What are the key projects that you have been involved in over the past 12 months? 

Over the last 12 months, I have been involved in some major internal projects. Part of my strategic development has been firming up relationships with stakeholders through tighter governance and collaboration, whether that has been in bespoke face-to-face training or implementing new policies. Another aspect has been the improvement of my contract management application to enable new features and legal starting to look at implementing its own AI triage agent.

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

I believe that some of the most important attributes for a modern day in-house lawyer to possess are actual business acumen, a can-do attitude and immense flexibility. In order to be a business partner, you cannot stay in a box – especially in a smaller legal team. You have to be hands-on and willing to learn to swim very quickly. Additionally, you will not be an expert at anything and that has to be accepted early on. Business acumen is key because you actually need an interest in the business. Understand the finances and business strategy. You need to be able to drive and assist with business strategy (so speak the language) whilst maintaining ethical rigour. The role is a chameleon role. Finally, flexibility. In-house means your clients can come and tap you on the shoulder. One minute you may be deep in a contractual review and the next second you are looking at an IP matter. So the ability to flex the mind and not be static.

How do you prioritise diversity and inclusion within your legal department, and what initiatives have you implemented to foster a more inclusive work environment?

DE&I is imperative to the survival, growth and development of any team. This means all manner of diversity not just the DE&I that you can see but diversity of thought. It is in the differences that we find the magic. I try to actively recruit people who are not like me so that there is no group think. I foster psychological safety in my team and encourage them to challenge me at the same time, always knowing I have their backs. This active step of not recruiting mini me’s means I get the richness of all manner of thinkers. At the same time, I actively encourage the seen DE&I and have a visibly diverse team. I try and develop this outside of work too by giving careers talks to schools to open the minds and eyes of the younger generations to the breath of careers in construction.

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

My most stand out moments in my career can be counted on my fingers. Save the creation of the app and driving contract strategy in my current role. The support and confidence given to me as a young in-house lawyer by my first GC created the path that has led me to be the person and lawyer that I am today. He taught me that you did not need to stay within the box and to look at the individual not the role.