Team size: Five

Focus on…Crisis management

With the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic two and a half years ago, the economy switched to crisis mode. This is continuing and is being further exacerbated by the economic consequences of the war in Ukraine. As a result, the demands on the management and operational work of a legal department have changed. On the one hand, this concerns organisational issues, with a new way of remote and mobile working, management of virtual teams, and digitisation of internal processes, but also the mindset and focus on operational work. Whereas complex transactions and the disruptive use of legal technology used to be seen as proof of the quality and innovative ability of a legal department, crisis management is now the main issue. Instead of the next “large cap”, it is now all about managing supply bottlenecks and restructuring supply chains, and those who once were valued for their M&A expertise now must prove themselves as generalists due to many suspended projects and deals, due do new pandemic-related regulations, force majeure clauses or the legal possibilities and limits of price adjustments in continuing obligations, as a result of increasing inflation.

Keeping a team together in these turbulent times is often an achievement, and anyone who manages to keep not only their own motivation high, but also that of their colleagues, and to tackle new challenges with curiosity and a zest for action, has passed the stress test. Reviewing the facts, I can say that Konica Minolta’s legal team has passed this test successfully. When the pandemic emerged, we got involved in the company’s internal Covid-19 task force. Together with the works council, we developed pandemic-related regulations for our company, organized our own contact tracing system to relieve the health authorities, and finally launched the company medical vaccinations. Also, we frequently got involved in negotiations with clients to avert claims for damages or threatened contract terminations, and with a partnership approach we have succeeded in ensuring that not one of these shortage cases has had to be decided by the courts.

Then came the Ukraine war, which required fast and unbureaucratic help for our Ukrainian colleagues. Initiated and supported by a company-wide network, Konica Minolta helped many Ukrainian colleagues escape, accommodating them in specially rented hotels in the Czech Republic and Poland. Members of our legal team have also helped in a variety of ways, including by taking in refugee families.