Asda shrinks legal panel from 16 to three and signs partnership charter

McGrigors, Pinsents and Ward Hadaway win positions as Asda overhauls legal panel

McGrigors, Pinsent Masons and Ward Hadaway have won roles on Asda's new legal panel, with all three firms agreeing to sign up to a 'partnership charter'.

The overhaul has seen Asda whittle down its advisers from 16 firms to just three, following an extensive review earlier this year overseen by Asda heads of legal Ellen McLaughlin and Sarah Dickson.

The trio of firms will provide all of the retailer's commercial and corporate work nationally and, in an unusual move, have signed up to a partnership charter that will see them working together with Asda's in-house lawyers and aligning processes.

Under the terms of the partnership charter, all associates working on the account will only be able to do so with the approval of Asda's in-house team, following a mandatory secondment to the supermarket giant. The agreement also stipulates that lawyers working on the account will have to work in an Asda store over Christmas for three days, for free.

All three law firms have agreed to the same hourly rates based on fixed rates for senior and junior lawyers, with all employment tribunal work to be carried out for a fixed fee agreed in advance. The panel has no fixed time period, although pricing arrangements will be reviewed annually.

McGrigors Scottish litigation head Laura Cameron, Pinsents IP partner Catrin Turner and Ward Hadaway employment partner Harmajinder Hayre have been named as relationship partners.

Asda is reviewing whether a similar process should be recommended for its separate property panel, which has a number of firms on it including Eversheds, Ward Hadaway, Beachcroft and Dundas & Wilson. Strategic competition advice will continue to be provided by Slaughter and May.

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