Archive for the ‘Corporate Counsel’ Category
Tuesday, July 27th, 2010
The 21st Century Legal Team Leader
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Pierre Landy, a speaker at the marcus evans European Corporate Counsel Summit 2010, shares his thoughts on the 21st century leadership style.
Interview with: Pierre Landy, Vice President & EMEA General Counsel, Yahoo |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The leadership role is transforming completely, according to Pierre Landy, Vice President and EMEA General Counsel at Yahoo. We are going from an employment to a self-employment mentality, and the General Counsel who will be brave enough to endorse this concept will have long-enduring and successful legal teams. A speaker at the marcus evans European Corporate Counsel Summit 2010 taking place in Switzerland, 26 – 28 September, Landy highlights the key steps in the 21st century leadership style, and the best way of identifying the ideal person for each position.
What legal department management style would you recommend?
Pierre Landy: The old leadership style was all about the leader being responsible for doing everything: persuading people to be a part of their team, hammering out how things had to be done, and supervising them to ensure they were done. It was about fitting people into boxes.
At Yahoo, we follow the 21st century leadership style within the EMEA legal team, in which you have to be tough about the objectives you wish to achieve, and manage the outcome and results, not the process. It is all about crafting a vision, a picture of success, which outlines the concrete things that will be happening when you reach the top of your mountain. Jobs must be built around people’s strengths to help the organisation tackle its challenges. It is a more hands-off approach to legal department management – letting people tell you how they can contribute to the success of the team and the vision that was given to them.
This is a complete reversal of the former leadership role. It is going from an employment mentality to a self-employment mentality, from a place where managers supervise to one where employees manage themselves. General Counsel who will be brave enough to endorse this new concept will have long-enduring and successful legal teams. This may be difficult for lawyers who love the technicalities of their job, and getting involved in litigation and transactions. The leader’s role is to focus on making the team successful and working well together towards a greater aim. It is about getting people to volunteer to be part of your team.
How can the leader effectively communicate organisational objectives to the team?
Pierre Landy: A leader in the 21st century is someone who acts as a conductor of an orchestra and is able to make all the musicians play in harmony in order to create a wonderful symphony. Heads of legal should first give an objective to the team, the vision they have, then ask how they can best contribute towards the big goal. The team must decide how they can contribute to its success; the vision the leader creates must be very detailed and concrete so that people are able to make a judgment about it. The role of the leader is to make sure team members have great clarity around these factors, to end up with a team of self-managing people who take ownership, from making the best contribution to achieving the goals that the leader established.
What is the best way of identifying people’s skills?
Pierre Landy: First, create job descriptions with a list of the skills you are looking for. During the interview, ask behavioral questions in order to test how they react in certain environments or situations. Instead of asking them to describe the types of contracts they have worked on, it could be better to ask: “If you are told to work on 10 different things at the same time, all with a deadline of tonight, what would you do?” This type of question does not deal with technical skills, but how a person practically deals with a situation. Based on the answers, one can determine the candidate who will be pragmatic or theoretic. This is the first sign to help you cast your people.
Secondly, when you have new team members, identify their strengths. For example, you can get them to do the test from the book by Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton called, “Now Discover your Strengths”.
Look at the roles you have available according to the mission taking place, and remember the analogy: It is about having the right people on the right bus in the right seat. The Yahoo concept pays attention to the diversity of strengths in order to make sure the team is fully effective without ever forgetting that it is also crucial to get the spirit of the team right – the heartbeat of the team – the characteristics that will be a hallmark of your team. Great teams have a similarity of spirit (for example, team members will have a positive approach to things), and a diversity of strengths. If you have diversity of spirit in the team, you then get into trouble.
What long-term strategies would you recommend to General Counsel?
Pierre Landy: The last thing I would recommend to a leader would be to spend a moment discussing their leadership style with team members. Many people take too long trying to figure out how to work with their leaders, which can be easily fixed by the leader pronouncing how to best work with them. By taking a moment to declare their leadership style, they will save so many headaches later on as people will understand how their manager functions.
You need to be strong about the outcomes you want and let your people take ownership for the day to day. Then, you will have a greater chance of getting a team characterised by the quote from Lao Tzu: “A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.”
