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

A significant accomplishment has been the providing of legal and regulatory advise to business divisions regarding the: (i) structuring and distribution of public offerings and complex investment funds structures and structured deals (securitisation, and alternative funds such as PE and VC funds); (ii) lending transactions including cross-border deals; (iii) private banking and asset management day-to-day affairs (UHNW clients); and (iv) offshore investment advisory services (clients booked in Bahamas branch).

How important is choosing to work with external lawyers who align with your company’s values? Are you likely to reconsider what firms you work with based on this?

It is extremally important to choose external lawyers who align with Credit Suisse’s values and strategy. We work only with pre-approved external counsels that were broadly discussed and approved.

As we live in a fast-paced world today, what skills will a corporate legal team need to succeed in the modern in-house industry?

To succeed, it is important to build a team with senior and very experienced lawyers that will provide a holistic and generalist view of all of our legal matters. This experienced team must then be complemented with young lawyers, who can provide a fresh view, and lawyers specialised and dedicated to specific matters or divisions of business.

How do you suggest in-house lawyers build strong relationships with business partners?

To build strong relationships with business partners, it is crucial to be a strategic partner, who provides the legal and regulatory advice to the business and to the business partners, but who also strives to understand the business needs. It is also important to work towards the best interest of the firm and its clients, and always be vigilant to risks, escalating matters whenever needed and providing strategic response to the business partners.