In-house team flies high

Carolyn Jameson, Chief Legal Officer at Skyscanner, reflects on the work of her team that led her to being named ‘Senior In-house Lawyer of the Year’ at the Law Awards 2017

The in-house legal team at Skyscanner has played a crucial role in the company’s amazing growth and success. We are responsible for or involved in a number of significant strategic areas of work, such as the work we do in highlighting to regulators the positive impact that Skyscanner has for consumers, and proactively engaging in debate around the future regulation of internet companies. The number of geographical and product markets that Skyscanner covers is significant, and the depth of knowledge my team has about those markets, consumer expectations and laws, and market dynamics is very important in keeping the business informed about potential issues and recommendations for product features and developments.

In addition, I Ied Skyscanner through its acquisition by Ctrip in 2016, representing the company and its investors during the commercial discussions, through to managing the project to a successful completion. My team were also heavily involved in this, taking part in negotiations and working hard to produce documentation in a very short time frame under huge pressure. I am extremely proud of all that they have achieved. As a team, they have become central to the business by consistently delivering to a high standard and building trust within the organisation. 

When I was named Senior In-house Lawyer of the Year at the Law Awards in 2017, I was extremely proud. I really recommend that in-house lawyers should enter national awards to showcase their achievements. As someone who moved to Edinburgh about 10 years ago as an ‘incomer’, I felt this really cemented my career in Scotland. I also feel it reflects on my full team - their level of commitment to their work and the support they have been to me personally. It also provided an opportunity to recognise the contribution that in-house lawyers make to the legal profession, which in my view remains too much in the shadows. I’ve loved the things I’ve been part of during my career, and I wouldn’t have had the same opportunities had I taken a different route and not worked in-house.

Entries for the Law Awards 2018 can be submitted online and the entry deadline is Wednesday, 3 October 2018.