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

Being health providers, our work has increased during the pandemic. We have started to think about ways to provide better assistance to the whole company, having our customers in mind; while battling the struggles of getting used to new technological solutions.

In-house counsel has been pushed to think outside the box. They have embraced tech tools to provide legal solutions and advice. While being cautious of constant regulations and legislation changes that have highly impacted the healthcare sector.

The embracement of technology was evident in the day-to-day work, through videoconferencing, virtual trials, virtual notaries, digital documents, e-signatures and e-filing are becoming the new normal.

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

The role has gone through changes, and transformation is likely to continue. Technological advancements should be embraced. Consequently, it is crucial to change the culture around that and start shifting the mindset across the whole organisation.

Technological advancements have transformed not what we do but the way we do it. Automatisation and AI are excellent allies that help us deliver more efficient and adequate information for strategic decision-making. In-house lawyers must adapt fast and be open to learning about innovations and new tools used in the market.

Businesses are increasingly relying on their legal team to help them identify opportunities to increase revenue and decrease cost and risk. Consequently, legal teams must start to review and analyse data to identify opportunities to improve their legal operations.

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

The first thing is to abandon the mindset that the legal team is a separate entity from the company’s other departments. Legal is an integral part of the company and should be involved in all areas since we are working towards the same goals.

To do so, in-house counsel need to understand the scope and objective of the different business partners to provide the right legal advice, understanding the requirements and needs of both internal and external clients.