How do you feel the pandemic has changed the world of work for in-house counsel and the function of the general counsel?

Even though the pandemic has had many negative impacts on the entire world, it has brought some positive changes in the world of work for in-house counsel. Given the constantly changing laws and regulations, lawyers have been required to take a more proactive role in the execution of processes, learning to be more dynamic and effective in assessing the changes and providing the business with tailored advice to make decisions together with other departments and ensure the pursuing of set goals in a more challenging environment.

Moreover, before Covid-19, the signing agreements and document sharing were mostly done in hard copies. The introduction of e-signature is here to stay, as it has allowed for more efficient execution of processes, filing and consultation, allowing for an eco-friendlier and more accessible legal department.

Looking forward, what technological advancements do you feel will impact the role of in-house legal teams in the future the most?

The pandemic has made us more resilient in adapting to new ways of providing legal services to the business. As lawyers, we had to look for new technological solutions and enhance the tools we were already using.

One of the technological advancements that I feel will impact the role of in-house legal teams is having legal portals, a virtual place where the business can make requests to the legal department instead of e-mail requests. It also allows to attach documentation, achieving standardisation of the information provided by the company, a service level agreement and centralisation of all the concepts, agreements and advice given by legal.

The centralised legal portal should come together with metrics to highlight the work done by the legal team. It will be essential to educate the business on the impact that the in-house legal department has on the organisation and help the team improve its performance.

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

It all comes down to trust from the business that the in-house lawyer is actively committed to finding a better way for the company to achieve its goals.

As an in-house lawyer, you must view yourself as part of the team rather than as an outsider that provides advice. In-house counsel should aim and work to be perceived as allies in contrast to being stoppers (the ‘cannot do’ department). That will support the business as we advance in reaching its objectives. Adopting an open mindset, a broad point of view and actively listening are essential to make things happen.