Blog

Stephen Swanson, Chief Legal Officer with Invest AD – Abu Dhabi Investment Company, discusses the challenges of advising on fund launches in countries like Iraq, and the merits of adapting to different cultural requirements.

Gang Xu, director and associate general counsel of Walmart (China) Investment Co Ltd, tells us what qualities he looks for when recruiting staff and appointing external counsel

Asian-Counsel sits down with Carlo van den Akker, General Counsel for Asia with NXP Semiconductors Singapore Pty Ltd, to discuss everything from hidden microphones and toasting moutai to why, when it comes to obtaining legal services, he would rather be a big fish in a smaller pond.

Adaptable, bright, energetic and possessing a sense of humour? You might just fit the bill of one of the world’s preeminent financial advisors, according to Brett Graham, Deputy Head of Legal for Asia at Morgan Stanley.

Once viewed as the poor cousin to private practice, attitudes towards in-house lawyers have shifted markedly in Australia in recent years, according to Group General Counsel Will Irving of Telstra, Australia’s leading telecommunications and information services provider. He tells us why the winds of change continue to blow in respect of the in-house role.

A remarkable career has seen General Counsel Chua Lee Ming of the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation Pte Ltd spend time as a coroner, magistrate, public prosecutor, and private practitioner. We speak to him about his decision to move in-house twelve years ago.

From London to Cyprus, New Delhi to Singapore. We speak to Evangelos Apostolou, Vice President and Chief Counsel with BT Global Services, about his path to the top and the realities on the in-house role in today’s climate.

Mitchell Stocks, General Counsel – Asia Pacific with US$3.5 billion technology company NetApp, shares his secrets to building a legal team in APAC from scratch, and how to ensure a seat at the table.

Thavakumar Kandiahpillai, General Counsel for the Shell Group of Companies in Malaysia discusses his transition from private practice to life as an in-house lawyer, and shares why Shell’s extensive recruitment process helps retain the cream of the crop.

Fengming Liu, Chief Legal Officer of Microsoft’s Greater China Region, shares the challenges facing his in-house team and reveals how the software giant will use the downturn to hire and develop legal talent.