Team size: Two

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

In-house lawyers are not expected to sit at a desk, waiting to be asked questions anymore. We are not expected to be solely bridging the gap between the line of business and external lawyers. We are, in a lot of cases, at the driver’s seat, making decisions, implementing projects, and supporting the business to have the best outcome, in a compliant way.

For that, we need not only to have the right technical know-how, but also understand how to: communicate, be a team player, manage teams (not only the legal team, but the whole company, since they all will eventually work with you), and ultimately, how to be trusted.

Lastly, we need to stay updated. The world is evolving quickly, and so is regulation. Besides having the right technical and soft skills for your function, you need not to forget that, as the business evolves, you need to evolve faster, in order to be able to anticipate what will be needed tomorrow.

How have you fostered a closer collaboration between the legal department and your business counterparts?

It is never too much to say: trust is key; and for that, we need consistency and empathy. Consistency in the sense of people knowing what to expect from you (both from an expertise and behavioural perspective). Empathy in the sense of being able to step out of your function and take an interest in the other person. When we know who our stakeholders are, and how they react to our message, we might win them over by knowing how to adapt our message to that particular stakeholder.

Do you have a cause, business-related or otherwise, that you are passionate about?

I am passionate about innovation – innovation in the form of products and services our company provides; innovation in the form of legal support I provide to my organisation (be it new procedures, digital systems that make processes more efficient, or creative ways of driving awareness) and also innovation in the form of new ways of work and how to keep updated. Right now, I see a lot happening in the digital law area, which can be extremely exciting.