Contact:
Sarin Kouyoumdjian-Gurunlian
Press Manager
marcus evans, Summits Division
Tel: + 357 22 849 313
Email: press@marcusevanscy.com
About the European Corporate Counsel Summit 2010
This unique forum will take place at the Fairmont Le Montreux Palace, Montreux, Switzerland, 26 – 28 September 2010. Offering much more than any conference, exhibition or trade show, this exclusive meeting will bring together esteemed industry thought leaders and solution providers to a highly focused and interactive networking event. The summit includes presentations on competition laws, mergers and acquisitions and compliance programmes.
For more information please send an email to info@marcusevanscy.com or visit the event website at www.eccsummit.com
Please note that the summit is a closed business event and the number of participants strictly limited.
About marcus evans Summits
marcus evans Summits are high level business forums for the world’s leading decision-makers to meet, learn and discuss strategies and solutions. Held at exclusive locations around the world, these events provide attendees with a unique opportunity to individually tailor their schedules of keynote presentations, think tanks, seminars and one-to-one business meetings. For more information, please visit www.marcusevans.com
All rights reserved. The above content may be republished or reproduced – kindly inform us by sending an email to press@marcusevanscy.com
Posted in Corporate Counsel, Law, London | No Comments »
Monday, July 12th, 2010
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Karl Hennessee, a speaker at the marcus evans European Corporate Counsel Summit 2010 explores the relationship and cultural factors Counsel should consider.
Interview with: Karl Hennessee, Vice President – Litigation & Regulatory Affairs, Airbus SAS |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
It is not total war from day one until the date of the award, says Karl Hennessee, Vice President – Litigation and Regulatory Affairs at Airbus SAS. Counsel have to realise that a relationship will grow and change over time, and be sensitive enough to recognise and understand when a win-win outcome is more likely. A speaker at the marcus evans European Corporate Counsel Summit 2010, taking place in Switzerland, 26 – 28 September, Hennessee identifies the common mistakes Counsel make, when settlement is more likely and the cultural factors that should be considered during a dispute resolution.
What best practices would you recommend?
Karl Hennessee: One thing to keep in mind is that any relationship grows and changes over time. The first mistake that Counsel make is allowing themselves to be persuaded that the state of the relationship is static, in other words that the relationship at the time the contract (or the moment the dispute commences is) representative of how the relationship will always be. For example, during tough negotiations, Counsel may worry that a dispute is just around the corner, and be too cautious, thereby adding too many contingencies into the contract. The fact is that a relationship will grow and change over time.
Secondly, understanding the tactical aspects of litigation or arbitration is very important. It is not total war from day one until the date of the verdict or award. There are process steps and process irritants, which if understood well, can be exploited by Counsel to the advantage of the client. More importantly, a business relationship can be put back on track. There are certain points when a settlement may be more likely than at other times, and if those points are not recognised, the opportunity for a win-win outcome may be squandered when not put forward at the right time.
How can Counsel identify those points in time when a settlement may be likely?
Karl Hennessee: The first thing to understand is the dynamics of the business relationship. A business relationship that has just begun has different levels of trust compared to one which has been ongoing for a long time.
Cultural factors (national and even the culture of a given relationship) can also be important in understanding how different cultures approach litigation, arbitration, or dispute. In one culture, dispute may be more or less a way of life, and settlements may be around the corner at any given time, whereas in other cultures, a dispute may have to run its course before a settlement decision is taken.
Having good lawyers on both sides of the dispute who counsel their clients realistically is one of the strongest indicators of a potential settlement. It will be very difficult to achieve a settlement if the lawyers on one side are unrealistic or overly aggressive. You always need to look for the best interests of the business relationship.
What should Counsel consider when deciding between litigation and arbitration?
Karl Hennessee: Those who are in favour of arbitration over litigation, or vice versa, are ignoring the reality that we are always dealing with both. While the choice of arbitration makes sense in a long term contractual relationship with a business partner, one may find that parallel litigation, for either the suppression of claims that may be made by others or the litigation to enforce an arbitration award, may actually be a necessary component of the arbitration process.
Lastly, do you have a final message for General Counsel in Europe?
Karl Hennessee: General Counsel must understand that there are unique cultural factors in practice in Europe, but the availability of tools used is not unique to Europe. Europe is part of a global legal economy, and evermore so today than before, but fundamentally, there are unique elements about practicing in Europe that we must recognise and take into account.
I see an unfortunate trend amongst some of my European colleagues who try to be more and more Anglo Saxon in their field of practice. While I applaud the rigour of Anglo Saxon lawyers, I believe we need to take what is good about the Continental European legal culture and preserve that, whilst trying to learn from other legal cultures.
