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

The Covid-19 pandemic presented new challenges to employees’ well-being, workplace, and financial performance of companies. On top of this, in-house counsel had to deal with the risk landscape of security, data protection, ESG issues, and increased activity of regulators during the pandemic. With the increased need for in-house counsel’s leadership, they are not considered as not only risk mitigators but also valued contributors to the organisation. While constantly adapting to the new environment of flexible thinking and collaboration, we tried different strategies to empower our legal team with necessary skills and innovative ideas.

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

We are currently working on a large and complex real estate transaction: the competitive divestiture process of our headquarter properties and the selection process for the future lease of headquarters offices. Having been involved in the process, we also partially managed the work progress. It was challenging, but at the same time, gave us a fantastic opportunity to give our contribution to a transformative project for the organisation.

If you had to give advice to an aspiring in-house lawyer or general counsel, what would it be and why?

First, select the type of role and business that is suited to your skills and interests. Second, focus on networking and professional relationships. It is important to build relationships inside as well as outside of the company. As an in-house lawyer you have to be appreciated as an expert in your field. To reach this goal, you can organise brief meetings with different colleagues, especially with people who have worked in the company for a long time so that you can understand the company culture. Third, listen, learn, and take a lot of notes. You will receive a lot of information when working in-house but if you do not find some time to process the information, you will not have time to figure out priorities. Last, invest time in setting up your own work routine. Organising your work routine is the best way to manage your intense workload.