As we enter the next decade, what skills will a corporate legal team need to succeed in the modern in-house industry?

For me, first, availability. I know it’s a little bit stressful, but we need to be available whenever our internal teams need us. So, for me, that’s the number one skill that we must have, because we are not only in a fast-paced world, but in my industry, in the health tech industry, we must be available because things change very quickly. Second, I would say having a broad vision, you need to be, as we joke in the office, a general practitioner, because we must be able to provide a first evaluation. A first look at all matters regarding our company. Lastly, we need to have very good communication with all areas of the company. I think it’s very important for corporate legal teams to use the language of the business partners, and not the language of the lawyers. What I’m most concerned about in communication is not about passing the message, but about guaranteeing that your message is understood.

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?

For me it is the number one priority. I want to work with external lawyers that understand that we work in the health industry, that we are a startup that works within a fast-paced environment, that understand our financial limitations and want to build a long-lasting partnership. So, I don’t care that much about name or reputation. I care much more about how they see us, how they grasp our needs and values. Being aligned with our values is extremely important. Additionally, we also need our external lawyers to be always available to us. Unfortunately, that did not happen when we worked with some previous law firms, so we always keep looking for those who care about what we do and make our work better and easier. I look forward to working with those law firms for years to come.