Team size: Four

What are the most significant cases or transactions you and your team have been involved in?

During the Covid period, the most relevant transactions have been related to rent renegotiation with hotel owners (approximately €3m), asset turnover (€13m), suppliers contract renegotiation, contractors’ disputes (€7m).

Even in the best-case scenario, Covid is likely to have far-reaching ramifications. How are you safeguarding the long-term health of the business?

The AccorInvest Group (including legal team) has launched a transformation project for the company to safeguard the long-term health of the business i.e., to be able to compete in a different and changing world, upskilling teams, simplifying processes, implementing technology and ESG criteria in all aspects of the business.

Concerning the legal team, we worked on upskilling training (design thinking and legal project management) mapping and harmonisation of processes, assessment of technological tools for contract lifecycle management.

As we enter the next decade, what skills will a corporate legal team need to succeed in the modern in-house industry?

The TUNA context has deeply impacted companies and legal in-house industry. Moreover, the two main concerns and priorities in Europe are technology and climate change. Both topics are a source of new regulation that evolve constantly to face the continuous challenges.

The skills that a corporate legal team will need to succeed in the complex context of industry 4.0 are more than ever, a deep knowledge of the business, technological competence to use new tools for legal service delivery efficiency or guiding the business through the risks of disruptive technologies, emotional intelligence, clear communication, creativity and learning agility. The introduction of legal operations will support the development of those skills.