Team size: Seven

Which technological advancement do you think will impact the role of legal teams the most?

The rapid advancement of technology is forcing the legal system to stay forever agile and adaptive. I think legal teams will have to expand their capabilities to focus on technology law, with a deep understanding of Artificial Intelligence.

Despite having to continuously learn and stay up to date on the latest tech advancements, legal teams can highly benefit from said advancements. I think AI will play a huge role in making our teams a lot more efficient and enhance the knowledge economy, where truly skilled lawyers will be valued the most.

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

Sustainability is a business-related cause I care about. I am very passionate about the environment and energy. If I ever go back to private practice, I will make those my priorities. That is all about the future, and the kind of business we should be looking forward to.

What are some of the most significant cases or transactions that you have been involved in recently?

I am running a couple of corporate transactions across our firm, in the MESA region. My team and I are busy closing a couple of transactions for which we have just conducted our work internally. That is in association with big law firms in the Middle East. I have been taking the lead in conducting the transactions, while my team has been assisting me in the preparation of data and information.

Aside from my role as legal manager, leading the compliance and corporate projects, I also have other international communication and data privacy responsibilities. Those take a lot of my time since there are several new laws and regulations being implemented every single month in Saudi Arabia. Working in an international accounting firm, we must be familiar with our regulators and their laws, to make sure that our reputation and employees are protected. That is not an easy task since we have almost 2000 employees, and I need to make sure that they have sufficient legal knowledge and can conduct business properly. Additionally, we have multiple shareholders, who need to be informed about changes and decisions, and need to understand the overall business environment in which the company is operating.

What would you say, are the skills that you need to succeed in the in-house industry?

The first advice I would give to succeed in the in-house industry is to be very mindful — understand the law, its limitations and solutions. Focus is crucial, especially in today’s ever-changing environment. Teamwork, being empathetic and patient towards team members is crucial. A manager must build his team properly, especially in the Middle East, in which a deeper understanding of regulations is required.