Featured in our GC Spotlight Series this month is Brian Downie who is Deputy Director – Legal, Procurement & Supply Chain with MTR Corporation Limited. Brian’s role includes responsibility for the day-to-day management of the Corporation’s general legal affairs, including its Hong Kong railway and commercial operations, its property portfolio, railway construction projects, corporate finance, litigation, employment issues and the development and operation of its overseas businesses, in particular railway operations in mainland China, the United Kingdom, continental Europe and Australia. He also oversees the central procurement department which services the Corporation’s key departments. Additionally, he manages the Commercial Assurance division of the Corporation’s 2nd line of defence. Brian began his career in Australia before moving to Hong Kong where he worked for 12 years in private practice including as a partner in several international law firms. Prior to joining MTR Corporation, Brian was General Counsel for a Hong Kong based international construction and mining company whose business covered 14 countries across Asia and the Middle East.
1. Hi Brian, can you tell us a little about your role and journey into law? What excites you outside of work?
At MTR Corporation I oversee a dynamic legal function of almost 50 professionals covering a range of services to support our transport, property, corporate and technology business needs. I had a long period in private practice before coming in-house and I love the immediacy and breadth of working within a company. I also manage the central Procurement Department within MTR and the Commercial Assurance team that provides second line of defence oversight for cost and contract issues at MTR. Outside of work, I am excited by family, by sport (tennis and golf), and by noodling on my guitar.
2. As a Deputy Director, what are some of the challenges that keep you up at night? How are you addressing them?
Unlike private practice, in-house teams are “free” to our internal clients. Whilst this makes for interesting work, prioritising the “urgent” over the “critical” and over the “important” is a constant challenge. Anticipating what has significant impact on the business, and focusing the team’s attention to these things, is a constant challenge. We need to ‘see around corners’ and anticipate what might become an issue tomorrow. To address this requires constant communication with our business and awareness of all elements that affect the business, not just strictly legal matters.
3. What do you think about the use of LegalTech, data analytics and process optimisation to improve your legal department’s value?
We are fortunate that MTR Corporation shares our belief in the importance of LegalTech. We had support to hire Ann Leung, an excellent Legal Operations manager, a few years ago. Ann works closely with our IT and digital departments to explore ways in which we can leverage technology to be more efficient in our work. Our company has undergone a radical shift in use of technology over the last few years, especially during COVID – it makes perfect sense that knowledge-based departments like Legal should do the same.
4. What trends do you expect to see in the legal services industry in the next 5 years?
I see a number of major shifts in coming years. First, the use of LegalTech will only increase as better tools become available to support us in our work. LegalTech has the ability to perform many administrative tasks that currently need manual input; harnessing these will allow us to free our legal staff to focus on more high level, value-added tasks that de-risk our business. I think we will also see a continuation of change within the law firms that support us, both in terms of the way they deliver services, but also in terms of the players in the market (which might undergo significant rationalisation). Finally, I think we will continue to see a change in the way our staff work and increasing flexibility in the workplace with increased focus on agility to change and fungibility of skills.
5. Where do you see NewLaw/ALSP fitting in the matrix of your legal department?
We have a good history of successfully partnering with ALSP’s to help us deliver to our stakeholders. Whether that is through the provision of short-term cover, specialist resources or resource augmentation, ALSP’s allow us flexibility to respond to changing requirements. Often this allows a more dynamic response than traditional hiring, and a more cost-effective solution to engaging law firms.
6. Your favourite tune? And why?
I have a ridiculously broad musical taste and it would be hard for me to settle on a dozen songs, let alone one. The songs that mean most to me are those which connect me to good times or wonderful people – “By Your Side” by Sade was the song I danced to with my wife Leesa on our wedding night; “Carrickfergus” by Ronan Keating reminds me of my dear Irish mother and my family back in Australia, and “God Only Knows” by the Beach Boys reminds me of the joy of my wonderful children.
KorumLegal is a boutique legal consultancy committed to providing value innovation in legal service delivery. The legal services industry is continuing to change with ‘NewLaw’ – and clients are seeking more innovative and cost-effective solutions without compromise on experience and quality
