Could you tell us a bit about your significant successes in your role?

Since I joined Grupo Visabeira in 2000, I have had the privilege to assist and support (legally) the group in its business expansion and internationalisation strategy.

Across all these 23 years of experience, I had the opportunity to provide a wide range of support to the legal department of my organisation, including: legal expertise and advice on complex legal issues, helping the legal function to navigate legal complexities and risks; process improvement and optimisation by helping the legal department to optimise and streamline its processes, making it more efficient and effective; compliance and regulatory support by ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements and identify and mitigate legal risks; project management through the assistance with the planning, execution, and management of legal projects, ensuring that they are delivered on time and within budget (especially when they involve the assistance from external lawyers); helping legal department to manage change, including organisational and process changes, ensuring that they are effectively implemented and communicated to relevant stakeholders (these changes became critical for the role legal department currently assumes within the organisation: not acting anymore as a “silo” but regarded and treated as business partners); providing training and development opportunities to the legal function, helping to upskill legal staff and increase their knowledge and expertise.

In your opinion, what are the qualities and skills needed to form a strong legal team?

In my view, a strong legal team requires a combination of technical expertise, communication skills, collaboration, attention to detail, problem-solving abilities, time management, and emotional intelligence.

Expertise: Each team member should possess a high level of expertise in their respective legal fields. This ensures that the team is well-equipped to handle any legal challenge that may arise.

Communication: A strong legal team requires excellent communication skills. Team members should be able to communicate effectively with each other and with other internal departments, to ensure that everyone is on the same page.

Collaboration: Team members should be willing and able to work collaboratively towards a common goal. This includes being open to sharing ideas and perspectives, and being willing to compromise when necessary.

Attention to detail: Legal work requires a high level of attention to detail. Team members should be meticulous in their work and able to spot potential issues before they become problems.

Problem-solving: Legal work often involves complex problems that require creative solutions. A strong legal team should be able to approach these challenges with a problem-solving mindset.

Time management: Deadlines are a fact of life in the legal profession. Team members should be able to manage their time effectively to ensure that work is completed on time and to a high standard.

Emotional intelligence: Legal work can be stressful and emotional. Team members should have a high level of emotional intelligence to navigate difficult situations and interactions with different stakeholders across the organisation (as it was the pandemic situation and currently the conflict between Russia and Ukraine).

What is the biggest risk to your organisation and how are you contributing to prepare your organisation for this?

Considering the current complex and ever-changing legal and regulatory landscape, I believe that one of the biggest risks to organisations is legal liability (civil and criminal) and reputacional damage probably resulting from such.

This can arise from a variety of sources, such as lawsuits from customers or employees, government investigations or enforcement actions, or breaches of data privacy regulations.

Senior legal consultants can play a crucial role in helping organisations prepare for and mitigate these risks.

Firstly, we can help organisations to identify areas of legal risk. We can review contracts, policies, and procedures, and provide guidance on compliance with relevant laws and regulations. We can also help organisations develop and implement effective risk management strategies, including insurance coverage, crisis management plans, and dispute resolution protocols.

Senior legal consultants also play a relevant role in helping organisations to stay up to date with changes in the legal landscape. This includes monitoring regulatory developments and advising on changes to laws and regulations that may affect the organisation. We can also provide training to employees on legal compliance and best practices, such as data security and privacy.