VICKY LOCKIE

Vicky is the former SVP Associate General Counsel Strategy at Pearson Plc where she was responsible for leading the transformation of Pearson’s legal function. She implemented a major change programme involving reorganising lawyers, substantial process improvement and new systems, including e-billing, contract management and e-signature. Vicky also created a centrally managed ‘shared service’ contracts team streamlining work, simplifying processes and focusing on value added activities.

Vicky specialises in providing strategic advice and support to legal teams on legal operations and legal technology issues sharing her years of accumulated experience to help General Counsel and senior lawyers move the delivery of legal services to the next level. She helps teams to work out what to do and how to do it. She is known for being straight forward and her creative approach to resolving problems.

After qualifying at Clifford Chance, Vicky learnt her pragmatic approach to dealing with in house legal issues working directly for Alan Sugar at Amstrad. In 1997 she joined the educational publishing business of Pearson Plc initially as its only lawyer outside the US. As General Counsel for Pearson’s international business until she was promoted to the legal operations role in 2014, she grew and developed the legal function until she was responsible for leading teams based in UK, Australia, China, Brazil, South Africa and India dealing with a broad spectrum of strategic legal matters, business critical contracts, major litigation and significant integrity issues.

Vicky has been appointed as a non-executive Director on the recently created Law Society Board, she speaks regularly on legal operations issues and was one of The Lawyer’s Hot 100 lawyers for 2017, receiving particular praise for her innovative thinking.