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

Under the leadership of the general counsel, the legal team has been an active business partner in establishing the legal framework for IP, driven partnerships and strategic alliances. I would point out the team´s work in the collaborations with H&T Presspart, Laxxon and Ripple, where the team had to dive deep into the scope and objectives of these partnerships to create new legal outlines that address the company´s strategy in the context of negotiating with third parties.

Why are in-house lawyers well-placed to drive change within their organisations?

In many organisations, the legal team has a comprehensive overview of the different business areas and is asked to provide input on the same or adjacent matters by various stakeholders. The ability to connect the dots is inherent to lawyers, and in-house counsel are in a privileged position to do just that.

As we live in a fast-paced world today, what skills will a corporate legal team need to succeed in the modern in-house industry?

One key skill is to be aware of what the in-house team brings and be able to outsource what is not core. Hovione´s general counsel has assembled a team of in-house counsel that are subject matter experts in the company’s core business; we are also mindful of the benefits of using external lawyers to complement our internal skills or focus on matters where there is clear added value.

How do you suggest in-house lawyers build strong relationships with business partners?

One key element is to create relationships based on trust, set clear deadlines and expectations for work products and make sure to meet them. Something I have also learned from others is not to be afraid to provide input as a business partner, noting it is essential to be very clear when doing so versus wearing your ‘legal hat’. Giving advice and making recommendations as a subject matter expert is not incompatible with sharing your business perspective on a particular course of action, as long as the business understands when we are doing the former or the latter.