Team size: 35

Can you please give us an idea of the sort of work your team has done recently (cases, transactions, projects, anything like that)?

I joined RHI Magnesita two years ago. The team was working with a traditional structure of providing legal advice based on law and jurisprudence but with little interaction with the business function of the company. By adjusting the structure, I changed the mindset of the team members to make them spend more time with their business partners. To understand the role of legal function in supporting the business in terms of being an internal customer, I have defined roles and responsibilities for each team members. By doing so, I ensured the internal customers to have an easier access to the legal team. With the newly established structure, our legal team was able to focus on valuable and strategic business whilst communicating with the important stakeholders. The feedback from the company was fantastic and our team started to get involved in various transactions and projects, ranging from M&A to negotiation of long-term strategic contracts involving not only sales and procurement but also large capex projects. To continuously improve the legal team’s involvement in the business function, I am still trying my best to better our team to the right direction.

What can law firms do to improve their service to the legal department?

Lawyers are trained to practice law not business. While some lawyers excel at business, it is often a skill acquired from their experience not education. Thus, it is not easy for lawyers or law firms to act as ‘business partners’ when they are young lawyers in the client’s office. Understanding the needs of the clients will improve our services by helping us to advise our clients within various scope.

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

The key to build strong relationships with the business function is to understand their needs. They do not appreciate long pieces of legal advice when it is not clearly explained. An in-house lawyer needs to understand how the company and its business partners work and the business language they speak.