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?

I believe that choosing the right external counsel is crucial to a general counsel’s success.

The general counsel is now a member of the management team and is the chief counsellor to the CEO and the board of directors on matters of law, policy, and ethics. Hence, the general counsel’s choice of external counsel is of paramount importance.

The external counsel is the general counsel’s partner in terms of responding to the needs of the company and must align with its values and ideals in order to effectively assist it in achieving its business objectives.

I have been an in-house counsel to different companies across several industries. Hence, I engage external counsels based on skill in certain areas of practice, and more importantly, based on my previous experience working with them; how efficiently we worked together, and how effectively they delivered results while adhering to the values and principles of the company.

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

Considering that the general counsel is a key member of the management team, he or she is in a favourable position to initiate discourse, re-frame issues, and shape discussions.

As a result of our training and experience as lawyers, in-house lawyers should be naturally reflective and inquisitive, and have the drive to continuously learn and improve. With constant developments in business and industry trends, policies, and regulations, in-house lawyers should take it upon themselves to question existing circumstances and practices and drive a re-examination of policies or a change in perspective.

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

To build strong relationships with business partners, in-house lawyers must immerse themselves in the business, and learn what they can about the business itself and the industry.

I have learned that to be effective as an in-house lawyer, I have to be able to consider not just legal implications, but also the business implications as well. Legal advice cannot be rendered in a vacuum, and an in-house lawyer’s clients or stakeholders will only consider legal advice seriously if they know that the in-house counsel is, in fact, knowledgeable about the business, its activities and processes.

Additionally, while maintaining objectivity and a level-headed approach is important to the role of in-house counsel, showing one’s interest in the business and its objectives goes a long way to building trust and establishing yourself as a business partner. Listening, asking the right questions, showing that you are passionate about supporting the business’ goals and objectives are key to establishing oneself as a trusted and effective business partner to the in-house counsel’s internal clients and stakeholders.