Wild named European GC of the Year at FT Innovative Lawyers

The Director of Governance and Law at Kent County Council, Geoff Wild, has been named European General Counsel of the Year at the Financial Times Innovative Lawyers awards for 2014.

Wild had been shortlisted alongside lawyers from Roche Products, EDF Energy, E.ON and RB (formerly Reckitt Benckiser). The FT's report can be found here.

The citation for Kent’s legal chief read: “After transforming the council’s legal team into a revenue generator, Geoff Wild is recognised as an industry leader and has had a positive impact on perceptions of public sector lawyers.”

The awards came in the same week as Kent County Council issued an OJEU notice seeking expressions of interest from organisations about becoming commercial partner and running an alternative business structure with Kent Legal Services.

Commenting on the award, Wild told Local Government Lawyer: “The legal profession is in a state of flux. The traditional dividing lines between private sector, in-house and public sector are dissolving. New players are coming in; old players are re-inventing themselves; non-lawyers are making an increasingly important contribution.

“There’s never been a better time to be a lawyer, since out of the chaos and confusion is emerging creativity and entrepreneurship. Perhaps the last place you would look to find this entrepreneurial spirit is in local government, where its institutions, traditions and structures tend to stifle innovation.

“But thankfully it is alive and well and flourishing, and this award is a tribute to the superb team of lawyers and support staff we have in Kent. And if you can do it there, you can do it anywhere!”