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

In a regional role, cross-country transactions are the most interesting and challenging project at the same time. If I have to mention only a couple, I will choose the Regional Insurance Distribution Agreement and digital business solutions and ecosystems to be implemented in the diversified regulatory landscape that is the Asia-Pacific Region.

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 have on many occasions taken the initiative to improve the intake workflow of the team, in some cases relying on applications and tools already in use in the company for other purposes. Sharepoint, outlook, or a simple Excel file can improve productivity, process improvement, and workload monitoring in low-budget situations. This also contributes to afford budget discussions with more concrete KPIs and to managing stakeholders’ expectations in overwhelming periods.

Waiting to get the best tool on the market should not restrict you from implementing simple solutions that can improve in-house lawyers’ daily jobs.

What technological advancements do you feel will impact the role of in-house legal teams in the future the most? Which have you found most useful in your legal team?

I believe that contract management tools are very important to afford future challenges for in-house lawyers. The problem I saw in the past is that these tools are considered beneficial only for lawyers and this leads to lack of endorsement and hence very limited budgets. In general, the management should be able to understand the added value coming from a solid contract management process, with a structured and smooth flow supported by a tool, and how beneficial this can be for the whole company. It also brings additional advantages like risk mitigation, monitoring of company abilities and, hence, cost containment.

As we enter the next decade, what skills will a corporate legal team need to succeed in the modern in-house industry?

It may appear obvious and is a common topic of discussion for every general counsel nowadays. However, understanding Artificial Intelligence’s impact, risks, and benefits will, more and more, be a skill that all lawyers should have. It is not a technology from the future; it is already here.