Team size: 11

What are some of the legal challenges that IT companies face in the development and use of emerging technologies in their products?

Google’s aim is to develop tools which enhance the lives of our users while also protecting their privacy. Some of the technologies which present the greatest opportunities to our users also require careful and responsible management. About biometric authentication and facial and voice recognition, IT companies must ensure compliance with GDPR and other applicable legislation. Having some idea how the regulation will be shaped in the future, it is incumbent upon IT companies to manage such technology responsibly in the interim period.

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

To be effective in the current market, in-house legal counsel are required to transcend a purely legal role to secure their position as trusted business advisors. An innate understanding of the business needs is critical as well as an ability to pre-empt risks before they arise. Commercial nous, and the ability to effectively collaborate are more important than ever. Machine learning and AI will expedite some of the more generic in-house legal workstreams and free up lawyers to deal with more sophisticated elements of transactions.

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

Google has concluded acquisitions of land throughout EMEA and the development of some significant sites but those that can be disclosed include matters in Belgium and Germany.

In Belgium, Google has acquired a new site to expand our operations at the existing facility in Saint-Ghislain. With the investment of €2.6 to €2.8bn in our Belgian data centres, the Saint-Ghislain site already has 350 employees, and upon the completion of the ongoing construction, we will employ around thousand more employees in Belgium.

Our recent projects in Germany are reflective of the nimble but responsible approach which we adopt to deliver infrastructure. Our team partnered with NDC-Gabre on the delivery of a four-storey building of ten thousand square meters which was sustainably constructed with energy efficient infrastructure and adherence to our circular economy model for waste.

We are also in the process of establishing a second cloud region in Berlin. Our team is continuously innovating our approach to acquiring and developing land to allow us to provide data centre capacity more quickly and effectively and always with environmental sustainability at its core.

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

Commercial nous remains a key skill as does the ability to think laterally. Legal teams working in technology need to effectively apply their skillsets such as communication skills, attention to detail, drafting, analysis and commercial awareness to new and unfamiliar concepts.