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

Some of the main changes the pandemic has brought into the world of work for in-house counsel and the function of the general counsel include: (I) the trend towards remote working. For many other employees, the pandemic has changed the working conditions of in-house lawyers and general counsel towards a higher degree of flexibility regarding working location. Remote working has become something which candidates applying for an in-house legal role expect as a given. Employers who do not offer such flexibility will have a hard time finding suitable candidates and will not be able to insist on an office-only policy. The current legal framework EU-wide for remote work, however, is not (yet) harmonised, which — due to the variety of legal questions arising at different levels — makes it a challenge currently to avoid bureaucratic overkill on both sides. It would be highly desirable if the EU member states made a joint effort to harmonise the framework for remote working.

(ii) Trend towards digitalisation — the pandemic has forced companies to digitalise more quickly than planned; this also applies to support functions such as Legal. As teams were forced to work together remotely, also Legal needed to think of ways to collaborate and exchange information virtually. This led to adjusted team practices compared to pre-Pandemic times to replace ad hoc on-site meetings or conversations of teams sharing the same physical office.

(iii) Change in the job market for in-house counsel roles — remote working has significantly expanded the job market for in-house counsel and general counsel roles. Some companies allow candidates to work entirely remotely, including over different time zones. In-house counsel roles have tended to be more flexible regarding bar qualification (if and where) and legal education than law firms. Remote working has opened many more in-house opportunities across international employers where specialisation in practice areas has taken priority over local qualification and education.

How much influence do you, as a general counsel, have on the diversity and inclusion policies of your organisation?

We are building our diversity and inclusion strategy as we speak. All hiring managers have already undertaken anti-bias training for interviewing, and one of our leadership principles reflects how we evaluate individual performance on this topic. We are still at an early stage; however, we seek a diversity of ideas, identities, ethnicity, experience and education for all hiring and promotion decisions. It goes without saying that the more diverse we become, the better we can become as a team. This is also what I am personally guided by for my team, and I recommend other hiring managers in their hiring decisions.