Officially begun yesterday (20 July), the review is headed by BT’s group director of ethics and compliance Gareth Tipton. Firms currently on the UK panel including Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Bird & Bird and CMS Cameron McKenna, with boutique and regional firms such as Wiggin and Wright Hassall also made it onto the list.

Mixture of international and regional firms

One of BT’s main aims with its new panel is to have a mixture of international and regional firms that can advise on areas including corporate, litigation and employment. The telecoms giant is also expected to up the number of firms on its roster to limit the need to go off-panel in future.

International legal panels

BT has also revealed plans to launch a number of international legal panels once the UK panel review is complete, which is expected to be by this September or October. It currently has a global network of over 140 panel firms, but Mr Tipton is looking to establish separate panels for barristers’ chambers and the European, US, EMEA and Asia-Pacific regions.