McGregor, Catherine
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(Article) Boys will be boys but the legal profession needs to say #TimesUp on a particular type of masculinity
01.04.2020
Our new editor, Catherine McGregor, shares a personal and hard-hitting opinion piece on the need for men in the legal profession to become a part of the solution to issues of sexism and discrimination in light of #MeToo and #TimesUp. -
(Article) Examining masculinity - the new frontier for diversity and inclusion in the law?
01.07.2020
Diversity and inclusion in the law is always a current topic - the industry is still dominated by viewpoints which are generally white, male and cisgender. But this is the one form of identity which is rarely discussed in a diversity and inclusion context. The challenge with many of the changes we are seeking to make as a profession is that the very structures we are seeking to change are themselves built upon a system which assumes masculinity to be the normal state of affairs. Patriarchy as a system is created by all of us and this is something which we need to explore. In my article, I consider the ways in which tropes of masculinity are reinforced in the profession by discussing with three male general counsel their own relationships with their gender identity in a professional context. We also discuss how they have used their own experiences to act as more inclusive leaders. -
(Article) Smashing the system
01.07.2020
Rupa Patel is a female general counsel who has developed a successful career through several exciting general counsel roles, often as the first lawyer in the company. Working with prominent CEOs across a diverse range of organisations has given her many valuable opportunities for personal development as a leader of people. This places Rupa within a new breed of in-house lawyers who are challenging many of the old paradigms about what an in-house lawyer is and needs to be; paradigms that she sees as no longer being fit for purpose. -
(Article) Roundtable - Facing the future; shaping the present
01.10.2020
In the first of our roundtable events for Modern Lawyer, we gathered a group of general counsel and law firm professionals to discuss their thoughts on some of the significant changes which have taken place in recent months in how we work and how we think about work. Covid-19 has fundamentally changed the way we're working - will this continue? Black Lives Matter has also created a lot of discussion on how we can really create a truly inclusive profession. Modern Lawyer spoke with Bendita Cynthia Malakia, global head of diversity and inclusion at Hogan Lovells; Charles Martin, partner at MacFarlanes; Rupa Patel, general counsel at Awaze; and Kenny Robertson, head of legal for outsourcing, technology and IP at RBS. Below is an edited version of our conversation. -
(Article) The show must go on: creativity and thinking differently in law
01.10.2020
Annabelle Newman of Syneos Health discusses imagination, problem solving and why her creative background has helped her become a better lawyer. This is certainly a topic that is close to my heart, having started my career in the creative industries, now working in the legal profession it's refreshing to find someone whose journey matches my own. I was fascinated to talk to Annabelle about how she brings creativity to her practice of law. -
(Article) Change - turn and face the strange
01.01.2021
In the second of our Modern Lawyer roundtable events we discuss change. I'm delighted by the fact that in a publication with the word ?lawyer' in the title three of the five of us are not lawyers! This seems appropriate as many changes in the legal profession are being driven by experts who are not lawyers. The following is an edited version of our conversation. -
(Article) Empathy and complexity - navigating the waters of business and law
01.01.2021
The modern business world is more complex than ever before and the role of in-house lawyers is similarly more multi-faceted than just being ?the lawyer'. Many general counsel now readily embrace this move to more than just a legal focus. One of these is Luci Ingram, general counsel at Utility Warehouse (UW), the multiservice utility provider, and one of the youngest general counsel in the FTSE 250. Luci trained and qualified at Slaughter and May. She then went in-house to King, the makers of Candy Crush. I spoke to Luci about navigating change, embracing complexity and the overwhelming need for empathy to inform both law and business. -
(Article) A blank canvas - re-creating the law firm
01.04.2021
Those who have throughout history tried to imagine a better future, will often imagine what could be created if they had a blank canvas and could reimagine fundamental structures in a different way. The key is thinking creatively but, as we are products of particular social structures at a particular point in time, can we even imagine boldly enough? Is this true of the legal profession? For years there has been heated debate about many of the key structures that the modern law firm is built upon but very little ever changes. In this Modern Lawyer roundtable, I invited a mixture of people who, in their own way, are involved with reimaging the legal profession and invited them to hypothesise what should change most urgently in what we understand as the ?law firm'. The following is an edited version of our conversation. -
(Article) Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance
01.04.2021
Jelena Madir is general counsel at Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance created in 2000 to ensure fair and equitable access to vaccinations globally. Jelena joined as general counsel in November 2019, just before the Covid-19 pandemic hit. In the light of Covid-19, Gavi is managing the Covax Facility, which is an innovative financial mechanism to ensure all countries, including the world's poorest 92 countries, have access to the Covid-19 vaccines. This initiative included lots of unique and time-sensitive legal considerations for the new general counsel and her expanding team to consider. -
(Article) Life lessons - navigating the workplace as a woman
01.04.2021
This is not going to be a normal article. This is a tactical handbook based on real-lived experiences from a role model in the legal profession, specifically Carolyn Jameson, Chief Trust Officer at Trustpilot. Carolyn is a badass powerful female executive who does things in an understated way. The fact she doesn't do everything perfectly and struggles at times makes her about a thousand times better than any unrealistic female role model. Yes, I am talking about you the female professional who supposedly woke up at 5am, drank a cup of hot water with some slices of lemon, worked out, kissed her five perfect children goodbye and was at her desk at 7am with not even a hair out of place! -
(Article) Redefining leadership - talking OUT Leadership with Nokia
01.07.2021
Nokia's OUT Leaders programme is a grassroots initiative developed by chief legal officer, Nassib Abou-Khalil, and Jér?me Meyer, Deepfield business development lead and co-president of Nokia's LGBT+ employee resource group. The programme supports and develops talent from the LGBT+ community at Nokia to become leaders. I spoke to Nassib and Jér?me about how this programme is changing the face of leadership at Nokia and what other organisations can learn from it. -
(Article) Culture - somewhere over the rainbow or are we already home?
01.07.2021
Like the title song from the Wizard of Oz, is the perfect organisational culture just somewhere out of reach? What's the role for general counsel and their legal teams in ensuring their companies keep this dream in view? -
(Article) Risk and reward in the new normal of work
01.10.2021
In our regular Modern Lawyer roundtable, we are delighted to partner with Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas to discuss with a range of general counsel from around the world the issue of how organisations and their legal teams are dealing with the new normal, from different ways of working, to vaccine mandates through to the use of technology. -
(Article) A fond farewell and a warm welcome
01.01.2022
Catherine McGregor talks to Isabel Parker