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

Our key focus as a team is to ensure that SLB maintains its freedom to operate in Nigeria and six other West African countries. Over the past year, my team has worked on many projects and transactions instrumental in facilitating the successful execution of SLB’s strategic initiatives. From a day-to-day perspective, we have been primarily responsibility for managing SLB’s relationships across the stakeholder spectrum, relating to drafting and negotiating high value customer and supplier contracts, joint ventures and local business partner management, handling litigations and dispute resolution processes. Additionally, we support global M&A transactions, drive and implement the ethics and compliance programme, lead audits and investigations and manage the due diligence process for business partners and high-risk suppliers.

In your role, how do you balance the need to protect the organisation’s interests today while also considering legal implications and opportunities that may arise in the future?

Legal counsel are faced, daily, with decisions on behalf of their organisations that have near- and long-term outcomes. A core principle that guides my approach to decision-making is understanding and anchoring the key focus of the organisation. With that being top of mind, I can assess the objectives that should be prioritised and require adequate legal support or attention. In my capacity as legal counsel, the ability to be relied on as the trusted advisor who the business can confidently turn is fundamental.

How do you see the general counsel role evolving in Nigeria over the next five-ten years?

In a world that is constantly evolving and heavily influenced by factors such as proliferation of technology and the focus on sustainability, to name a few, the role of the in-house legal counsel has become increasingly dynamic. There has been a shift from supporting companies through traditional legal advisory, towards also being an operations advisor and strategic business driver. The in-house legal counsel should be able to bring more than just legal acumen; they should be able to offer advice to the organisation in a way that helps them overcome challenges while still achieving business goals. To adapt to a changing global environment, this will require finding the right balance between being a legal advisor (managing risks) and being a business partner (facilitating opportunities). Finding solutions to complex problems will continue to be key to the success of any in-house legal counsel and I believe more organisations will be looking for lawyers that can leverage business acumen, beyond providing legal advice.

How does the in-house legal function contribute to the overall dispute resolution strategy of the organisation?

The in-house legal function is primarily responsible for managing the overall dispute strategy. It is important that the in-house legal counsel is involved as early as possible, from the dispute stage, before an issue evolves to litigation or alternate dispute resolution mechanisms. Beyond minimising litigation costs, this will help the organisation manage other potential risks and exposures from disputes. The in-house legal function manages the engagement with external counsel, ensuring that its interests are sufficiently protected. This may involve providing guidance on the company’s strategy in managing its claims, determining the appropriate form of dispute resolution that is aligned with the organisation’s approach and protecting the company’s interests. Lastly, the in-house legal counsel is responsible for managing all stakeholders (internal and external) involved in any dispute.