Team size: Approximately 100 globally

First, can you please give us an idea of the sort of work your team has done recently?

The Atos legal operations team provides comprehensive legal support to the global operations of Atos, including the drafting and negotiating of complex and high-volume IT service agreements and dealing with all related legal matters. Examples of the sort of work we routinely complete include public procurement, data protection, export control and compliance, IP and licensing, ARD and TUPE matters. Legal support is provided both on-shore and off-shore from our center of excellence team in India. In the delivery of the Group’s projects the team works closely together with the Atos Contract Management team. In addition, the team is actively involved in the Group’s dispute and litigation management and its global M&A activities.

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

 The pandemic has strongly impacted the way we collaborate with our (internal) clients and how we manage and lead our teams.  Contract negotiations via Teams or Skype are different and sometimes challenging than face-to-face ones. But, even more importantly, remote people management requires different or additional skills which many general counsel need to develop. Leadership by example, trust in people and their capabilities, emotional intelligence and empathy became more relevant during the pandemic and times of isolation. On the other hand, home office and remote working solutions provide new opportunities to the work force and allows them to structure their work – life balance more self-determinedly and independently – which will remain and become the new standard of working even if the pandemic is eradicated.

Looking forward, what technological advancements do you feel will impact the role of in-house legal teams in the future the most?

I think that the further development of artificial intelligence (AI) will have the most significant impact on the future work of in-house legal teams. Today, AI largely cannot yet keep up with the marketing promises of many legal tech start-ups. But, nevertheless, even today AI is able to support huge data collection and analysis processes like due diligence and disclosures. AI will not replace lawyers entirely, but it will continue to change the way we are working both in terms of core legal work and legal management. Different skills will be required, and the legal profession will need to adapt to remain relevant and competitive.