Why did you decide
to stay at BT?
I enjoyed my time with BT and always wanted to run my own legal department so it was a welcome opportunity for me when I was offered the role of group general counsel. This is a very interesting time for the company and I did not want to miss
the opportunity of working with my colleagues in what is proving to be a very challenging period.
What changes do you plan to introduce to the legal function over the next 12 months?
BT has always had a centralised legal team which currently numbers about 230. The majority of lawyers are based in London, but there are teams nationwide. There are also lawyers working in Brussels, Singapore, Hong Kong, Sydney, Auckland, New York and Washington DC.
We are in the process of decentralising the legal department. Each of our lines of business – BTopenworld, BT Retail, BT Wholesale, BT Ignite and BT Wireless – has its own general counsel and its own dedicated legal teams. Over the next few months, the centralised legal team will be shifted into the lines of business. We will continue to have a central legal team dealing with certain specialist matters and this team will also look after the needs of the group centre.
