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

The most significant impact of the post-pandemic legacy is an increased awareness of the importance of risk management at the business and legal level. Digital transformation is urgently required to be implemented in the in-house legal department. With the lockdown and remote work, the pandemic has dramatically highlighted the urgency of a technology adaptation allowing lawyers to communicate and to problem solve even at a distance. Companies need to invest in the increase of digital awareness to adapt to the ‘new normal’ future.

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

Lavazza legal drafted a joint venture agreement between YUM China and Lavazza for the company’s business side, which will introduce an authentic Italian café format as a premium segment in the Chinese coffee market. We have been involved from the initial stages of analysing the best corporate structure to the negotiating and the drafting of the contractual agreements. Defining the structure of the transaction, we supported finalising the distribution and supply contracts by examining the related governance rules and the intellectual property law in the shareholders agreements. Moreover, we spent a lot of time and energy restructuring our international team to provide centralised legal services in our primary subsidiaries. Creating a shared digital collaborative environment, we integrated our workflow with automation processes and contract management platform.

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

One of the most fascinating aspects of undertaking the in-house legal position is the opportunities to constantly interact with our company’s business projects; we not only give advice on the legal issues but also be directly involved in the strategic development of the company’s business. In-house legal roles are receiving more respect than before due to its increasing importance in the corporate environment. In the post pandemic legal environment, in-house counsel is heavily involved in monitoring legal risk as well as other miscellaneous issues for their company.