Key team members: Ryan N. Espiritu, APAC regional data protection officer and legal counsel 

How do you see the role of in-house legal teams evolving in the Philippines over the next five-ten years? 

I see in-house legal teams in the Philippines becoming leaner and lawyers being more self-reliant leading to lesser cost for companies. Gone are the days when lawyers tend to be “staff dependent.” I think this is brought about by the influx of younger and more technologically savvy legal practitioners. With new technologies at our disposal, it is easier now to run smaller legal teams. I also anticipate more in-house lawyers dual hatting and companies leveraging on multiple subject matter expertise. 

From traditionally being viewed as “cost,” I have likewise seen in-house counsels become more active in contributing to the business side of companies and not just being confined to the legal front. I see this trend continuing with more in-house counsels veering away from “purely” legal work and being more involved in the larger scheme of helping grow the business of companies.     

Are the effects of AI on the legal world overplayed, or underplayed? 

My view is that the legal community is steadily embracing the inevitable role that AI will play in our profession. Because whether we like it or not, AI will significantly impact the way lawyers do legal work. Be it in the way clients are billed or how hours worked will computed if AI was used in the work product or in the contract review process. 

From the perspective of being part of a global team, I have observed that we are aptly anticipating AI’s role in the company. This includes formulating policies and procedures to address the integration of AI in our products and services. Among other things, our aim is to anticipate and comply with relevant or upcoming AI regulations, especially those coming from the European Union. With this in mind, and although we are still at the relatively early stage of AI integration, I believe we are playing AI’s effects in the legal world appropriately.