Contact:
Sarin Kouyoumdjian-Gurunlian
Press Manager
marcus evans, Summits Division
Tel: + 357 22 849 313
Email: press@marcusevanscy.com
About the European Corporate Counsel Summit 2010
This unique forum will take place at the Fairmont Le Montreux Palace, Montreux, Switzerland, 26-28 September 2010. Offering much more than any conference, exhibition or trade show, this exclusive meeting will bring together esteemed industry thought leaders and solution providers to a highly focused and interactive networking event. The summit includes presentations on competition laws, mergers and acquisitions and compliance programmes.
For more information please send an email to info@marcusevanscy.com or visit the event website at www.eccsummit.com
Please note that the summit is a closed business event and the number of participants strictly limited.
About marcus evans Summits
marcus evans Summits are high level business forums for the world’s leading decision-makers to meet, learn and discuss strategies and solutions. Held at exclusive locations around the world, these events provide attendees with a unique opportunity to individually tailor their schedules of keynote presentations, think tanks, seminars and one-to-one business meetings. For more information, please visit www.marcusevans.com
All rights reserved. The above content may be republished or reproduced – kindly inform us by sending an email to press@marcusevanscy.com |
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Posted in Corporate Counsel, Law, Switzerland | No Comments »
Wednesday, March 24th, 2010
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Fransis Griesmar, a speaker at the marcus evans IP Law European Summit 2010 offers his insight into the critical issues facing IP Counsels in Europe today.
Interview with: Fransis Griesmar, IP Lawyer, Bacardi |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
With budget cuts across the board, Intellectual Property (IP) protection departments have not necessarily been spared. Leaving trademarks vulnerable to competitors, however, could prove harmful to the business in the long run therefore IP Counsels need to identify their company’s core assets and ensure they are not left exposed to infringers, says François Griesmar, IP Lawyer at Bacardi. A speaker at marcus evans IP Law European Summit 2010 taking place in Switzerland, 11 – 13 April 2010, Griesmar highlights some cost efficient tools for protecting IP in Europe.
What are the most prominent IP issues challenging IP Counsels in Europe at the moment and what solutions would you recommend?
François Griesmar: There is a growing imbalance due to an overdevelopment of the Community Trade Mark (CTM). The CTM is a fantastic tool but increasingly being used by trademark applicants inappropriately – not only in view of their current or long-term needs, but because of CTM’s low-cost profile and privileged status due to its use requirements.
The European Commission’s trademark system study conducted by the Max Planck Institute is a unique opportunity to lay aside all habits and tinkered solutions to make an unrestricted and unbiased audit of trademark systems in Europe. We must determine whether all national trademark systems should be merged into the EU system or if the current coexistence should be maintained. I believe it should be reconsidered, and more demanding use requirements for CTMs set up. The existence of hundreds of thousands of CTMs (which are used only in one or a few Member States) unjustifiably block other applicants in other countries, clog the registers and in the long run, represent a serious threat to the sustainability of the overall trademark protection system in the EU.
What strategies to safeguard IP, copyrights and trademarks from the competition would you suggest?
François Griesmar: IP Counsels need to think about their global protection strategy and identify their company’s core assets – the assets that differ from competing products or services, that ensure success to their business, as those will be the first targets for imitation. In our case, the BACARDI Superior (Rum) is our most important brand, therefore we pay much more attention to the IP rightsrelated to that brand than any other. IP Counsels should also simultaneously integrate all available legal tools, and combine them in a pragmatic way. They need to have all tools in mind, but decide which combination to use depending on the importance of the matter and their budget.
If an IP Counsel knows what is of most and least importance to the business, then they can focus their efforts, time and money accordingly. With global trademarks, we have to be broad as regards their geographical protection therefore we make use of tools provided by the WIPO international trademarks, as they are a good way of protecting trademarks in many countries for a reasonable price.
What long-term strategies would you recommend to IP Counsels?
François Griesmar: A close and in-depth cooperation with the operational officers (in particular marketing) is needed, to be certain core IP assets are well-identified and periodically reviewed, for an optimal allocation of resources. That enables a consistent protection and defence policy. Last but not least, do not allow short-term financial constraints to ruin your long-term IP strategy – the time unit for IP strategies should be a decade rather than a quarter.
What are some of the trends that you see playing out in the future?
