Team size: Six

What are some of the legal challenges that professional services firms face in the development and use of emerging technologies in their services?

The main legal challenge that the professional service sector faces in emerging development of technology is getting the right balance between the parties’ respective interests and expectations in intellectual property. Given the nature of work in the professional service area, including the broad range of technology related services for the creation, use, and sharing of products and ideas, protecting the intellectual property rights of the service provider and the needs of clients is key to manage this challenge. At EY, we have world class client facing teams working with local and international clients daily advising on the appropriate deployment of various cutting-edge technologies. This has led to a real culture of transformation and innovation in EY and that informs how we all go about our work. We are typically quick to adopt and deploy new technologies to enhance our own internal processes and procedures which in my own team has been a real game changer in terms of enabling us to keep pace with the workloads and free up time for that valuable but often illusive time for strategic thought.

In what ways do you see the in-house legal role evolving in your region over the next few years?

The time when lawyers were simply the legal acumen supplier is gone. We are now expected to contribute to business strategy and operation whilst guiding and advising on new and emerging areas of law. Working for a multi-disciplinary global organisation where often many network firms are involved in the provision of services to a single client entity, can necessitate in-house lawyers working across the international boundaries to find mutually acceptable legal solutions to a vast array of issues.

The scale and depth of the client services currently offered by EY is breath taking. We pride ourselves on providing exceptional end to end client services, ranging from advice on complex international taxation treaties and solutions for meeting and exceeding climate targets to devising new business strategies aimed at aggressive growth.

As we enter the next decade, what skills will a corporate legal team need to succeed in the modern in-house industry?

As always in any period of change, it is important for the legal teams servicing the companies and organisations of the future to keep abreast of developments both in the business and legal world. The in-house lawyer is a key person in the organisation being the trusted advisor, in the legal field but also in the business and commercial sphere. Ensuring that your team feel really connected to the company culture and thrive in their careers is something that all of us who lead the in-house legal teams should keep front of mind.