Team size: Nine 

What has been the number one challenge that has impacted you over the past year? 

The number one challenge I faced this past year was the ultimate culmination of professional and personal preparation. My husband and I welcomed a baby boy in August, and I spent significant time and energy during the first half of the year planning for maternity leave. These efforts focused not only on delegating my legal workload, but also ensuring my team would be well-supported while I was out and completing several projects, including a company-wide Leadership Summit for 170 of our company’s top executives. With the help and support of the dedicated lawyers and legal professionals on my team who were willing to step up and take on extra work while I was out, a network of incredibly high performing colleagues outside the legal department, and a very detailed roles and responsibilities chart, I was able to take maternity leave with ease (two weeks earlier than planned).   The transition from work to leave and back to work was seamless, and I know that is due, in part, to the solid relationships I have established with co-workers and external business partners over the years. In my opinion, relationship building cannot be overstated as a critical component to in-house success. 

Could you share an example of a time when you came up with an innovation that improved how your legal team works and did not come at a large expense?  

I am continually looking for ways to create efficiencies in the way my team supports the business, and we have developed a few “innovations” focused on educating and enabling the business on legal issues and legal risk in recent years. Examples of some of the initiatives we’ve launched include:  i) a legal training program for our marketing and sales organisations; ii) playbooks on ways of working, legal review guidelines with SLAs, and submission forms and templates; iii) a SharePoint website where we publish relevant legal news, updates and resources; and iv) an automated “bot” which processes business input via an online form and automatically generates legal terms and conditions.  All these tools, resources and education are regularly shared by my team with the business. Through wide adoption over the years, we have streamlined engagement and eliminated significant outside legal expenses and vendor costs. 

What would you say are the unique qualities required to be successful as an in-house lawyer in your industry?  

I cannot emphasise enough the importance of building and maintaining great relationships as a key enabler to success as an in-house lawyer (in any industry). I have found that transparency, honesty, and explanation go a long way in educating the business on legal matters and advising on legal risk. If business colleagues understand the “why” behind legal feedback, they are much less likely to push back and will be more receptive to the guidance. And the alternative is true. When in-house lawyers demonstrate an authentic interest in the category in which their company operates and truly understand the “why” behind certain business objectives, they are more likely to provide legal guidance that is actionable.  Finding the balance where legal can work within the business, as a trusted and valued stakeholder, is critical to in-house success.