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

Technology in the future will play a critical role in the future of the in-house legal teams. In-house lawyers can now work together on important matters with productive tools like Google Docs, Microsoft Teams and more. Members of the same legal team do not have to sit next to each other to discuss the important aspects of a case because legal tech is enabling a culture of remote in-house legal teams. In-house lawyers sitting in a country can easily remotely support entities in other jurisdictions. Also, technology will play a critical role in document or matter management systems. Technology will allow in-house legal teams to have access to valuable business insights from data available and assess what leads to well performing contracts from a business perspective. In this way, in-house legal teams will be close to business and shall understand better commercial objectives.  

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

It is critical for successful in-house lawyers to build strong relationships with business partners. To achieve this, in-house lawyers need to demonstrate not only their legal expertise but their general experience and business knowledge gained over the years to provide practical and commercially feasible and beneficial solutions. In-house lawyers need to be patient in advising the commercial team. They should not try to dictate what should happen but adopt a supportive approach in explaining the key elements of a legal issue and what it could mean for the company’s operations in a way that In-house lawyers will be recognised as the voice of reason. It is critical for In-house lawyers to have a deep knowledge of business they are advising and understand the challenges the organisation.  

What are the most significant cases or projects you have been involved in recently? 

 Working for a big multinational pharmaceutical company gives me the chance to be continuously involved in challenging projects. Recently and following the global integration I have been involved in in, namely the merger of Allergan with AbbVie in Greece and Switzerland, I have worked closely with internal and external stakeholders in order for the merger to be completed successfully and with minimal business disruption. I have provided legal support in regard to the reimbursement of new pharmaceutical products, negotiated the relevant contracts with the health authorities and provided advice for the relevant promotional activities. I have also been involved in litigation cases in Greece and Switzerland.