Looking forward, what technological advancements do you feel will impact the role of in-house legal teams in the future the most?

With the efficiency and cost pressures on in-house legal teams, the services provided by in-house legal professionals must move up the legal value chain while they simultaneously introduce technologies that would assist in commoditised and templated services. There must also be an increase in research, reporting and data management efficiency on the other hand. Currently, the common technologies revolve around communication, information and research, data management, case management, template generation and billing management from purchase of outsource services. These are indispensable tools for a successful IT strategy for in-house legal counsel. The future of the practice will however reveal more technologies that may provide even more complex services and achieve a higher level of value. With the use of AI, technologies will take part in designing simple legal advice and related processes. In-house counsel would benefit from such technologies to mitigate the use of external counsel.

What is a cause, business related or otherwise, that you care about, and why?

Freedom of speech and the right to privacy constitute a cause that I strongly support. I find that these two notions form the backbone of the morals needed for a healthy and secure social environment. While some laws classify them as constitutional or organic rights, this isn’t universally applicable across jurisdictions.

What would you say are the unique qualities required to be successful as an in-house lawyer in your industry?

Like any other legal professional, an in-house legal counsel needs to have the qualities required of a qualified lawyer. However, given the variety and breadth of matters that an in-house counsel would face one day and being close enough to see how such legal issues directly impact the business and its respective decisions, the in-house legal professional needs to be more commercially focused. Having a good business sense is critical for a successful in-house legal counsel. Unlike the environment in law firms, we need to remember that our main stakeholders do not have the same foundational understanding of the profession which makes communication and stakeholder management very important. Moreover, an in-house lawyer needs to keep an open mind regarding changes happening in the practice from both legal and business perspectives. The legal needs of the business would change as the business environment changes for the respective industry.

What can law firms do to improve their service to the legal department?

Law firms are more risk cautious than in house counsel. This is normal given that decisions around risk require, in many cases, commercial decisions. However, external counsel needs to understand the commercial value of their advice. As in-house counsel becomes increasingly commercially aware, they expect the law firms to partner with them in such a mindset to some extent. Moreover, with the increasing use of technology, especially in the form of communicating or linking platforms, the law firms should invest more in technologies that would create a platform for information sharing, case and data management and other legal services to be accessed and edited by both the lawyers and the inhouse counsels. This will also help in increasing the efficiency of both teams and plays a role in the law firm’s competitive advantage.