Education: 1975: J.D., New York University School of Law; 1972: B.A., The Johns Hopkins University.

Brief Career to Date: 2012–present: UBS AG, Managing Director, Global Head of eDiscovery; 2007–2012: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, Partner and Head of Information Law & Electronic Discovery group.

Location of Company HQ: Basel and Zurich, Switzerland.

Primary Industry Sector: Financial Services. UBS provides investment banking, asset management and wealth management services for private, corporate and institutional clients worldwide, as well as retail clients in Switzerland.

Revenues in the Last Financial Year: CHF 25.443 billion (approximately $28 billion); CHF 2.2 trillion (approximately $2.4 trillion) in invested assets.

Number of Employees Worldwide: 61,000.

Law Department Locations: We have multiple locations worldwide and service clients in over 50 countries.

What is the total number of litigation attorneys in the company worldwide, and how many focus on eDiscovery? Legal and Compliance has about 75 litigators, four of whom are dedicated to eDiscovery and other information law matters.

What was the purpose behind the formation of the Global eDiscovery Group? The purpose behind the group's formation was to create a single point of contact for global UBS eDiscovery management, aiming to mitigate risk, improve efficiencies, advance consistency and adopt best practices firm-wide.

Where does the Global eDiscovery Group fall within the organizational structure? The Global Head of eDiscovery reports to the Global Head of Litigation and Investigations, who, in turn, reports to the General Counsel.

What is the typical scope of responsibilities for the Global eDiscovery Group? Our responsibilities include managing the preservation, collection, review and production of all business divisions' electronic data, and handling case management and audit practice and procedures. We also coordinate privacy and cross-border discovery and confidentiality management within the context of eDiscovery, and manage outside and inside counsel as it relates to these matters. Further, we manage vendor and LPO (legal process outsourcing) relationships, as well as oversee our internal eDiscovery services.

Other responsibilities include quality control, technology system on-boarding, and the development and implementation of standards and requirements for the end-to-end information life-cycle, including archiving, data mapping and defensible disposition.

What is keeping your group's attorneys the busiest at the moment? We have almost 1,000 active matters, with approximately 20,000 custodians on legal hold.

Have any recent legal developments changed the way your group operates? No specific developments have changed the way the Global eDiscovery Group operates. To date, we have managed to stay ahead of the curve in this respect by, for example, actively participating on the faculty, at conferences and on committees of The Sedona Conference, The Georgetown Law Advanced eDiscovery Institute and The Electronic Discovery Institute.

What types of issues will cause you to turn to outside litigation counsel? We usually retain outside litigation counsel where litigation is imminent or initiated. We also at times engage outside counsel who are specialists in other disciplines, such as regional data privacy, to assist with our legal analysis.

What does a law firm need to do to impress you? We hire attorneys based on our familiarity with the quality of their work and the work of their law firms. We seek excellence in the work performed, adherence to high ethical standards, responsive service and the ability to listen.

Can you describe the career path that led you to become an in-house counsel? There was no particular path. In fact, I had never thought of becoming an in-house counsel prior to being asked if I were interested in the job. I became an in-house counsel because of the unique nature of the position offered, which provides me with the opportunity to do what I love to do every day and to make a real and sustained difference.

If not an attorney, what would you wish to be? If I had not become an attorney, I would have become an economist. That was the road not taken.

What one piece of advice would you give to prospective in-house counsel? Try to gain another perspective, or two, before going in-house. There is hardly a day where I do not draw on my prior experiences in government, as a law clerk, as a trial lawyer, as a law firm partner or as a practice group leader.