Corporate governance issues have been forced up the agendas of directors and senior management in financial services companies of all kinds – and the beneficiaries have been the in-house lawyers.
“It has not increased legal representation on the board yet, but the board is certainly more focused on corporate governance issues than two or three years ago,” says Richard Bennett, head of legal at HSBC. “Whether that is due to the Higgs Report, the Smith Report or the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, every good board needs to develop effective corporate governance strategies.”
