About

Can you briefly explain how the legal team is structured, highlighting key individuals and their role within the department?

Our CELA – corporate, external and legal affairs team in Brazil is basically divided into three main areas: commercial, litigation and public affairs, including our philanthropic initiatives. The commercial lawyers are dedicated to negotiating cloud/services and software deals, and also our commercial relationship with partners, which are an important ecosystem for Microsoft. In the litigation area, besides managing a diverse portfolio of lawsuits, from consumer to more complex commercial matters, there is also a pro-active focus on prevention. The public affairs area’s main responsibilities relates to public policy and government engagement to ensure a responsible use of technology as well as opportunities of sustainable development of Brazil. Within public affairs, there is also an arm dedicated to social impact, which includes donation of technology to NGOs, educational programmes for digital skilling and more recently initiatives related to the “AI for good” programme, which aims to help address societal challenges worldwide, applying a responsible use of AI.

What are the most significant cases and/or transactions that your legal team has been involved with in the last two years?

AI for Good: One good example of the variety of matters and the impact the CELA team generates is the “AI for Good” case we have developed with the NGO Mães da Sé. AI for Good is our global programme, which aims to put AI in the hands of organisations and people to solve societal challenges. Having that in mind, we have partnered up with Mães da Sé, an NGO dedicated to the missing people cause. Using AI and facial recognition, we developed a solution (including an app) so people can use to try to match a people in a situation of distress to the database of missing people. The case helps not only this particular NGO. It also showcases how AI can be used to create a positive impact, inspiring people to use AI for Good. Another helpful effect of the case is to help to address public policy discussions on the use of technology.

How important have “soft skills” or personal attributes outside of technical legal skill been to the team’s success, and which “soft skills” do you feel are most important for an in-house lawyer to possess?

In my view soft skills are a great part of any individual’s true success in life. On the professional front, especially in the technology industry, being resilient, having a growth mind-set, curiosity to learn and empathy are key to advance generating a positive work environment and bringing sustainable business results.

How can in-house legal teams be an integral part of their firm’s business? How does the legal team demonstrate its value to the company?

Microsoft CELA Brazil team has been consistently operating as a true business partner, earning the senior management credibility as a trusted advisor. The team is seen as a strategic partner in assessing risks, identifying opportunities, and developing strategies that address business needs with integrity. Understanding the industry, the market, economic trends and legal framework as well as our customer’s needs are also key elements for becoming a truly integral part of the firm’s business.

Does the team use any “legal tech” products and do you find them a helpful management device?

As Microsoft’s employees, we are privileged to count with a variety of technical tools and platforms to address our internal legal department needs. Built on our cloud platform, we have developed a litigation and law enforcement tool to manage the diverse and wide portfolio of lawsuits. Besides that, we heavily rely on Microsoft teams, which is a great tool for converging a set of features designed for enhancing productivity, allowing not only a better management of our resources, but also improving communication and collaboration while protecting data in a secure and compliant manner.

Is diversity and inclusion as a matter of internal policy on the agenda at your company? How much influence do you, as an in-house legal team, have on the diversity and inclusion policies of your organisation?

Diversity and inclusion is part of our culture, principles and reward discussions. When we think about AI and how technology can affect society, we also need to think about diversity and inclusion. That said, this goes way beyond having a more diverse and inclusive work environment. Considering diversity and inclusion is part of core priorities of all employees at Microsoft, as a manager, all planning and rewards discussions will also be weighed. Our belief is that if we want to develop products and solutions that addresses our society’s needs, we need to have it represented within our workforce. Diversity and inclusion is not only about doing the right thing and not leaving anybody behind, it is also about generating more innovation, better solutions and growth.

What political, economic or regulatory changes have impacted the company and the team the most recently?

Microsoft is a company that builds and provides cutting-edge technology, including cloudcomputing platforms and AI. Such technologies can generate several opportunities for socialand economic development. To avail the best technology can offer, governments need to reach a balanced regulation. Regulating matters related to technology might be a challenge for policymakers though. Political, economic and regulatory changes that foster the adoption of technology and the digital economy, while building trust and protecting the ecosystem are really important for the country. For that matter, the Brazilian Personal Data Protection Law can be mentioned as one example that relates to this important digital economy.

Focus on…

COLLABORATION

At Microsoft we want to build a collaborative environment in a OneMicrosoft spirit. After we launched our volunteering programme called #VamoJuntoMicrosoft, we developed an app and platform to manage volunteers in connection our initiatives in Philanthropies. #VamoJuntoMicrosoft app is not only a way for us to better engage volunteers and causes, but also to show how our technology can help with empowering people and organisations.