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

It is rare that one event almost overnight requires such a focus on legal risk management. That is what the pandemic has done, emphasising the importance of preventive measures and risk identification in contracts and commercial commitments. Covid-19 has also stressed the importance of digitalisation of the legal work in-house and the increasing need for organisations to be ready to adapt to external changes. Being able to perform tasks and carry out meetings and negotiations remotely with efficiency made it evident that physical presence at the corporate office is not a prerequisite for performing your job effectively. The shift to remote work will also impact external counsel as we advance.

What do you feel are the pros and cons of an in-house legal role compared to a private practice one?

In-house legal roles give the unique opportunity to be close to the business, aligning day-to-day tasks with the overall corporate strategy. It brings value to the company to have legal support in-house, sparring on day-to-day considerations to simple directions. However, the importance of external counsel should not be underestimated. We cannot be experts on all legal matters – we need specialist guidance once in a while or additional resources on big projects. I strongly believe in cooperation between external and in-house counsel. External counsel tend to specialise more and deep dive, whereas in-house counsel are more generalists with deep knowledge of the business.