Team size: Three

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

The coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the process of adopting innovative technology across all industries, professions and legal being no exception.

As a US-originated organisation, most of our practices and policies are very US-influenced and not reflective of the local markets, but I am lucky to be based in a region which not only incorporated technology but enhanced it.

I firmly believe we will see increased reliance on digitalisation in the coming years with the advent of Industry 4.0 and Artificial Intelligence (AI); future generations will have less physical paperwork to handle, and more scope to handle their specialty.

At Eaton we have introduced several technologies, including the Brightlayer, for our global customers where we have reduced man-hours and given them the ability to secure live data. This is one of the concepts which will infiltrate the legal landscape whereby a general counsel will be able to capture data to the minute that can be used as hard evidence in a case or a contract.

An aspect that in-house teams need to bear in mind when introducing digitalisation to their framework is data security. It should be a number one focus as it is a major litigation risk exposure for their business. Companies need to have the best-in-class cybersecurity protection available to better handle risk management.

Whether we like it or not, embrace it, or continue how a century old law system worked, digitalisation is here to stay, and we need to support this new era of technology, but also ensure we protect the fundamental values of our practice.

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

Eaton is one of the most ethical Companies in the world, and this has been recognised by the Ethisphere Institute 11 time. Being ethical and compliant is ingrained inside you when working for Eaton and part of the DNA. Holding these values on a daily basis for myself and my team is of upmost importance.

As general counsel, we have key values and handle a vast variety of cases, but what I am most proud of is the guardianship as a legal counsel I provide to 500-plus Eaton personnel that I train and coach.

As an organisation with a value of over $17bn, Eaton has acquired many companies regionally and internationally. This has meant that we have individuals joining Eaton from acquired companies; they have been coached differently, holding different values and ethics. And as the sole counsel in the Middle East and Africa, I have the responsibility of spreading my knowledge, increasing legal awareness in respected business units through tailored training sessions for non-legal staff, ethics compliance and contractors.