Team size: Just over 100

To give an insight into the broad range of work undertaken, below are examples of some of the matters the UK element of Dyson Legal have recently been involved in. The entire team worked tirelessly throughout the Covid pandemic to support the business in managing this unprecedented global crisis, advising on rapidly evolving legislation and regulatory changes across all its regions and helping to ensure Dyson’s 14,000 workforce were kept safe and well.

The legal compliance and ethics team also provided critical support in response to the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. The team worked collaboratively with teams across Dyson to develop a strategy which ensured Dyson complied with a raft of complex national and international law and could close its operations in Russia in a managed way, while also making sure local Dyson staff were looked after.

What are some of the main technological advancements, legal or otherwise, that you are keeping track of?

When considering technological advances and their impact on the role of in-house legal teams, Dyson Legal has already empowered its lawyers to use a variety of technologies to improve the way they work. Through MS365 and the Power Platform, Dyson lawyers have been key drivers in creating tools to track and report information across the team, including contracts, litigation and product development. Dyson Legal has also launched a ‘Legal Service Portal’. This innovative platform acts as a “front door” to Dyson Legal for the internal Dyson user. The LSP allows users to self-serve where appropriate or submit a request for assistance.

What are the main skills that will be required for in-house lawyers going forward?

As we enter the next decade, the skills needed by in-house legal teams to succeed will be broader than just technical legal skills. In-house teams should also have the business knowledge to ensure they are included as key members of the team.

Development is one of the core values of Dyson Legal. Ensuring all team members develop within their role but also develop in readiness for the future is key and to that end Dyson Legal has developed a Skills Framework (backed up by tailored training curriculum), covering commercial and behavioural skills as well technical skills.