Team size: 60

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

The legal group advises management and the business on all strategically important transactions across JERA’s entire energy value chain, spanning the Americas, Asia, Middle East and Europe, as well as Japan. One of legal’s focus has been enabling the business to transition to carbon neutral and renewable energy sources in order to achieve JERA’s ambition of net zero emissions by 2050 while ensuring energy security for Japan.

The legal group also covers corporate governance and supports our board of directors and compliance supervision of the enterprise.

Could you share an example of a time when your team came up with an innovation that improved how your legal team works and did not come at a large expense?   

Pre-Covid, a team member was forced to work from the UK. To support her connections with the Tokyo team, we employed a desktop robot called OriHime. This allowed her to “physically” participate in meetings, have a voice and even look around and “interact” with her environment. We simply carried the mobile OriHime robot around. No video conferencing was needed.

In April 2022, we established the legal operations unit (LOU). This team’s mandate is to transform our legal function: accelerate operational efficiencies through standardisation, automation, digitalisation, technology adoption, right-sourcing of work and fostering a culture of innovation and improvement. So far, LOU has standardised the legal request intake process, used existing technology infrastructure to automate some internal communications, launched user satisfaction survey analysis and reporting, built an analytical data framework, centralised some team task management and reporting, produced a legal design cantered legal group newsletter, and standardised the process for annual strategic planning support for the legal group.

How important is choosing to work with external lawyers who align with your company’s values?  

Engaging law firms with a similar value system is important for a number of reasons. First and foremost a shared value system means the law firm understands and respects our company’s ethical principles, goals and objectives, which translates to greater likelihood of strategic alignment. Ultimately, a law firm that is attuned to the company’s long-term goals is far better placed to provide legal advice that aligns with the company’s overall strategy.

Secondly, selecting a law firm with a similar value system can contribute to a cohesive and consistent legal approach. When both parties approach legal matters from a shared perspective, it helps to maintain continuity and ensures that legal strategies and decisions are in line with the company’s values and culture.

Thirdly, shared values promote a harmonious working relationship and enhance communication between parties. When both the in-house counsel and law firms share similar values, it becomes easier to establish trust and collaboration, leading to more effective legal representation.

To realize these truths, we are starting the design of a vendor management framework which will require firms tendering for work from JERA to articulate how they demonstrate their values in the areas of ESG, DEI, innovation and legal technology adoption.

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

First, we must intimately understand the company’s business operations and strategy, and its operating environment. This is a foundational building block to collaboration and becoming a trusted advisor. In-house counsels can facilitate business success if we are able to provide business orientated advice and client centric support that facilitate legal outcomes aligned with company objectives.

Second, we need to go beyond “BAU advisory and transactional support”. We need to flex legal expertise by offering strategic insights and creative but practical solutions to business challenges and offer value-added support, or other mechanisms to empower the business. For example, automated tools, legal literacy training, and playbooks which improve deal speed and precision while managing legal risks.

Thirdly, foster open and transparent communication channels. Actively listen to the concerns and needs of your business partners and provide timely and clear responses. Keep them updated on legal topics relevant to their operations and avoid overwhelming them with legal jargon and acronyms.