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

The spread of the pandemic has deeply influenced the way in-house teams and general counsel work and function. There has been an increased demand to take on a different approach, especially in terms of legal risks, for example, handling lawsuits that were just theoretical pre-pandemic. There has been a turn to remote working, entailing a brand-new approach to management and in-house legal teams.

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

We have been involved in several cases and transactions in the past few years. The Prelios SGR legal team was involved in the final contributions of indirect UTP credits to the AIF – Back2Bonis, a 2-years transaction aimed at setting up an investment platform, currently amounting to more than € 1 bn. We extended our presence in Spain, acquiring two office buildings in Madrid and setting up a Spanish investment platform, AREEF2-SICAF. Prelios SGR has inaugurated the real estate AIF, named Unione Zero, which contributed to the development of the Unione 0 Lot – the largest urban regeneration project in Italy and one of the biggest in Europe; it will reshape the north-eastern area of Milan and transform long-abandoned territories of the Falck steelworks.

How do you suggest in-house lawyers build strong relationships with business partners?

A positive relationship between in-house lawyers and business partners evolves around dialogue, objectiveness, and cooperation between departments.