How do you approach managing legal aspects during periods of instability or crises, and how does your legal strategy align with the broader business strategy to ensure the organisation’s resilience?
I approach managing legal aspects during periods of instability through early and ongoing collaboration and communication with key stakeholders to fully understand all crucial issues, priorities and risk tolerance. This results in developing strategies that are aligned with core objectives and operational realities. It is important to set clear objectives, offer practical business specific solutions and remain agile enough to adapt solutions to changing circumstances.
This approach fosters resilience by aligning strategies for uncertain times with broader long-term business objectives, even under short-term pressures. It ensures that strategies remain in sync with broader business priorities, enabling the business to respond effectively to changing situations while maintaining focus on long-term goals.
What are the main cases or transactions you have been involved in recently?
In addition to advising on complex business restructures, I am actively involved in various initiatives focused on redesigning policies and practices to ensure they align with ongoing legal advances and influence and shape the development of law. I am focused leveraging technology and AI to streamline legal processes, enhance decision-making, and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of dispute management.
I’ve been actively involved in developing legal strategies for addressing workplace bullying, harassment, and gender-based violence by creating progressive policies and practices that promote reporting, ensure a safe environment for victims and witnesses (particularly in disciplinary processes), and reinforce the employer’s role in prevention and protection, including disciplining for infractions of this nature that occur both inside and outside the workplace.
More generally, I have been engaged in initiatives related to developing disciplinary processes and practices that are less legalistic while preserving the fairness mandated by law. The goal is to eliminate unnecessary complexities through a fair and legally compliant procedure.
How do you prioritise diversity and inclusion within your legal department, and what initiatives have you implemented to foster a more inclusive and equitable work environment?
I focus on creating an environment where team members frequently and openly share the work they are doing, the obstacles they encounter, and encourage actively seeking varied perspectives and approaches to issues. This approach nurtures innovation, learning and highlights the benefits of diversity. I also make sure to distribute work to team members in a manner that builds their skills across a wide range of issues. I believe it is crucial for the entire team to gain experience on and exposure to as many topics as possible as this promotes fresh perspectives on different issues.
How do you manage and motivate your legal team to ensure high performance and professional growth?
I encourage my team to take on and seek out complex projects that expose them to new areas of work and new challenges, that offer opportunities to influence and advance the law. It’s important that we don’t just follow traditional practices but instead aim to be innovative, discover new solutions, and explore ways to further develop the law. This approach enables team members to take on more responsibility while promoting innovation, growth, and confidence.
Creating an environment where team members can openly discuss uncertainties and collaborate effectively is crucial. Open discussions bring out diverse perspectives and lead to innovative solutions.
Constructive feedback is essential, ensuring that team members reach their full potential. By fostering a supportive and dynamic environment, we achieve high performance and professional growth.