About

What are the most important transactions and litigations that you have been involved in during the last two years?

As an individual representing a truly global company, I need to be able to answer to all our clients in an effective way. Lenovo implemented a new financial services offering which helps our customers to finance their solution in an easy and flexible way. This is a major implementation in the company, and I set up the legal framework and managed and coordinated the negotiation of the agreements with our external partners. Lenovo is a growing company and in order to enable the business in new countries I led several new-entities’ set-up projects in the region.

What will be the main focus for the company in the next 12 months and how do you intend to assist with this?

Lenovo is focused on continuing to be a leader in computing devices and an enabler of intelligent transformation, and Smart Internet of Things forms the essential texture for this connected world.  Smart IoT means that current devices will always be connected, allowing easy collaboration with other devices among other benefits.  As the majority of commercial devices are currently not yet “smart”, this is a huge opportunity for us. However, this raises new questions to explore especially in terms of data privacy or intellectual Property.  I play an essential role in supporting and guiding the business in this transformation and make sure that we remain compliant with the legislation.

How do you suggest in-house lawyers build strong relationships with business partners?

One of the most important job an in-house lawyer has is to build strong relationships with all internal functions in the company. To do this, an in-house lawyer should prove added value to the company, have a deep understanding of the business and be able to support the business to achieve their goals in a safe way. An in-house lawyer must also be able to translate complex legal matters into simple language that is easy to be understood by every function.  I would say that we are a kind of “translator” of complex legal ideas. Another aspect of building this relationship is of course to be a patient, practical advisor. An in-house lawyer should be able to frame things in a way that makes sense; we should be seen as a real business partner who helps to find a way through a problem, enabling the business to reach its objectives.

What “legal tech” products do you currently utilise, and do you foresee implementing more of these in the near future?

The integration of new technologies is crucial, especially as an in-house counsel working for a tech company. While the legal industry has a reputation for slowly adopting new technologies, Lenovo has embraced new Legal Tech solutions. We are, for instance, currently working on the implementation of a full contract management tool.

The implementation will happen in the next calendar year, but we already use one of the most reputable vendors in the market, Docusign, which gives our partners a flexible, fast and secure solution for signing new contract.

Have any new laws, regulations or judicial decisions greatly impacted your company’s business or your legal practice?

The protection of personal data was regulated by a single provision in the Turkish Constitution and a few provisions in the Turkish Penal Code until 2016. Unfortunately, none of those provisions were adequate in responding to the needs of increasingly complex technology and the amount of personal data processed and transferred each day. However, more recently a new law on the protection of personal data came into force in Turkey which aims to respond to the requirements of the continuously increasing volume of personal data that is collected and processed.

What do you feel are the most effective techniques for getting the most out of external counsel, in terms of how to instruct them?

The most important is to teach outside counsel about the company’s overall business objectives, strategy and risk tolerance so they can operate as effective members of our team. I am usually very precise and detailed whenever I request external advice, as clarity in the instructions will allow to receive a better answer. Our external counsel need to provide practical memos which will answer the business needs, as the answers must be pragmatic and not theoretical. Open and respectful discussion on outside counsel’s performance is a crucial element of managing outside counsel effectively to improve performance and future engagement.

Focus on: Intelligent Transformation in the Legal Industry

Intelligent transformation is the process of deriving better business and societal outcomes by leveraging smart devices, big data, artificial intelligence and cloud technologies.

The right computing technology makes an enormous difference across all departments especially for the legal department since it enhances both productivity and accuracy. In-house lawyers are expected to be strategic partners operating with the complexity of the modern business model. Budget constraints do make it hard to keep up to the changing technology, but smart solutions can help make legal departments maximise the resources available.

Understanding the problems to solve is more important than simply installing popular new technology just for the sake of it. The main reason for the acquisition of the new technology must be known so it can fully benefit the legal department and integrate the cost aspect so it effectively supports the organisation.

Setting expectations and asking other stakeholders to contribute to the implementation of the new technology is essential and will be relevant for all departments. Flexibility is important when assembling this part, as technology may solve problems in ways but it cannot fit in perfectly with the existing structures of the organisation. Milestones, responsibilities, budget, scope, data migration, training, and deliverables should all be a part of the project.

The legal industry is known to be traditional, slow and reluctant to adopt new technology, but if intelligent transformation happens within legal departments it can be a tremendous time saver and problem solver. This will allow us to focus on our core work at lower costs, which is why user acceptance is among the most critical tasks in the process of integration to ensure that the technology is presented and works in a way that people will use it. Communication plans will let people know what to expect and their feedback will be invaluable to tweak the tool throughout the implementation process so it becomes more user-friendly and attuned with the actual department workflow.

A successful technology implementation within legal departments will definitely help to optimise previously complex, time consuming processes and work. It will increase productivity and produce happier lawyers. While it cannot replace the one-on-one connection between in-house lawyers and business partners, it will change contract management, better manage risks and reduce compliance costs which is a key part of the remit of legal departments or general counsel.