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?   

In periods of instability or crisis, my team’s role is not limited to risk mitigation. We think of ourselves as proactive architects of organisational resilience, and try to ensure that our legal strategies, guidance and risk assessment seamlessly mesh with the broader business goals.  

On the one hand, we do that by actively monitoring both internal operations and external risks, such as those related to new regulations affecting our products and services. On the other hand, when it comes to actual crisis management, we have established clear protocols, responsibilities and playbooks across different stakeholders within the organisation. We ensure regular training of the involved team and rigidly maintain up to date documentation on the processes and individual responsibilities.

Furthermore, to ensure close alignment with the business strategy, we are cautious not to develop our missions and goals in a vacuum. Rather, our objectives are deeply intertwined with the organisation’s overarching goals, and we take a lot of time considering how our legal day-to-day life best fits into defending, supporting and facilitating the company-wide targets.

Finally, we cherish clear communication, our team’s wellbeing, and the importance of disconnecting when necessary.  

What emerging technologies do you see as having the most significant impact on the legal profession in the near future, and how do you stay updated on these developments?  

Clearly, AI is primary. AI-powered tools excel at a wide range of tasks relevant to the legal field, for example, managing large volumes of data, such as contract review, due diligence, and legal research. ML tools can quickly and more reliably identify key clauses, patterns, and potential risks and free up legal professionals’ time to focus on higher-level analysis and strategic decision-making. At Google, we work at the forefront of these technical developments and strive hard to make these tools available for a broader audience, far beyond the legal field of course.   

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? 
 We have different programmes in place that foster diversity, inclusion and equity initiatives. First, we acknowledge that such initiatives matter and encourage employees to proactively seize opportunities, projects and initiatives in that area. We provide a broad range of internal training, organise talks with internal and external speakers and accordingly, set expectations employees need to live up to.   

Second, we embed DEI training and consciousness into our hiring processes. While we will never compromise on merits and capabilities, we work hard to afford the same chances and career trajectories to everyone, particularly paying attention to candidates that may not have had the same chances and privileges.