Key team members: Martine Prince (Head of legal, attorney-at-law), Rune Wold, Olau Krarup Christensen, Sara Berg Tind, Mia Emilie Risvang, and Isabella Lindbæk

Can you give an idea of the most significant cases or transactions that your legal team has recently been involved in?

ATPE Legal is responsible for all legal matters within ATP Ejendomme. Below is a mention of some of the more recent significant cases.

In June 2022, ATPE Legal, alongside external advisors, assisted with ATP Ejendomme’s acquisition of five properties in Carlsberg Byen, Copenhagen. The properties comprise a total of 21.500sqm gross floor area and house companies such as mobile operator, “Three. The purchase of these properties was a significant reinforcement of our solid portfolio of commercial properties located in Copenhagen.

Furthermore, we assisted in ATP Ejendomme’s ongoing development projects, three of which have undergone massive progress in 2022; Carl Bro Haven, a residential housing project in Glostrup comprising 198 units; Kanalgaarden, a residential housing project in Ørestad which includes a mix of social housing and private rental housing units; and project 21Ø – a project comprising residential housing and commercial units. All our development projects have a strong focus on sustainability and reuse of materials.

In 2022, ATP Ejendomme rented out a 24.000sqm office space to Netcompany Group, and subsequently, managed to thoroughly renovate the entire lease in just 10 months. We assisted in the drafting and negotiation of the lease agreement and in the legal matters concerning the renovation project.

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

AI-technology, certainly. Being an in-house legal team of five lawyers and law students, we have the knowledge and skills to handle almost all legal matters in-house. What we most often need is an extra set of hands.

As AI already seems to be well developed and starting to explore legal issues, it is possible that its use could minimise workload, by assisting with basic, time-consuming routine work and therefore, grant ATPE Legal the time to deal with more complex legal matters and commercial decisions, thereby creating an economic upside.

How has your legal team progressed on issues of diversity and inclusion (D&I), and what are the main benefits and/or challenges of working in a diverse environment?

We definitely comply with the terms of the company policy for diversity and inclusion and ensure our team represents not only diversity in gender but also in age, experience, and personal background. We aim to engage team members with different personality types to be as strong as possible. In that vein, we spend time and effort in personality tests both at recruitment and during employment.

This entails working with different profile types during our everyday tasks to strengthen and improve our working relationship. We believe in better outcomes through embracing and understanding our different points of views. It also comprises having a strong and efficient feedback culture where no one is afraid to speak their mind. This helps team members reach their full potential and expertly solve cases in a timely manner.

Consequently, we improve the skills and qualifications of the members of ATPE Legal while, creating economic upside for ATP Ejendomme.

If you had to give advice to an aspiring in-house lawyer or general counsel, what would it be and why?

To always prioritise people skills. As an in-house lawyer, you need to connect and work with people from various professions, who are all a part of the decision-making process. Using your people skills to help colleagues across the organisation take ownership and action on matters is, for ATP Legal, a valued skill, alongside creating a workspace where everyone joins in and feels responsible for the process. One of the most valuable things in-house lawyers and general counsel can bring to the table is strategically facilitate the business while mitigating risks, and thereby creating an economic upside for your company.