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

Personally, my main challenge was balancing work and personal life in a post-pandemic world. The pandemic created a new, likely permanent work life format for most in-house lawyers and showed that the effectiveness of legal teams was not undermined by working remotely. Technological tools let us perform our jobs and stay connected to our firm and internal stakeholders. This has numerous positive side effects allowing us to quickly and efficiently perform tasks more efficient.

However, the shift to remote work has blurred boundaries between work and personal life. It has been difficult to balance the hard work typical of this this role with making creating time for other aspects of my personal life. While technology makes our lives easier, it also makes it difficult to detach from professional obligations to partake in other activities. Many in-house lawyers who struggle with this challenge end up frequently working outside business hours.

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

The role of a successful in-house lawyer is dynamic and requires a broad range of skills and talents. Firstly, in-house lawyers need to thoroughly understand the business and company for which they work. This allows them to function as problem solvers and business partners, instead of siloed specialists.

The future is uncertain, and an in-house lawyer must be able to develop their expertise, technical and soft skills in an ever-changing industry and world.

I believe active listening and adaptability are key qualities displayed by the successful in-house lawyer. It is important to be able to clearly explain legal concepts and processes to different audiences and make sure that your points are heard. This helps build a reputation as a trusted advisor and encourages collaboration with internal customers.