EVENT

GeoLegal: New York

SESSION

US Elections and Rule of Law

SPEAKER

Leigh Dance

President

ELD International

BIO

Corporate legal and compliance leaders turn to Leigh to help them improve performance, develop strategy, promote the value of legal/compliance, advocate for their business, lead remote global teams, organize their retreats and assist with particular needs.

Leigh is known for her in-depth international experience, and her unique understanding of both buyers and sellers of legal services globally.  Her entire career experience is multinational, including  more than 20 years living and working in both the US and Europe. Leigh speaks English, French and Italian.

Law firms retain Leigh and ELD International to:  improve strategies and actions in select groups and geographic markets; organize client-facing programs to raise profile and build relationships with legal services buyers; and conduct research with buyers worldwide, to improve marketing and BD initiatives.

Executive Director of the exclusive roundtable group, Global Counsel Leaders Circle, Leigh develops and moderates many of the Global Counsel Leaders programs, including those of the prestigious Leaders Circle. From 1999-2009, LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell (LNMH) retained Leigh to organize and facilitate Counsel to Counsel: A Forum on Best Practices in Delivering Corporate Legal Services, an initiative she co-founded.  She has participated in hundreds of corporate counsel roundtables in 23 countries on all continents.

Building on a financial services and public policy background, Leigh was a VP at JP Morgan Chase for 7 years, where she had management and director assignment in product management, marketing, business development and new business launches, across 20 countries. 

A recognized thought leader, her articles on the role of the General Counsel, legal risk, regulatory challenges, governance and compliance have been published in The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, American Lawyer, Legal Week and other publications. Since 2015, she has been the Global In-House columnist for ALM’s Corporate Counsel.  Leigh’s book BRIGHT IDEAS: INSIGHTS FROM LEGAL LUMINARIES WORLDWIDE, a collection of essays, is available on Amazon. 

Leigh has an MBA (high honors) in International Management and a BA, International Relations (honors).  In 2012, she was inducted as a Fellow in the College of Law Practice Management and in 2016, she was a judge in the British Legal Awards.