What are the most significant cases or transactions that you have recently been involved in?

I joined Aura in February of this year, which is a start-up cybersecurity company for consumers. As deputy general counsel, I manage the legal team alongside our general counsel, and am directly involved with product, IP, and commercial transactions.

In my prior role as general counsel of the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, I was directly involved with multiple NCAA hearings, a significant data breach that required extensive remediation, developing the plan to move all classes to virtual learning during the pandemic and modifying campus operations, as well as high-profile litigation matters that were heavily tracked by local media.

As we enter the next decade, what skills will a corporate legal team need to succeed in the modern in-house industry?

Strong business acumen and financial fluency is now a must-have for all in-house legal team members at all levels, not just a select few. We have learned from the pandemic that businesses must pivot quickly to survive unexpected events that significantly impact revenue and growth, and this dynamic way of operating is here to stay in order to be competitive in the market. This entails immediate shifts in products, distribution, supply chain, and technology. Legal teams no longer have the luxury of knowing only the edges of the business operations and priorities, but must be fully immersed in the technicalities, in order to provide high-value and real-time input and direction to our clients.

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

Strong relationships cannot be built by legal departments that function like a Q&A help desk – answering legal questions one-by-one in a vacuum. Instead, we should be colleagues who view the goals and challenges of our business partners as our own, and are therefore equally responsible for getting their tasks and projects across the finish line. With every interaction with a client, in-house lawyers should demonstrate this way of operating and infuse it into the legal advice we provide. If our business partners feel we are working alongside them and from the same sheet of music, they will be more inclined to seek our involvement, which helps ensure we are doing our jobs to manage the risks presented in a commercially viable manner.

What are some of the main legislative or regulatory changes that have impacted you?

In my current role at a digital security company, any and all privacy legislation and rulemaking are relevant to our business. In particular, the proposed federal privacy bill, the multiple state privacy laws, enhancements to GDPR, and proposed FTC rulemaking on privacy are critical to stay ahead of. In addition, as a consumer business, any and all consumer protection bills or rules potentially impact our company, and enforcement trends by agencies on this topic are highly relevant.