Team size: Seven

What has been the number one challenge that has impacted you over the past year?

One common misperception about in-house lawyers relates to the workload we are facing on a daily basis. I am sure all in-house lawyers reading this will nod their heads. Today’s in-house lawyers are required to cover a broad range of legal areas in a fast-changing regulatory environment and in a multitude of jurisdictions — notably under increased cost restrictions. Finding the resources to deliver on exceptional matters such as inflation, the energy crisis, and the war in Ukraine with the resulting sanctions regimes, was certainly one of the main challenges in 2022. In addition, the very ambitious sustainability goals of my employer and the establishment of a circular economy led to more M&A activities in the last year.

Could you share an example of a time when you came up with an innovation that improved how your legal team works and did not come at a large expense?

I believe that digitisation does not always need to be a top-down exercise. For example, our legal team developed a contracts management solution in cooperation with a software provider that is tailored to the very specific needs of our industry. This leads to better acceptance by our stakeholders, resulting in a more efficient implementation and eventually a legally safer contracts landscape. Besides, we streamlined our compliance programme by creating a webpage with all relevant information and reporting tools, which massively simplified our daily work.

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

I was once asked by a former coworker of mine — who left the legal profession to become a photographer — if I loved my job as much as he loved being a photographer. I answered that his question might be based on a wrong assumption. I see many young lawyers, or people in general, who idealise the purpose of their profession. You would often hear mantra like quotes suggesting that one only has to follow the passion and things would work out automatically. I believe that many people become frustrated because of such high expectations. You certainly have to have a certain passion for legal work to become successful, otherwise you will not be able to embrace the complexities of your daily work. But what you might need even more is finding your internal peace with a job that will sometimes give you a sleepless night.

Besides, investing in your team and in processes that make you and everyone around you more resilient is key in being an efficient and highly regarded business contributor, also in the long run.

Lastly, know your industry and develop a genuine curiosity for the business you are consulting for. Becoming a successful in-house lawyer requires more than writing contracts. You will be involved in strategic, business and even political decisions far beyond the legal work.