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

The pandemic suddenly impacted the way in-house legal functions worked. We were called to be advisors to our companies for new daily rules impacting our employees, our business, and our markets, pivoting our stakeholders to understand the legal consequences of the new landscape. At the same time, this was the opportunity to strongly accelerate the digitalisation of legal operations, in contract management, drafting and negotiation sessions and electronic signatures. In this way, we reached the goal of granting full safety and continuity for the business, even in a remote work environment.

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

Some of the most significant transactions were the launch of the new discovery+ OTT direct-to-consumer service in Southern Europe territories and some IP litigation concerning format ownership. We were also involved in Innovative ad sales agreement for addressable and programmatic advertising. We established partnerships agreements with telcos and paytv operators (Timvision, Vodafone, Fastweb) for the distribution of Discovery linear channels and OTT services. Additionally, we were involved in all the legal aspects concerning the distribution and broadcast in Southern Europe of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

What do you feel are the pros and cons of an in-house legal role compared to a private practice one?

As an in-house lawyer, I really enjoy the amplitude of the tasks, ranging from corporate business law (including M&A) to industry specific legal issues such as in my case, media, and digital law. Proximity with business executives, valuable CFO and sharp business development people also gives a daily motivation to be open and flexible. Together with that, I love also to see the practical impact of myself and team’s job on the company results, which sometimes is not typical for a private practice lawyer assisting the client on a ‘per deal’ basis.

On the other hand, sometimes in-house lawyers are asked to provide practical and quick solutions as the outcome of their analysis, rather than long and structured legal advice.