What has been the number one challenge that has impacted you over the past year?

By far the biggest challenge of 2022 has been the new business and economic landscape post-Covid and mid-war in Ukraine. The resultant economic and supply chain impacts have had mind-boggling impacts on running an M&A transaction, whether as seller or buyer. It is a fascinating time to be working in a large global group and a lesson in patience and adaptability.

Looking forward, what technological advancements do you feel will impact the role of in-house legal teams in the future the most?

Over the past few years in particular, high functioning in-house legal teams have become used to the benefits of applying technological advancements in our daily legal work for matter management, time management, litigation discovery tools, and various AI tools relating to contracts. With this newfound familiarity, we are well-placed to approach our respective industries’ technological opportunities with curiosity and confidence. That is to say, I think our profession has experienced its own ‘Industry 4.0’ in recent times, and early adopters of new legal technology have earned the chance to enjoy its use. Additionally, senior practitioners (who are ‘non-digital natives’) have now had an excellent few years of knowledge growth. We may now be highly capable of applying these new skills to contribute to our businesses, working on opportunities that use automation and AI in our clients’ goods and services. We have moved past a stage of technology familiarisation and into a stage of value-adding.

What would you say are the unique qualities required to be successful as an in-house lawyer in your industry?

I provide legal expertise and business support to clients at the forefront of change and innovation. At its core, Bosch is an engineering and technology outfit operating across different fields and industries, inventing or applying technology for human benefit. The main qualities or skills required for success in this role are communication, flexibility, and confidence. I am constantly being challenged to make sense of information and materials that were previously completely unknown or undecipherable to me. The communication trick is to bridge the gap between science and facts, between understandings and agreements, by using different approaches with different people until the goal is clear and agreed. Flexibility is important for all in-house lawyers as no two days are the same and matters and opportunities constantly shift. Confidence is essential as it supports resilience and longevity in a senior practitioner. Whether it is innate or developed over time, it is important to have the confidence to ask questions and take action to achieve the best outcome.