Why are in-house lawyers well-placed to drive change in their organisations?

In-house lawyers are both business partners and leaders in the organisation. They provide legal services in the form of legal advisory, training, and contract negotiations, among others; they partake in cross-functional projects with different stakeholders in the company; they belong to the governance function and are considered guardians of the business; they build a relationship of trust with their colleagues, business partners and stakeholders to foster open and honest communication; they continuously drive to add value to the business by using their legal and industry expertise to provide clear direction. Indeed, the sphere of influence of in-house lawyers extends to all levels and functions, which puts them in the best place to drive change within the company.

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?

Choosing external lawyers is choosing a partner and a representative of the company. Hence, it is crucial that they reflect and embody the organisation’s values. In addition, external lawyers must also align with the company’s policies and processes applicable to them to effectively deliver their services. Accordingly, as an initial screening, we ask our external lawyers to go through a process of due diligence to ensure that they conform to the business’ standards and that they must sustain the same all throughout their engagement. To supplement this, the team is currently working on having a comprehensive policy from the selection process, management, and assessment of external lawyers which shall serve as guidelines on the retention or termination of the latter’s services.

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?

Evolve or dissolve – verily sums up the challenge a corporate legal team should hurdle. With the advent of artificial intelligence, technological advancements, and the pandemic, which brought about business uncertainties and shifting consumer preferences, legal teams need to be agile, resilient, and have an open mindset. Corporate legal teams should: (i) view challenges as opportunities to learn new things and adapt to new ways of working; (ii) be abreast of the laws (such as data privacy and cybersecurity), trends, and risks brought about by the challenges mentioned above so they can continue to support and protect the business; and (iii) to take advantage of the recent technological tools to increase productivity and efficiency. The key is to be one step ahead, not just to be in sync with how the company and the environment evolve.