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

I have been involved in numerous M&A transactions, arbitrations, and litigations. One of the most significant recent M&A transaction that I have worked with was related to the sale of Lorinvest’s forestry invested company.

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

I believe systemic vision, strategic thinking, and active listening are important to build a strong relationship with business partners and help the companies to be better positioned. Collaboration, empathy, coherence, and consistency are key skills to move the business forward.

Also, by understanding the strategies and the positive and negative externalities of the companies, lawyers can work on improving governance and compliance procedures and focus on addressing sensitive issues and legal protections.

Lawyers can also help the director, officers, and representatives of the invested companies to act in compliance with the duty of care.

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?

As an executive legal counsel, I have been working towards (i) building trust, (ii) spreading and inspiring ethical behaviours, (iii) fortifying the reputational image of Lorinvest and its culture, (iv) working in negotiating solid agreements by minimising risks and generating value for investors and (v) helping the director, officers, and representatives of the invested companies to act in compliance with the duty of care.

Legal counsel can help their companies to create the framework for a more sustainable relationship with stakeholders. Reducing liabilities will help organisations to become more attractive to investors and creditors, enhancing their capacity to raise funds.

Also, organisations that are not able to integrate ESG strategies in their business models as a long-term journey, will certainly face competitive disadvantages and might face real possibilities of loss of value for their shares and brands, reputational damage and, in the end, impact on dividends and return on investment. A company that adopts ESG practices tends to be more resilient to face crisis, uncertainty, and instability which thus, can generate greater value for stakeholders.