• MARY K YOUNG, Partner, Zeughauser Group, Washington D.C.
  Moving the Global Law Firm Through a Challenging Economy: Focus on Strategy
• DAVID SYED, Senior Partner - Europe, Orrick, Paris
  Changing Supply & Demand for Global Legal Services: The Multi-polar Dynamic
• JOHN H. STOUT, Partner, Fredrikson & Byron, Minneapolis
  The Fulfilled International Lawyer: Advice for a Successful Career
• ADAM SMITH, General Counsel, EADS Defence & Security, Munich
  Laws are Local: How Can Corporate Legal Services Become More Global?
• HELENA SAMAHA, General Counsel EMEA, AlixPartners, Paris
  Transcending Legal Expertise to Get to the Heart of Serving Global Clients
• THOMAS J. SABATINO, Jr., Executive Vice President & General Counsel, Schering-Plough Corporation, New Jersey
  Musical Chairs: How Today’s General Counsel Earns a Seat at the Top Executive Table
• NORM RUBENSTEIN, Partner, Zeughauser Group, Washington D.C.
  The Key to Credible International Branding
• JOLENE OVERBECK, Chief Marketing Officer, DLA Piper, New York City
  Moving the Global Law Firm Through a Challenging Economy: Focus on Strategy
• MICHAEL O’NEILL, SVP and General Counsel, Lenovo Corporation, Washington D.C.
  Fit for Global: Operating Tenets for the General Counsel
• MARY MULLALLY, Head of Networks, Practical Law Company, London
  How Corporate Counsel in the UK and Europe are Changing, and the Key Elements of Success
• DEBORAH MCMURRAY, CEO and Strategy Architect, Content Pilot LLC, Dallas
  LAW FIRM 4.0: Considerations for the Global Law Firm in 2020
• CHRIS MARSHALL, Pro Bono & Community Manager, Reed Smith and Chair, Board of Trustees, Advocates for International Development, London
  International Pro Bono – Broadening our Geographical Reach
• BRUCE MacEWEN, Founder, “Adam Smith Esq.,”, New York City
  Re-thinking Your Global Strategy: Geography, Talent and Management
• DESPINA KARTSON, Chief Marketing Officer, Latham & Watkins LLP, New York City
  The Role of Law Firm Values in Successful Global Expansion
• PETER KALIS, Chairman and Global Managing Partner, K&L Gates LLP, New York City
  The Signature Legal Challenge of the 21st Century
• ALAN JENKINS, Chairman, Eversheds LLP, London
  Understanding the Importance of Culture in Managing a Global Law Firm
• FADI HAMMADEH, General Counsel, Dubai Properties Group, Dubai
  The Regulatory Pendulum Worldwide: Where are we Headed?
• ANN LEE GIBSON, Ann Lee Gibson Consulting, West Plains, Missouri
  Feels Like 1990 All Over Again: Law Firm Economic Cycles
• TIM S. GLASSETT, Former General Counsel, Hilton Hotels Corporation, Beverly Hills, CA
  Building and Motivating a High-Performing Global Legal Team
• ROSS FISHMAN, CEO, Fishman Marketing, Highland Park, Illinois
  Focus: The Benefits of a Narrow Scope in the Face of Global Opportunity
• JAN EIJSBOUTS, former General Counsel, Akzo Nobel, Amsterdam
  Foreword
• E. LEIGH DANCE, President, ELD International, Inc., New York and Rome
  Introduction and European Counsel Must Improve Compliance
• BRUNO COVA, Partner, Paul Hastings, Milan
  Reflections on Moving Inside to Outside, and European Counsel Must Improve Compliance
• JEFFREY CARR General Counsel, FMC Technologies, Houston
  Building a Better Legal Service Delivery System
• PETER J. BESHAR EVP and General Counsel, Marsh & McLennan Companies, New York City
  Living Through a Corporate Crisis and Preparing for What Might Come Next
• DEREK BENTON Director of International Operations, Lexis-Nexis Martindale-Hubbell, London
  Lawyers Network Differently as the World Grows Flatter

About the Editor

“Leigh Dance and I have worked together on many projects, facilitating practical exchanges and promoting critical thinking among business lawyers globally.  We share the same objective: to advance the structures, management and transparency of corporate legal services to meet the needs of the changing world around us.   I have met few individuals that have been as closely involved as Leigh Dance in the many developments in our industry globally— both as they affect corporate legal teams and law firms.   Through her consultancy she has contributed significantly to the high quality of international corporate legal advice.  The outstanding list of legal luminaries that readily agreed to write essays specifically for this book is the best testimony to Leigh’s talents.”

