Team size: 15 in the central legal team, and about 80 in the global team

What are the most significant cases and/or transactions that your legal team has recently been involved in?

Bureau Veritas central legal team is in charge of supporting our various businesses in an economic and geopolitical environment that keeps changing and requires agility and adaptability. We monitor specific risks in the regions where we operate, and set the framework, guidelines, and best practices to be followed by the businesses, in close relationship with the regional legal teams.

In a changing regulatory environment, my team has, in particular, assisted the business in adapting to the new international sanctions regime, and in getting ready for the new ESG reporting environment in the EU, with the implementation of the CSRD.

They have also supported the group’s divisions in their respective M&A projects and provide support in major litigations. Finally, we also ensure that our group governance aligns with the best practices of the French financial market.

How do you see the general counsel role evolving in France over the next five-ten years?

I am confident that over the next five to ten years, general counsel in France will reinforce their positioning within their organisation. More and more general counsel are now executive committee members. As business partners, the executive management and the board value their insights when assessing the company’s strategic options. Given the complexity of the regulatory environment where companies operate, the speed of innovation, the emerging new risks, general counsel have a key role to play and will bring value to the strategic discussions. Finally, and more specific to the French environment, the recognition of the legal privilege for legal opinions issued by general counsel will allow them to better secure the interests of their company.

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

I think it is important for in-house lawyers to go beyond legal support for a specific business transaction and show their interest and understanding of the business. In-house lawyers must visit operational sites and spend time with operational teams to get a better grasp of what they do and the challenges they face in their day-to-day activities.

Understanding the specificities of each business and their strategy is key to providing adequate legal support to business partners and gaining their trust. For example, at Bureau Veritas, we organise specific training sessions for the legal team on our various businesses. These sessions give the legal teams the opportunity to learn more about the unique features of each business, their major risks, the expectations of their customers and generally exchange with business representatives.

The more time in house lawyers spend with their business partners, the more interest they show.