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

Our legal team has recently been honoured to contribute to several significant cases, transactions and projects. One remarkable example is a GX (Green Transformation) sustainable partnership with a leading Japanese agricultural machinery manufacturer, which will digitally transform the client into an agricultural solutions provider. The partnership focuses on leveraging advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), internet of things (IoT) and data analytics to enhance our clients’ business operations and customer experience. Our legal team led the project in a way that organised sales and service delivery discussions, quickly picked up on key legal issues in shaping the deal and documented them as contracts in a timely manner. In collaboration with the sales and technical teams, our legal team played a key role in supporting the client’s mission to achieve sustainability.

Could you share an example of a time when your team came up with an innovation that improved how your legal team works and did not come at a large expense?   

In our pursuit of innovation, we recognise that the use of legal technology is just one aspect of improving efficiency. We believe that improving efficiency can also be achieved through transforming the business processes themselves, which generally do not involve large expense.

One example is the implementation of a ‘self-enablement’ process. This involves empowering business professionals to independently review certain types of contracts. We collected data, established standards, and provided supporting materials. With the support of service group leaders, we took a top-down approach, and conducted sessions to explain to sub-leaders and managers the purpose of the programme and its implementation process. Through self-enablement, we were able to reduce the contract review workload by 20%, enhancing the efficiency and productivity within the legal team.

How important is choosing to work with external lawyers who align with your company’s values? 

Working closely with external lawyers who align with our company values is paramount. As a company we have tried to align with lawyers who align with us. Firstly, our we conducted a Market Outreach program that involved hosting a session for a local panel law firm. We introduced our company, teams, and the services we offer while focusing on sustainability, digital engineering and manufacturing, and customer experience transformation. This allowed the law firm to gain a better understanding of our business and foster stronger relationships.

Second, we prioritise inclusion and diversity in the workplace, not only for ourselves but also for the broader legal community. We often work with law firms on diversity events, including hosting panel sessions on diversity. Our panel firms also have an Outside Counsel Diversity Award, which recognises firms that promote diversity and inclusion in the legal profession.

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

For in-house lawyers to be successful, it is important to build a strong and trusting relationship with the business. When I became head of legal, I started Japan’s attending weekly management meetings. Although initially I was nervous among senior business leaders, I tried to contribute to the discussions, even in small ways. Over time, I succeeded in building a strong rapport with the business leaders.

It is also important that all team members, not just the team lead, establish a trusting relationship with the business. If only the team leader has a strong relationship, it remains a point-to-point connection. However, when each team member builds a relationship, a team-to-team dynamic is created, this can add greater value to the company. This approach creates a unified legal team that contributes effectively to the business’s success.