Phone-an-In-House Telco Counsel: Keeping up with Technology and (Client) Communications

Mitchell Landrigan, Director, Corporate Counsel for the APAC region, Telstra Corporation, Australia

This article is about how in-house counsel can use their legal skills in fast-moving, technologically rich industries. Our particular field is telecommunications law in Australia; however, the kind of counsel-client relationship we discuss is not unique to the telecommunications industry and we think it is likely mirrored in other technologically complex businesses. We therefore anticipate that this article’s themes will resonate with in-house counsel in other fast-changing industries. Yet, the telecommunications arena provides an interesting perspective for our analysis. As we unashamedly come from that environment, the telecommunications industry is the focus of much of this article’s time and attention.

Mitchell Landrigan (BA LLB, SJD) and Marissa Wong (BCom LLB) are Legal Counsel employed by Telstra. They work in the Telstra Wholesale Legal group - both are solicitors of the Supreme Court of NSW. Mitchell is also a solicitor of the High Court of Australia and is a Visiting Fellow of the Faculty of Law University of Technology Sydney. The authors thank Michael Coleman for his helpful comments on an earlier draft. The authors wrote this article in their personal capacities – the article contains only their own views; and these opinions do not in any way represent those of any other person or organisation, whether Telstra or otherwise.

Telstra is Australia’s leading telecommunications and information services company. It provides more than 9 million Australian fixed line and more than 10.1 million mobile services, including 6.3 million 3G services.