How do you feel the pandemic has changed the world of work for in-house counsel and the function of the general counsel?

According to my experience, the pandemic has brought lasting changes. During the pandemic, the in-house counsel have continuously faced new Covid-19 related regulatory issues, especially considering that many new regulations and laws have been introduced to respond to the emergency. General counsel still have to face many issues related to the insolvency of many customers and suppliers suffering from economic disruption. Another significant challenge has been adapting to smart working, particularly to remote negotiations.

What are the most significant cases or transactions that your legal team has recently been involved in?

We have been involved in significant and strategic transactions in the past few years. The most remarkable ones are related to M&A, regulatory, and refinancing. TeamSystem acquired several businesses such as Logical soft, SGS-System House, Itacme Informatica, Ramo d’azienda; moreover, we proceeded in the acquisition of minority stakes in the corporate capital market of some subsidiaries (such as Aliasbal, Madbit Entertainment, Danea Soft, SkyLab Italia, Evolutionfit, Evols, and TeamSystem communications). We engaged in a joint venture to distribute modefinance’s products in Africa and Asia. Our legal team assumed a relevant role in the reverse merger of Brunello Bidco, TeamSystem holding, and Barolo Luxco. In terms of regulatory and compliance, our legal team has been responsible for filing the authorisation by the bank of Italy that allowed TeamSystem payments and capital – respectively, a payment institution and a tool aimed at managing assets. The TeamSystem legal team has also been deeply involved in refinancing thanks to the issuance of a senior, secured, non-convertible, and non-subordinated fixed-rate note by Barolo Bidco (merged into TeamSystem); the issuance of a super senior revolving medium-to-long-term facility agreement with Brunello Bido (merged into Teamsystem); and the issuance by Brunello Bidco 2 of a senior, secured and non-convertible, non-subordinate note to be placed in the form of a private placement.

If you had to give advice to an aspiring in-house lawyer or general counsel, what would it be and why?

Lawyers can have many different qualities – they can be clever, erudite, great problem-solvers, and exceptional negotiators; however, only one thing distinguishes a great lawyer – they must be methodical; they must verify every detail in order to prevent legal risks. Even though sometimes it can get repetitive and boring, a lawyer must never stop.