About

What are the most important transactions and litigation that you have been involved in during the last two years?

Due diligence, project funding, debt restructuring for the development and construction of several high rise properties, M&A and the purchase of a joint venture interest including recapitalisation of an existing asset, the successful purchase and renewal of management and letting rights in eight properties, and establishing international partnership agreements. Not to mention the innumerable day-to-day transactions that lend to the eclectic and varied role of an in-house lawyer.

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

This is not a new concept but I truly believe your network is your net worth. People often misunderstand the philosophy of building a network and mistake social/business networking as a tool for self-gain rather than a tool for generosity, collaboration and connectivity. This is explored by many authors and thought-leaders, Keith Ferrazzi comes to mind immediately with his quote ‘the currency of real networking is not greed but generosity’. I build my network by offering my time and expertise, and personal and professional support wherever possible, as many others in my network have done for me.

Build trust – there is a great deal of rhetoric being invested in addressing the trust deficit in organisations. I feel there is a real need to return to basic principles of fostering mutually beneficial relationships, and showing transparency in dealings with business partners (through actions, not words). This may be achieved through a referral agreement, an integrated audit, or simply exposing vulnerability in your position, taking the time to understand what is important to your business partner and leveraging that knowledge to secure a gain for them.

Communicate effectively – it is absolutely vital to eloquently communicate one’s goals for the partnership, priorities, expectations and risk, and value at the outset. Without mutual understanding of the benefits and gains in the partnership, the venture will progressively unravel with potentially significant repercussions to the business and its supply chains. It only takes one bad deal to unravel a lifetime of goodwill.

What “legal tech” products do you currently utilise, and do you foresee implementing more of these in the near future?

It is difficult for in-house counsel teams to have the budget to implement tech solutions that do not integrate or benefit the company as a whole. In our team, we currently work with SharePoint which is a web-based document management and storage system that integrates with Microsoft Office.

We have flogged MS Suite and Adobe Suite like the proverbial dead horse, and have pushed its basic functionalities to achieve great feats of matter management and financial reporting.

Presently we are in the process of rolling out FileBound across the business, which is an end-to-end cloud-based document management and workflow automation software.

Have any new laws, regulations or judicial decisions greatly impacted your company’s business or your legal practice?

Anti-bribery and corruption laws and anti-slavery are currently the legislation du jour. Particularly with our parent company being US-based and a significant portion of our business resting with offshore entities. The new Australian whistleblower reforms and ever-evolving cybersecurity climate have also shaped our business practices.

What do you feel are the most effective techniques for getting the most out of external counsel, in terms of how to instruct them?

Providing external counsel with an understanding of how the business operates, particularly the area for which the advice is sought. Agree to a fee structure, invoicing and any budgetary constraints at the beginning and formalise it in the costs agreement. Lastly, ongoing feedback throughout the matter, and a debrief at the conclusion of the matter.

What do you feel is the best way to get more women into in-house legal leadership positions?

Encouragement and support from female as well as male peers would be a strong vehicle to propel women into legal leadership positions. While many companies have made significant progress in appointing females to leadership positions, females are still a minority at board and executive level. It is difficult for females to overcome imposter syndrome, assert their contributions and value to their superiors, and have the confidence or courage to take on a male counterpart for top positions. Support from male superiors would go a long way to empowering women to challenge their own self-perceptions and apply for higher roles and salaries.