Team size: 15

What are the most significant cases or transactions that you have recently been involved in?

At National Vision, we help people by making quality eye care and eyewear more affordable and accessible. The legal team keeps our mission in focus as we have navigated the ongoing dynamic environment.

Over the past year, we have focused on supporting National Vision’s strategic and core growth initiatives, which include the rollout of remote medicine to up to 300 stores by year end, and our new store opening efforts for our two growth brands, America’s Best Contacts & Eyeglasses and Eyeglass World. We also remain focused on advising the business regarding Covid-19, applicable federal and state regulatory developments, our risk management and compliance programs, progressing our ESG efforts, and incorporating technology to enhance Legal team processes.

Looking forward, what technological advancements do you feel will impact the role of in-house legal teams in the future the most? Which have you found most useful in your legal team?

I believe technology has an important role to play in providing solutions-oriented legal and compliance services that mitigation risks and enable operational efficiencies. Most recently we have been working on enhancing our contract management technology and tools that help our teams collaborate.

How do you suggest in-house lawyers build strong relationships with business partners?

Strong relationships are critical to a high-functioning legal team. At legal team meetings and in one-on-one meeting, we regularly talk about how best to collaborate and be proactive in supporting the business. One way to develop a deeper understanding of the business is attending appropriate business meetings and establishing regular touchpoints with your business partners. This helps with both risk identification and the ability to collaborate and proactively develop solutions. Another relationship-building tool is to solicit feedback from business partners. And finally, look for shared interested and opportunities to connect with your business partners on a personal level.