Team size: 30

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

Our most substantive challenge in 2022 was answering the legal and commercial issues that arose following the start of the Russia and Ukraine war. These issues required full engagement across the team. We had to keep up with evolving sanction regulations, we had to effect a mandate from our CEO to ‘discontinue business relationships with Russian state-owned entities to the extent legally possible’, and we had to help our business clients navigate a volatile economic environment. We managed this increased workload while striving to recreate the positive team dynamic we had pre-pandemic and adjusting to an evolving executive team. It was a challenging but fulfilling year in our department.

Do you have an example of a time when you have come up with an innovation that improved how your legal team works that did not result in a large expense?

In late 2022, we changed the way we allocated and used office space to allow for more flexibility, promote collegiality, and enhance engagement. We worked with our local facilities management team to secure more shared space and break out rooms dedicated to our legal team as well as flexible individual offices to maintain the privacy and confidentiality required in our role.

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

Intellectual curiosity is an overlooked but vital trait needed for in-house success. The chemical industry and broader business environment in Europe are facing unprecedented challenges including increasing public scrutiny, aggressive regulation from the EU and member states, and challenging economic conditions. It is a lot to keep up with, but our clients look to us to help solve problems that arise from these evolving challenges. A successful in-house lawyer is one who is not afraid to delve deep into these issues and combine their comprehensive knowledge with their legal expertise to fashion effective legal solutions for their clients. This curiosity is also valuable in creating process improvement, which is necessary for in-house legal departments that always seem to have more work than they have hands to do it.