Beyond Legal Advice: Effective, Strategic and Influential In-House Team (2024) (On Demand)

This On Demand was originally recorded on 30 October 2024.

What it takes to be an Effective, Strategic and Influential In-House Team

As the role of in-house counsel continues to evolve, balancing legal oversight with strategic business input is more critical than ever. The modern General Counsel and Chief Legal Officer roles have expanded beyond traditional legal advising, embracing the growing importance of legal leadership in shaping company strategy.

In this On Demand, our seasoned panellists will explore key challenges and practical solutions for in-house counsel and legal leaders. What does it take to succeed in these roles, and what are the expectations today?

From mastering leadership and management skills to navigating emerging trends like AI, this session is designed for experienced legal professionals looking to refine their impact within their organisations as well as for those earlier in their careers eager to gain a deeper understanding of their future roles.

Learning Outcomes

Develop strategies to lead and manage a high-performing in-house legal team.
Understand how to align legal functions with broader business strategy and objectives.
Balancing the role of legal adviser with strategic influence within a senior leadership team.
Understand emerging issues for in-house legal functions.
Gain insights into effective resource allocation.
Learn best practices for collaborating with external counsel to drive value.

Who should watch?

Intermediate and senior in-house Lawyers.

Presenters

Allison Whitney, Chief Legal Officer, Stuff

Annette Quesado, Head of Legal, Suncorp Group

Jason Nichols, General Counsel, Operations and Innovation, Fonterra

Chair

Sam Fellows, Manager of City Partnerships (and former General Counsel), Tauranga City Council

Jason Nichols

Jason is General Counsel – Operations and Innovation at Fonterra and leads a team of eight lawyers and legal professionals supporting Fonterra’s global operations and innovation functions. Over the years, Jason has held a number of roles in Fonterra’s legal team working with a wide range of teams across the co-operative. He joined Fonterra in 2015 after relocating back to New Zealand from London, where he worked at a start-up in the fibre-optic telecommunications industry.

Prior to that, Jason worked at Russell McVeagh with time in both their Wellington and Auckland offices.

Jason was recently the winner of In-House Lawyer of the Year at the New Zealand Law Awards 2023.

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Annette Quesado

Annette is the Head of Suncorp New Zealand’s Legal and Secretariat Team, leading a team of lawyers who are responsible for providing corporate, governance, insurance legal advice on key strategic projects and operations across the business (including joint venture AA Insurance). Her team also supports the operation and governance of the Suncorp New Zealand Boards. Annette sits on both the Suncorp New Zealand and Suncorp Group Corporate Services leadership teams.

Annette has been part of the Suncorp New Zealand in various roles team since 2014, bringing with her over 20 years’ experience as both a corporate and litigation lawyer. She has been admitted to practice in New Zealand and Australia. Prior to joining Suncorp, she was a lawyer at leading firms in Auckland, London, and Melbourne.

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Allison Whitney

Allison joined Stuff Group earlier this year to head up their legal team across a large portfolio of brands and channels including stuff.co.nz, The Post, The Press, Neighbourly and a slew of local newspapers, lifestyle magazines and a booming audio division. She worked closely with the team as they won a ground breaking deal earlier this year to produce ThreeNews for Warner Brothers Discovery.

With previous experience including a decade at NZME and executive roles as General Counsel, Company Secretary and executive lead for Culture & Performance at NZME, and a board tenure at the News Publishers’ Association, Allison has significant legal and corporate experience in media both in New Zealand and abroad. She thrives on building value across teams and businesses through leading the legal function to support and align with business strategy and objectives.

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Sam Fellows

Sam is the Manager of City Partnerships at Tauranga City Council and was, until recently, the General Counsel at Tauranga City Council. In addition to leading two legal teams in this role, Sam led the risk, procurement and internal audit functions at the council.

Sam is a fifth-generation Tauranga local, and after moving back from Auckland where he worked in private practice, he made the move in-house to support the work of the council in delivering for the community and helping make the city a little more awesome every day.

He is passionate about how in-house teams can truly be part of the organisation. Sam won the 2024 ILANZ Community Contribution Award and is a finalist for Young In-House Lawyer of the Year at the 2024 New Zealand Law Awards.

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Details

CPD Hours: 1.50hr

Pricing Details

Ticket Price

Member: $155 GST

Non member: $220 GST