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

Finding a balance between being accessible to my colleagues and having the time and space to keep on top of legal output. During the pandemic, there grew a tendency to include too many people on video calls in the same way the dreaded ‘CC’ on emails can expand the recipient list too far. Treating a Teams call as a physical meeting seems to be helpful, and I have found that picking up the phone rather than clicking on a Teams or Zoom video call sometimes cuts through to resolutions more quickly and efficiently (even if it feels a bit retro after all the screen time we’ve grown used to).

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

Without a doubt, AI tools. ChatGPT comes immediately to mind. If in-house teams can use this technology to produce first drafts of agreements and do preliminary research (for free!), then their time (and budget) can be spent providing more strategic advice to the business. This will add real value over and above simply reducing external legal spend.

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

The ability to remain calm and objective under pressure, knowing how to really listen to others, and knowing when to pick your battles (and more importantly, when not to!).