ELD International Projects 2014
- Over six-months, Leigh Dance advised the management, client service and international committees and the marketing and business development team of an AmLaw 100 firm. The project focused on actions across the firm and various practices and industry groups to promote the firm’s international capabilities. ELD International also worked with the committees to develop materials and data to use in client relationship-building. Leigh Dance conducted sessions at the firm retreat to raise awareness among the firm’s lawyers of globally opportunity and provide tips for effectively presenting the firm’s international experience to clients.
- ELD International organized a successful business development program for a US law firm in London to develop strategy and materials to promote disputes practice and regulatory practice to international clients. As part of the three-month project Dance moderated a roundtable gathering in London in March, attended by 19 senior corporate counsel of global companies.
- ELD International advised and implemented steps for the corporate law department of a €13 billion European industrial company to improve recognition (by internal business clients, external analysts and peers) that it is a significant asset to the company. The ELD assignment involves various aspects of communications, and best practices for clarity and for business alignment. Recently Dance helped re-structured and re-wrote the entire English website sections of the company’s governance, compliance and legal risk management. Achievements to date include recognition by Financial Times Innovative Lawyers awards for In-house Innovation.
- The Global Counsel Leaders Circle, a group founded and directed by Leigh Dance, welcomed new 5 members, from Boston Consulting Group (London), Cisco (Brussels), MBDA Systems (Paris), Orbit Showtime Networks (Dubai), UniCredit (Rome) and Volvo Financial Services (North Carolina). The Leaders Circle celebrated the promotion of three members to Group General Counsel positions in the last 18 months: Nick Hornung of Dubai World, Alexia Henriksen of Volvo Financial and Adam Smith of Safran. Member Nadine Faruque became the Head of Global Compliance for Deutsche Bank.
- Leigh Dance conducted research with CLOs in global companies in North America, Europe and the Middle East, and edited the Global Counsel Leaders Circle’s Target Topic Report entitled Sea Change: How Corporate Governance Demands are Elevating the General Counsel’s Job. The report was excerpted in a series of 3 articles in American Lawyer’s Corporate Counsel publication in July and August.
- ELD International partnered with the Global Association of Corporate Counsel to organize a forum in Rome among in-house and outside counsel, regulators, corporate executives, directors and regulatory officials, on raising the stature and defending the rights of corporate counsel in Europe. Leigh Dance spoke on the panel with senior counsel from BCG and Philip Morris Int’l, ACC, partners from Orrick and Paul Hastings, and a government official. ELD will be working with ACC to expand this advocacy effort, with symposia in Paris, Brussels, Geneva and other European cities in 2015.
- Dance organized and led a meeting of leaders in an AmLaw 100 firm to present and discuss the firm’s particular opportunities and threats posed by developments in the global economy and in legal services competition. Preparation involved interviews with a number of partners.
- ELD International developed and implemented programs for two law firms to improve their directory rankings internationally, working with lawyers and staff to improve content and process for effective directory submissions that bring a decent return on investment.
- The Global Counsel Leaders Circle held conferences in London, New York and Rome with law firm hosts K&L Gates, Winston & Strawn and Orrick, and member host Boston Consulting Group. Comments received from members and guests include: