Lessons I Learned in Law Heriot Brown

In this episode of Lessons I Learned in Law, Scott meets with Maria Barros, Chief Legal and Public Affairs Officer at Booking.com.

Maria is a true Citizen of the World. Born in London, from a Brazilian family, Maria loves travelling (passion and profession have collided at Booking.com) and has lived in the UK, US, Brazil, Mexico, Belgium and is now based in the Netherlands, where, in addition to her role as Chief Legal & Public Affairs Officer, she is a member of the Management Board of Booking.com and Board member of ACC Europe, the largest global association of in-house counsel. Before that, Maria was General Counsel Europe and Middle East of AB-InBev, the global brewer.

Maria shares her insights on how she has built a best in class integrated legal and public affairs function at Booking.com with a strong focus on developing talent.

We also discuss the importance of developing a strong reliable network and hear how the ACC has been a "home away from home" and a fantastic support network for in-house lawyers.

A really interesting story with a unique International legal career at some huge global brands!

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To find out more information on the ACC and how to get involved see the links below:

- How to learn more about the ACC – More information on the ACCE website: Europe | Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC)

- How to become an ACC member - individual and group – see this link: Membership | Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC)

- How to register for the May conference – see this link: Registration - ACC (acceurope.com)

In this episode of Lessons I Learned in Law, Scott Brown speaks to Kenny Roberston, Head of Outsourcing, Technology & IP legal team at NatWest Group. In his role, he leads up a team which supports some of the largest outsourcing transactions in the UK and which continually pushes to be innovative and progressive and provide great customer experience for stakeholders. He is also Chair of the Law Society of Scotland’s Wellbeing Steering Group. 
Kenny shares some of the lessons he’s learned in law including:
·      Be Yourself! Giving legal advice is a relationships game, and its hard to build relationships without being authentic. 
·      Play with your head up (to use a sporting analogy). Be aware, be able to identify opportunities, adapt to change and be ready for whatever might be around the corner.  
·      Create and nurture a positive culture within your team.
 
Kenny admits that early on in his career he tried to live up to his pre-conceived ideas of what a lawyer should be, and how damaging this can be for lawyers’ wellbeing. He explores where these ideas might stem from, how the legal profession is changing and how developments such as AI may even alter the skillset required to be a lawyer in the future. 
 
Kenny shares details of his pioneering initiative in collaboration with the Scottish Ethnic Minorities Law Association. Kenny also reveals how he’s worked to cultivate a transparent and psychologically safe organisational culture within his team at NatWest. He elaborates on the three pillars that form the bedrock of his team's ethos: High Performance, Progressive Mindset, and Teamship, and how they factor into the bank's ESG agenda and climate goals. 
 
Presented by Scott Brown of Heriot Brown Legal Recruitment. 
 
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In this episode of Lessons I Learned in Law, Scott Brown speaks to Chris Fowler, Chief Operating Officer for Legal, Governance and Compliance at mining business Rio Tinto. Prior to that Chris spent 24 years at BT Group including as General Counsel for BT’s Technology division which builds and operates BT’s networks, its IT infrastructure and its research and development unit.
After a long career in telecoms, Chris explains his motivation for switching sector and how he’s finding his first few months with Rio Tinto. “Fundamentally I wanted to work in an organisation that's got some pretty big challenges, but also is somewhere that I found personally really exciting” Chris says. Chris also discusses the potential professional benefits that can arise from switching sectors, as well as the things you should watch out for. 

Chris shares some of the lessons he’s learned in law including:
·      If it doesn’t feel comfortable, you’re learning. Be prepared to test yourself!
·      As a lawyer you can have a huge impact on the people around you and their lives. Invest in people and value relationships. 
·      Say ‘yes’ when you don’t necessarily have all the facts. Take the leap!

Chris also shares how he made the most of his ‘break’ in-between roles, something he would advise everyone to do and to make the most of if you get the opportunity. 


Presented by Scott Brown of Heriot Brown Legal Recruitment. 
 
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Welcome to the latest instalment in our mini-series, Lessons I Learned in Law X Inside the Agency, where we aim to lift the lid on Heriot Brown In-House Legal Recruitment to give you a better idea of what we do. 

We are flipping the script on our usual format and putting our Consultants and team members in the spotlight to share more about the people who make us tick and help us provide fulfilling careers for lawyers. On each episode of Inside the Agency you will get to know more about how recruitment works and we hope we can dispel some of the myths!! 

This week we're chatting to Chloe Rowan. Chloe is our team’s Personal Assistant at Heriot Brown, responsible for assisting with the day to day operations of the business. With 15 years’ worth of administrative experience, 9 of which as a virtual PA, Chloe brings a wealth of expertise to the Heriot Brown team. 
Chloe shares: 
How working from home has changed over a decade.Why user experience is so important.How Heriot Brown differs from other recruiters.Presented by Scott Brown of Heriot Brown Legal Recruitment.

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In this episode of Lessons I Learned in Law, Scott Brown speaks to Matt Wilson, General Counsel at TV Production company Fremantle. Fremantle produces over 12,000 hours of original programming every year across drama, entertainment, documentaries and film. Matt started his career with four years at Baker & McKenzie and has also worked at Arsenal Football Club (he is a huge Arsenal fan), as well as Telefónica and Uber.
Matt shares some of the lessons he’s learned in law including:
·      If you’re giving advice that you want to rely on or evidence in the future, make sure you write it down!
·       Never assume and always be curious. This applies when offering advice in a professional capacity but also in understanding people, maintaining relationships and managing teams. 
·      This, too, shall pass! A positive mindset is required when it comes to crisis management and response, and remind yourself that everything works out in the end. 

Matt explains the power of Personality Insights when it comes to understanding people and getting the most from your team.  When recruiting, Matt looks for people who are good at the things that he’s not so good at, to ensure diverse perspectives and a comprehensive skillset across the team.

Matt is well travelled and explains how a legal career can offer fantastic opportunities for travel, if that’s something you wish to do. Drawing on his own intriguing experiences living abroad, Matt showcases the monumental value of diversity and its role in enriching our teams.
 
Presented by Scott Brown of Heriot Brown Legal Recruitment. 
Follow Heriot Brown:
Twitter | LinkedIn |  Facebook | Instagram

Welcome to the latest instalment in our mini-series, Lessons I Learned in Law X Inside the Agency, where we aim to lift the lid on Heriot Brown In-House Legal Recruitment to give you a better idea of what we do. 

We are flipping the script on our usual format and putting our Consultants and team members in the spotlight to share more about the people who make us tick and help us provide fulfilling careers for lawyers. On each episode of Inside the Agency you will get to know more about how recruitment works and we hope we can dispel some of the myths!! 

This week we're chatting to Stephanie Jones. Stephanie specialises in placing lawyers in-house within the financial service industry, working with a range of clients such as retail and consumer banks, global investment banks, private equity funds, asset managers and insurance companies. 
Stephanie shares: 
What Rec to Rec means in the world of recruitment.Why the small details are so important to lawyers.Why a good client relationship is key.Presented by Scott Brown of Heriot Brown Legal Recruitment.

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