Team size: 18+

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

We are re-structuring the Service department to become the most innovative, modern, 24/7 legal service provider in Vienna and are now, together with other departments in the Service, setting up AI projects, voicebots, chatbots, and much more of which I am unfortunately not (yet) allowed to talk. The goal is that we are here for our members 24/7 and that my employees also develop their business and personal skills.

What strategies do you employ to ensure the successful digital transformation of a legal department while maintaining compliance with your country’s data protection laws?

It is important to use AI and digital means and train all employees well to be able to use those devices wisely, but also not forget the people working with those devices. Technical means can and should never replace humans, but are here to support and make the working life easier. We have KI cafes, in house trainings, try out and test diverse artificial intelligences like Harvey or Microsoft Copilot, Claude, Perplexity etc The main focus stays on my employees though, they are the main reason for success and the main issue to concentrate on.

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

During my time at the European Court of Justice I could take peaks behind the scenes which let me experience first hand how the European Union works, and I was proud to be able to be a part of that. I was present as the European Commission was sworn to, I could follow cases, and work on and translate diverse judicial documents. That was an extremely great experience.

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

The capability to think like a businessman. To assess risks and decide, which risks can be taken and which are red flags. To keep up with education and the newest developments in law. To be able to wisely use modern technical devices and AI, smart contracts. To like people and want the very best for your client. To provide solutions and not only see problems.