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?

When dealing with periods of instability or crises, it is crucial to have clear lines of communication with everyone involved in the specific situation to ensure there is clarity on what is happening from day to day (or even hour to hour) so decision making can be informed, responsive and where necessary decisive. During these periods it is critical to allow space for decisions to be made in a considered manner. From a business strategy perspective, it is imperative that clear policies and plans around organisational resilience and business continuity are maintained and reviewed periodically by senior leaders.

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

Relationship building and striving for simplicity are two of the most important attributes a team needs to possess.

While relationship building is always crucial at a senior level so there is executive buy in to decisions and how risk is managed, it is absolutely crucial that the legal team has good relations across all levels of an organisation especially those implementing new arrangements and engaging with partners. Good relationships and an approachable team allow issues to be raised, and dealt with, at an early stage and also gives the legal team space to manage key risks.

In terms of simplicity, if legal risk is not understood by relevant individuals across the organisation it is being over complicated, which will have a knock-on impact on following legal processes and mitigating risks. In order to minimise this, plain English and simple templates should be utilised where practical to ensure the legal functions work is understood and also so that policies are followed.

What measures has your company taken to incorporate sustainability practices into its core business operations, and how can general counsel contribute to driving such initiatives within the organisation?

SuperNode is at its core, a company committed to a net zero future by the development and deployment of superconducting cable systems to drive Europe’s move towards electrification. We are committed to sustainability and one example of this is in our power consumption which can be a significant draw on the grid. To mitigate this, we have installed solar panels and also utilise battery storage where possible to power our ongoing testing.

From a legal perspective, general counsel have a unique position in a company which provides a macro view of the entire operation and allows lawyers to feed into various aspects of company policy and development which can include simple changes like suggesting policy changes to promote sustainability measures or being a voice during management meetings advocating for sustainable options.