What are the most significant cases or transactions that your legal team has recently been involved in?

My team and I work for the Crop Science division at Bayer, and with that, we are responsible for securing the freedom of business operations and for providing the Company with customer solutions. In the past year, we were able to launch a very innovative project dedicated to having a single industry solution, congregating the most important players, with actual or upcoming biotechnologies legally patent protected for auditing soybean loads, in order to identify the presence of one or multiple technologies. This solution is open for any seed companies that may enter the soybean market with biotechnology legally patent protected.

How important is choosing to work with external lawyers who align with your company’s values? Are you likely to reconsider what firms you work with based on this?

The external lawyers chosen to work with in-house legal department need to see themselves as part of the team, so they need to be aware of the company’s business and share the same values and principles, especially after everything that went through during the pandemic. As a result, topics related to mental health, flexibility, new ways of work and innovation, are now part of the criteria to choose a specific law firm with a great portfolio of services and solutions. Consequently, if those topics are not incorporated and identified, I would probably reconsider to work with this law firm.

As we live in a fast-paced world today, what skills will a corporate legal team need to succeed in the modern in-house industry?

A corporate legal team in this fast-paced world needs to be truly connected to the business, from the very moment a strategy is set, while ideas are still being conceived, so legal advice can be provided as the discussions are happening. Being open to innovative ideas is also mandatory, so understanding the risks involved and trying to find a way to follow and accommodate the business through them. Ultimately, it is about not just being open to new ideas, but testing them within the legal environment, for instance, new ways to draft contracts so they can be more friendly to all users.

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

Firstly, understand the business and always be where the business is happening. Whether it is an industry, a store, a bank agency or a corn crop, in-house lawyers need to deeply understand how everything works. After that, the in-house counsel will speak the same language as their business partners speak, and with that the partnership is established. In-house lawyers will be invited to join commercial, supply chain or marketing strategies discussions, even if there are no legal matters on the table, but those business departments know that the in-house lawyer will certainly contribute for the benefit of the company.