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?

It is essential that external lawyers are aligned with the company’s values, this is something non-negotiable for VLI. At VLI, to guarantee this performance with connection and synergy to our values ​​and strategic planning of the company, we always try to be close to our partners, through periodic meetings, field visits, and we hold forums with the presence of all, to guarantee levelling for all partners.

This alignment aims to bring our partners closer to the goals pursued by the company and increasingly strengthen the partnership. A deep understanding of the company’s demands is fundamental for the efficiency of the work and the sustainability of the results.

To act within the company, a thorough investigation of the supplier is carried out, with wide reputational research, and if the supplier does not meet our requirements, it does not remain in the competition. External lawyers are very valuable to the company, and are an extension of our legal team, they speak for VLI’s legal team, so it is non-negotiable that they share our values ​​and have a deep understanding of our strategic planning.

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?

I understand that diversity and multidisciplinarity are key to a successful legal team and sustainable delivery. I believe we need professionals who think differently to foster deep discussions that will lead to innovative and sustainable solutions. In addition to the technical issue (hard skills), which is mandatory, behavioral performance (soft skills) is a great value for our company, including a combination of knowledge: such as technology and tools that optimize the performance of your daily tasks; critical thinking to analyse and evaluate strategies for better decision making; communication skills that make it clear, assertive and persuasive; negotiation skills to reach agreements and benefits for the company; adaptability because we live in a world with constant transformations; focus on the client to understand their needs and provide the best legal and corporate solutions; collaboration to work as a team and with a multidisciplinary approach, integrating legal action with the interests of the business.