François Griesmar: The computerisation of all national trademark databases within the EU should soon enable a complete online trademark search in the EU. As regards design protection, if this is confirmed by the accession of new parties in the EU after 2008, the long-awaited rebirth of the international Design Patent system could make design protection strategies much easier and cheaper.
I am hoping that within the coming few years we will see efficient trademark search software for design trademarks that enable a fairly reliable online risk assessment.
The current business context is an incentive to implement extreme short-term cost-cutting measures – IP Counsels are being selected purely on a financial basis, ignoring long-term relationships and what IP management really is all about. This will incur serious problems; immediate difficulties must not lead to such short-term practices which will prove detrimental to the business. It is difficult to restart a trademark protection strategy once it has been stopped. IP lawyers must explain their long-term strategy to management, and make sure they are allocated the budget they require. When a company starts a successful product in Europe and does not protect it in the main markets, their competitors might do so. When the time comes for expanding in the market, they will face a big problem. Sometimes it is necessary to anticipate and protect IP accordingly. Always think long-term. Â
Contact:Â
Sarin Kouyoumdjian-Gurunlian
Press Manager
marcus evans, Summits Division
Tel: + 357 22 849 313
Email:Â press@marcusevanscy.com
About the IP Law European Summit 2010
This unique forum will take place at the Fairmont Le Montreux Palace, Montreux, Switzerland, 11 – 13 April, 2010. Offering much more than any conference, seminar or trade show, this exclusive meeting will bring together esteemed industry thought leaders and solution providers to a highly focused and interactive networking event. The summit includes presentations on IP litigation, anti-counterfeit activities and IP management best practices.
For more information please send an email to info@marcusevanscy.com or visit the event website at www.iplawsummiteurope.com
Please note that the summit is a closed business event and the number of participants strictly limited.
About marcus evans Summits
marcus evans Summits are high level business forums for the world’s leading decision-makers to meet, learn and discuss strategies and solutions. Held at exclusive locations around the world, these events provide attendees with a unique opportunity to individually tailor their schedules of keynote presentations, think tanks, seminars and one-to-one business meetings. For more information, please visit www.marcusevans.com
All rights reserved. The above content may be republished or reproduced – kindly inform us by sending an email to press@marcusevanscy.com |
Posted in Corporate Counsel, Intellectual Property (IP), Law, Press Release, Switzerland | No Comments »
Monday, October 5th, 2009
The fifth annual European Corporate Counsel Summit, which took place on the 23 – 25 October 2009 at the prestigious Fairmont Le Montreux Palace, Montreux, Switzerland, was an immense success again.
The ECC Summit attendees followed a personalised agenda designed to maximise their limited time and to effectively meet their business needs and interests.
A great panel of speakers shared their views on the current Pharmaceutical market;
Nicola Walter Palmieri, General Counsel, Parmalat S.p.A., shared his views on the global economic crises.
Dr Richard Wessman, Professor, Uppsala University,talked about the protection of well known marks in the EU and US.
Ignacio de Castro, Deputy Director, WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center, presented the alternative dispute resolution of IP and Technology Disputes.
Besides the strategic summit sessions led by some of the most prominent thinkers in Europe and beyond, the ECC Summit has been designed to provide a unique interactive forum for sponsors to present their products and services directly to key decision makers from Europe’s leading legal companies. Over three days, sponsors meet and interact with senior-level corporate counsels, through a number of business one-to-one meetings and many networking activities.
One week after the summit, 35% of the sponsors companies have already decided to participate in next year’s ECC Summit, which will take place in September 2010.
To quote the Partner of Oppenhoff & Partner, one of the Summit sponsors; The summit is a great opportunity to meet many interesting business contacts in a very efficient, but also enjoyable way.
marcus evans Summits (www.marcusevans.com), produces high level business platforms for the world’s leading decision-makers. These dynamic and innovative forums initiate and develop business relationships one to one between director and C level practitioners from the world’s most influential organisations and with leading product and service suppliers. marcus evans Summit’s guarantees an exclusive format which enables participants to achieve the maximum amount of business and knowledge interaction over a three day event in a stimulating environment.
Please note that the European Corporate Counsel Summit is a closed business event.
For more information
Kirsten Helders
Marketing Manager
Email: summits@marcusevanscy.com
www.eccsummit.com
www.marcusevans.com
Posted in Corporate Counsel, Europe, Europoe, Switzerland | No Comments »
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