eBook | GCs and the COVID-19 pandemic: how legal responded

Introduction

Introduction to GCs & the pandemic

Daniel Glazer, Managing Partner at Wilson Sonsini London, introduces this eBook by exploring the challenges presented by the pandemic - and how in-house lawyers have fared in uncharted waters.

Daniel Glazer is an American technology lawyer and strategic advisor, leading Wilson Sonsini’s U.S. expansion group to support UK and European tech and life sciences companies in U.S. market entry, fundraising, and growth. Recognized by The American Lawyer and Chambers USA for his expertise, he has over two decades of experience as U.S. counsel to UK and European businesses

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Chapter 1

"How are we going to keep our riders safe?"

As one of the largest food delivery platforms in the world, how do you cope with demand that soars overnight, while keeping your employees and customers safe and feeding the nation?

Chantelle Zemba is the General Counsel at Deliveroo, where she previously held the role of Head of Corporate and Compliance. Before joining Deliveroo to lead the legal function, Chantelle worked in private practice at Norton Rose Fullbright, a global law firm. Along with being qualified as a solicitor in England and Wales, Chantelle is also qualified as a barrister and solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand.

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Chapter 2

"Everybody was scrutinizing their force majeure clauses"

When the property market came to a shuddering halt - and then started up again without warning, how did legal support the business and its customers to keep the housing market moving?

Amelia Guilfoyle is the General Counsel and Company Secretary at Houseful, where she is also part of the senior leadership team. Before joining Houseful, Amelia held roles as the Head of Legal and General Counsel at Zoopla. Amelia is an experienced GC and strategic advisor.

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Chapter 3

"How do we get our customers home?"

The travel industry is used to dealing with crises - but a once-in-a-lifetime global pandemic is another level altogether. How did Secret Escapes' legal team support the business and protect its customers?

James Russell-Jones is the General Counsel at Bark.com, and he has a wealth of in-house legal experience at companies like Beacon and Secret Escapes, too.

Before moving in-house, James trained and qualified into the real estate team at Hogan Lovells, a global law firm.

James' legal background first started at the University of Exeter where he completed his Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree.

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Chapter 4

"How could we sustain revenue streams contingent on travel?"

The pandemic presented both challenges and opportunities for fintechs. How did Revolut's legal team support business growth while confronting uncertainty caused by the global travel shutdown?

Tom Hambrett is the Partner and Chief Legal Officer at Revolut. In his role, Tom defines and executes the legal and corporate strategy for the business, and is accountable for more than 500 FTEs across more than 30 markets. Tom is also an award-winning lawyer, having been recognized in various prestigious lists, including the Legal 500 - GC Powerlist, The Lawyer Awards, Financial Times Legal Awards, and more.

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Chapter 5

"Every aspect of our business was suddenly at risk"

When your business relies primarily on hospitality, lockdown creates a commercial minefield to navigate. Read how BrewDog's legal team relied on an agile and responsive mindset to help the business pivot.

Richard Street is the General Counsel at Brewdog where he heads up the legal function for the group. Day-to-day, Richard's role involves advising on strategic issues, managing contracts, evaluating growth opportunities, and more. Richard has led several high-impact legal projects, including the acquisition and integration of Draft House into the Brewdog group.

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Chapter 6

"Hopin reached double unicorn status in 18 months"

400+ hires, two acquisitions, and 'double unicorn' status in less than 18 months. How did virtual events platform Hopin adapt to the unique opportunities of 2020, and what role did legal play in the company's phenomenal growth?

Irene Liu is an AI Advisor for California State Senate where she coaches on responsible AI and policy. Before becoming an advisor, Irene was a finance and legal executive, and the CLO at Hopin.

Irene also sits on the board of the UC Berkeley Center for Law and Business, and she regularly contributes thought leadership about the future of AI.

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Chapter 7

"The minute you thought you understood the restriction, it changed again"

What does a train and coach ticketing company do when trains and coaches stop running? Find out how Trainline's legal team helped customers and mitigated risk in a rapidly changing environment.

Neil Murrin is the Chief Legal Officer at CUBE, a global RegTech provider that empowers financial institutions to adhere to cross-boarder compliance requirements. Before joining CUBE, Neil held roles as General Counsel at Smart Pension and Trainline, where he was also recognized in the Legal 500 GC Powerlist in 2019.

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Chapter 8

"How could we connect financially distressed users to resources?"

In lockdown, Stripe helped the federal government and welcomed 300,000 new businesses to online commerce. How did legal support these initiatives whilst taking a pre-IPO scaleup fully remote?

Trish Walsh is the Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary at Stripe, where she is responsible for all legal and regulatory affairs, as well as corporate security.

Before joining Stripe, Trish was the Executive Vice President and CLO at Voya Financial, a Fortune 500 company.

Trish has a Doctor of Law from Yale Law School, and an MPA in Public Affairs from Princeton University.

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Conclusion

Reflections on a year like no other

The role of the GC has evolved during the pandemic. In this closing chapter, we take inventory of the new responsibilities GCs have taken on, and look to the future of the post-pandemic lawyer.

Richard Mabey is the CEO and co-founder of Juro, the intelligent contract automation platform. Under his leadership, Juro has scaled rapidly, backed by $38 million in venture funding from prominent investors including Eight Roads, USV, Point Nine Capital and Seedcamp, and the founders of companies like Indeed, Gumtree and Wise.

Richard trained and qualified at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, working as an M&A associate in London and New York. He gained an MBA from INSEAD, and then spent time at LegalZoom, learning to build legal tech products.

Frustrated by the manual legal processes that slow down businesses, Richard co-founded Juro in 2016, with a mission to help the world agree contracts faster. Beyond Juro, he hosts the "Brief Encounters" podcast, makes angel investments, and supports other ambitious ventures from the boardroom. Richard is a Fellow of the RSA, an adviser to The Entrepreneurs Network and sits as a Non-executive Director of Bright Blue.

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