- Jan Eijsbouts, former General Counsel, Akzo Nobel   (from the foreword, Bright Ideas:  Insights from Legal Luminaries Worldwide)

E. LEIGH DANCE

For 16 years Leigh Dance has led ELD International, Inc., a consultancy advising global law firms on international expansion and global client development.  She has worked with many of the world’s top law firm leadership on creating and executing competitive growth strategies internationally, new market penetration, and improving the performance of existing international offices. Dance has unparalleled international legal services experience, having worked on projects in more than 30 countries in her career.  She has lived partly in Europe and partly in the US for the last 15 years.

The concept for Bright Ideas:  Insights from Legal Luminaries Worldwide was inspired by Leigh Dance’s ongoing work with top inside and outside counsel around the world.  On the occasion of ELD International’s 15th birthday, she decided to invite a number of colleagues from diverse regions to write essays on topics of mutual interest.  Each of these individuals had impressed her as ‘big thinkers’ and she wanted to put their diverse perspectives together to present a valued book on the key issues facing global law firms and corporate law departments today.  A communicator by training and experience, Leigh assumed the role of the book’s editor. 

In addition to its work with global law firms, ELD International also advises global corporate law departments on structuring and managing to achieve better results for their companies.  Leigh Dance has worked with dozens of top global corporate legal functions on leadership and training for global counsel, best practices to enhance productivity and reduce costs, cross-border corporate legal services delivery, global law firm partnering and convergence, and compliance and ethics programs. She leads projects with support from the ELD team and a number of strategic allies.

With LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell, Leigh co-founded and organizes the highly-regarded international series Counsel To Counsel: A Forum on Best Practices in Corporate Legal Services. Since 2000 Leigh has moderated more than 75 roundtables of senior corporate counsel in more than 25 cities on all continents. Additionally, ELD International developed and produced the Global Counsellors College with PLC and Howrey, and co-chaired four global compliance conferences in the US and Europe in 2007 and 2008. She developed and co-chaired the 2008 Wake Up to the Future: How Global Corporate Legal Services Must Change conference hosted by Eversheds and ACC in New York City.

Prior to founding ELD International in 1993, Leigh had nearly 14 years of work experience in international development and public policy in Washington and New York, where she worked with the Overseas Education Fund and the Executive Counsel on Foreign Diplomats.  During this time she edited a book on credit and women’s economic development.  In New York, the UK and France she worked as a Vice President of The Chase Manhattan Bank with corporate communications, strategic planning, investment product management and marketing management assignments in 13 countries.  She was then head of marketing for a US Midwest law firm. Leigh has a BA with honors from University of Delaware, Publications Specialist Certification from George Washington University, and an International MBA with high honors from Thunderbird School of International Management.  She also studied in Aix-en-Provence.   Leigh speaks English, French and Italian.

Praise for Leigh Dance’s work:

Leigh Dance is the consummate consultant.  In helping us with our London launch, she gently guided us through the opportunities and challenges.

Director of Marketing, Schulte Roth & Zabel law firm

LeighDance is a trusted advisor and business partner.  She has ensured the success of our Counsel to Counsel series over a long period by establishing a following in the major cities in Europe, North America and Asia.

Derek Benton, Director of International Operations, LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell

Leigh is the rare industry insider whose access to the upper echelon of leadership is a testimony to the intrinsic value she provides.  She has a seat at the table because her insights and perspective are on the leading edge of the change curve.  She knows what’s happening on multiple continents ahead of the rest of the crowd.

Nat Slavin, former Publisher of Corporate Legal Times, now with Wicker Park Group

"Leigh is a master of the art of positive communication and has a natural talent for promoting and fostering humane interaction at an executive level. Her ability to connect like-minded people is only surpassed by her generous spirit and genuine care for others. She is an accomplished facilitator and her extensive knowledge of the requirements of corporate counsels and the environment in which they operate has ensured, time and time again, a successful and rewarding experience for all those who have had the pleasure of working with her."

Fadi Hammadeh, General Counsel, Dubai Properties Group

There is a substantial gap between how law firms and corporate counsel function, and Leigh’s understanding has successfully bridged that gap.  She compares and contrasts legal issues across different jurisdictions with ease, were both practices and the law itself can vary greatly.

Helena Samaha, General Counsel Europe, AlixPartners

Leigh Dance was a key member of our team that built and launched our online risk management services in North America and Europe. She helped us succeed.

Director of Marketing and Communications, Aon eSolutions, Aon Corporation

Leigh Dance helped our firm launch three offices in Europe and develop our European offering over a 5 year period. She has incredible insight about the European market, with a deep understanding of clients and competition.

Mary K Young, former CMO of Howrey, now Partner with Zeughauser Group

 

ELD INTERNATIONAL INC.

ELD International, Inc. is a leading international consultancy in the legal services industry. ELD has two principle areas of activity:

• Strategic and tactical consulting on international growth and expansion for professional services firms
• Advice to global corporate law departments on structuring and managing to achieve better results for their companies.

ELD International's clients are primarily global law firms, multinational corporate law departments and the organizations that serve in-house counsel. ELD clients have activities and operations around the world.  ELD International operates from offices in New York, Brussels and London.