What Is a Legal Bp
However, at the ministerial level, BP is often a defined and specific role. So what`s in it? The in-house legal team wants to be perceived as a business partner (PB) by its most important clients and be at the heart of the organization. As Chair of BP Legal and Compliance`s Global Steering Committee on Diversity and Inclusion, what do you think the in-house legal industry can do to ensure the legal industry is more diverse? I feel like it`s been a very long time, but one of the best pieces of advice I received was how important it is to know your audience. A professor or partner may very well be interested in your detailed and carefully researched legal reasoning, but it is very unlikely that many of your clients will. As a client, I value external advice with an understanding of our business, the ability to focus on the issues that really matter and the willingness to express an opinion. At BP, we recognize that to be competitive, we need the broadest talent pool available – and that our workforce must reflect the communities in which we live and work. This requires diversity and inclusion (D&I) to be at the heart of everything we do, and our legal leadership team is fully committed to it. Over the past few years, we have worked closely with HR to make many changes to our recruitment and talent management processes to attract, develop and retain our talented and diverse employees. In any case, you will be the main legal contact for the industry, maintain close relationships with your sales colleagues and give them the legal advice and support they need. Trudi Charles is Deputy General Counsel for BP`s utilities and trading business, BP`s oil, gas, power, petrochemical, issuance, financial derivatives and currency trading markets. She leads a global team of more than 70 lawyers in London, Singapore, Chicago, Houston and Calgary, working with a firm that operates across the value chain, supporting BP`s upstream and downstream segments, offering its 12,000 clients a combination of physical and commercial sourcing and innovative financial structures. Trudi is a member of the Board of Directors for BP`s procurement and trading activities and legal function. She is also Chair of BP Legal & Compliance`s Global Steering Committee on Diversity and Inclusion.
In general, BP`s role (as a global role rather than as part of a more generalist role) is more relevant in larger legal teams where BP acts as a conduit to a central team that leads legal processes and provides legal advice. The structure of your legal team depends on factors such as the size and geographic distribution of your business and how it operates. For example, providing legal services to a small one-office business presents different challenges than working in a multinational corporation with offices in multiple jurisdictions. What are the three main characteristics of leading a legal team? Trudi is originally from Australia and was part of the first student admission to Bond University on the Gold Coast, where she studied law. She first moved to the UK to study BCL at Oxford and moved to Herbert Smith Freehills, where she worked as an associate in London and Hong Kong. Since joining BP plc in 2004, she has led a number of global legal teams and supported various BP companies downstream and, since 2013, in the supply and trade sector. Our legal teams act as collaborators for every part of our business, providing the knowledge and expertise we need around the world to make the right decisions and move forward as a safety-focused company. The selection of companies represents an improvement over the previous PB system, which consists of two legal bodies – one for the UK and one for international activities. The U.S. attorney first reported on the new panels.
Alternatively, BP may work with business colleagues as an “online” lawyer, provide advice on matters relevant to that business entity (and consult beforehand with other legal colleagues and/or external lawyers on areas of corporate law and policy that are outside their personal competence). Don`t underestimate the importance of culture. Try to understand the core values of the organization you want to join, how it works, and who you will be working with. You have to love not only what you do, but also how you do it. Because we work closely with the companies we support, our legal teams have a deep understanding of our industry and BP, enabling us to deliver business-focused solutions. My colleagues in procurement and commerce describe the legal department as a source of competitive advantage. I can`t think of a better price than this. The role of BP is interesting and challenging, both in your role and as a whole. It can put you at the center of the business, develop a detailed understanding of one or more business units, and become a valuable member of those teams. Being a successful PO can be a useful stepping stone to a higher role as a general counsel or in senior management.
However, there is a risk that you will specialize too much in one business unit at the expense of developing a broader legal perspective. Therefore, changing BP roles can be important for your career development. In some small legal teams, BP`s role is merged with that of subject matter expert into a single role. Energy giant BP has reviewed its global, British, American and Singaporean legal advisers, naming 26 companies in newly introduced lists. Finally, can you share with Lawyer Monthly what you love most about your role and why? Previously, the company had operated two legal panels: one for the UK and one for its international operations. I joined BP over 14 years ago and it was absolutely the right decision. When I wanted to move in-house, I didn`t have a clear idea of the industry I wanted to work in, but I knew I wanted a role where I would be part of a company that respects and values its legal team and works with smart people at the top of their field.
