Team size: 6 (3 in Norway)

Key projects:

Contributions to major M&A projects, including a strategic review of the company, possibly resulting in the divestment of one of Elkem ASA’s three divisions.

In cooperation with Compliance, developing and maintaining state-of-the-art programs for sanctions and antitrust compliance.

Increasing efficiency by developing internal AI tools for reviewing third party NDAs, sales terms, purchasing terms and Codes of Conduct.

Have you had any experiences during your career as a lawyer that stand out as particularly unique or interesting?

I have taken a special interest in how to best define the scope of Legal departments, and I have in my career had the pleasure of working in two different companies where the Legal department has been expected to play very different roles.

The first company had very high-quality, rule-driven processes to avoid any mistakes from happening, whereas the other focused more on empowerment of employees and efficiency.

I am not saying that one approach is better than the other, however. I believe it is essential for companies to work on striking the right balance between processes and efficiency, based on the company risk profile and business environment, when deciding on an optimal size and scope for a Legal department. There is, unfortunately, no one size fits all!

What do you think are the most important attributes for a modern in-house counsel to possess?

In addition to understanding the business and providing precise and clear advice, modern in-house counsel must now, more than ever, be able to quickly adapt to change.

Currently the world around us changes constantly, with ever evolving regulatory requirements impacting companies and our operations. Furthermore, new technologies and AI fundamentally changes our ways of working. Not least, new generations entering the workforce bring new perspectives and set new expectations towards the companies they work for, challenging existing norms.

In-house legal teams play a pivotal role in supporting the business in adapting to such change, not least by providing insight into and advice to management on how to address the risks and opportunities such change entails.