Team size: Twelve

How do you approach managing legal aspects during periods of instability or crises, and how does your legal strategy align with the broader business strategy to ensure the organisation’s resilience?

During periods of instability or crises, having a clear and well-prepared plan to address legal aspects is crucial. Maintaining a calm environment and understanding the problem from various perspectives, including legal and technical, is vital. This approach fosters an environment that welcomes diverse solutions and enables the creation of a detailed step-by-step plan with different options and their likelihoods.

Effective management is also essential. A step-by-step plan will not achieve its intended effects without a capable team ensuring compliance.

Legal activities should be at the core of the business strategy and planned alongside commercial objectives. Legal is not just about controlling risks, complying with rules, and internal governance. It also aims to meet the company’s commercial objectives and KPIs from multiple perspectives, maintaining this strategy over time. Legal teams should participate in commercial discussions and negotiations and be recognised as an integral part of the company’s commercial success. This integration ensures that legal strategies support business resilience and help the organisation navigate through crises effectively.

What emerging technologies do you see as having the most significant impact on the legal profession in the near future, and how do you stay updated on these developments?

Artificial intelligence (AI) is making a significant transformation in the legal profession, both in-house and external. AI will have a substantial impact on the way we provide advice, allowing us to be more efficient in our daily activities. Certain routine aspects of the legal profession, such as preparing initial drafts of agreements, reviewing the conformity of agreements with internal policies, and even answering legal-related questions, are increasingly being handled by AI. Effective use of such technology, including the protection of the company’s confidential information and know-how, will enable us to reduce costs and provide legal advice more quickly.

However, this major digital transformation also presents challenges. It will require acquiring skills that are difficult for AI to replicate. Abilities such as negotiation, team leadership, and tasks that involve human judgment, creativity, and ethical considerations will remain essential in the legal profession. To stay updated on these developments, I often read industry publications, follow news sources, and participate in discussions with colleagues.