What has been the number one challenge that has impacted you over the past year?

Data protection has been a key focus and challenge for us over the past year. I-MED’s purpose is to help save lives and reduce uncertainty, and we strive to be the provider of choice. We want to consistently deliver high-quality healthcare to every patient, every time. As an organisation delivering frontline health services, we are the custodians of sensitive and precious health data. This is a role I take incredibly seriously. As a member of our Data Governance Committee, I have deliberately focused on optimising and continually improving the implementation of cyber security measures throughout the organisation. I work closely with our CIO and security team so that we can continue to strive for best practices in the protection of our patient’s health data.

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

Generally, in-house lawyers will need to continue to be curious and open to technological advancements that complement their team size, organisation and industry practices. Collaboration tools that help in-house legal teams better support their businesses will continue to be critical to their success. Other tech tools that can be implemented to streamline high-volume, repetitive work will also be of benefit. The use of AI will continue to play a valuable role in augmenting the work of in-house lawyers. The use of technology will inevitably free up time to focus on providing strategic input, rather than on repetitive, low-value or administrative work. Our team is currently having fun experimenting with ways to leverage ChatGPT. Will ChatGPT replace us? I don’t think so… but AI is likely to play a significant role in both our team and in our business.

What would you say are the unique qualities required to be successful as an in-house lawyer in your industry?

The unique qualities required for an in-house lawyer to succeed in the health industry are compassion, emotional intelligence and clear communication. Our patients and referrers are at the centre of everything we do. I make every effort to ensure I-MED communicates in a way that best connects with our patients and referrers, using a communication style that is open, transparent and timely. If we can’t ourselves communicate effectively and instil that practice in our business and across our interactions, we cannot succeed as in-house lawyers in the health industry.