Team size: 5

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

Legal tech is an area I am very much interested in. The number of technological advancements in the legal sector has been growing by the day in the last few years and it is very difficult to envisage which one will impact our profession the most, but I would venture to say that automated regulatory compliance and contract management software as well as AI aided document review and drafting would certainly save many hours of legal work for in-house counsel. It will allow us to undertake higher value work such as strategic advice instead.

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

At a personal level, I support several humanitarian causes such as universal medical accessibility, refugees’ protection, children aid, cancer investigation, and others; yet I am particularly sympathetic with feminism, women’s rights and empowerment as well as promoting gender equality, not just in the workplace but generally. I have two young daughters and, despite little social progress in the last few decades (mainly in the northern hemisphere, though), a lot still needs to change and be done in order to eradicate the abuse, sexism, discrimination, and overall disrespect some women still suffer, to a greater or lesser extent, in the world at present. Gender equality is a fundamental human right and this injustice must stop now.

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

I often tell junior lawyers that a construction lawyer must be a mixture between Pulp Fiction’s Mr. Wolf and Matrix’s Neo. They always look at me flabbergasted when I tell them this but after 15 years practicing in the construction sector, I still believe the same. The general qualities required to succeed as an in-house counsel in this sector are intelligence, curiosity, courage, effort, and humility. More specific qualities required are adaptability (we need to thrive on uncertainty and be comfortable being uncomfortable), creativity (nothing ever goes by the book, and we need to always find alternative solutions), and being thorough (we must manage complex documents which are deep, very deep and you will not control the legal or contractual “matrix” unless you pay careful attention to the details).

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

To focus on satisfying the client’s needs, being accurate, timely responsive, clear, and transparent on billing.