLP; Arendt & Medernach SA; Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP; Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP; CMS Hasche Sigle; DLA Piper LLP; Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP; Gowling WLG; Grau & Angulo; Herbert Smith Freehills LLP; Latham & Watkins LLP; Lex Mundi; Matheson; Mayer Brown LLP; Reddie & Grose LLP; Rucellai & Raffaelli; Slaughter and May and White & Case LLP.
About ACC: The ACC is a global legal association that promotes the common professional and business interests of in-house counsel who work for corporations, associations and other organisations through information, education, networking opportunities and advocacy initiatives. With more than 43,000 members in 85 countries, employed by over 10,000 organisations, the ACC connects its members to the people and resources necessary for both personal and professional growth – By in-house counsel, for in-house counsel.® For more information, visit www.acc.com and follow the ACC on Twitter: @ACCinhouse.
About Lexology: Launched in 2007, Lexology is a daily newsfeed of law firm client alerts, articles and blogs delivered to senior business lawyers worldwide. Lexology has built a unique audience of more than 315,000 subscribers, over 65% of whom are in-house corporate counsel representing the vast majority of Fortune 500, FT Global 500 and FT Euro 500 companies – including all members of the Association of Corporate Counsel. www.Lexology.com