Team size: 7

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?

Strict legitimate interest assessment and analysis whether there is not an alternative which requires less data processing. Sensibilisation and training of employees when using digital tools and simple measures such as creating accounts without the names of the employees, etc. Keeping our information and transparency obligations. Where possible, obliging the tools to keep “zero retention policy” and conclude DPAs.

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

The most important attribute is a hands-on approach and availability. While the business is asking challenging legal questions, they appreciate it if they receive hands-on feedback, even if it is a work-in-progress. Being an in-house (compliance) counsel is a job that requires far more than dealing with management. It is based on knowing the company and employees at all levels and functions, in order to establish direct contact with the right people to ask questions, place topics and be approachable in general. This is particularly important in challenging and difficult times which our businesses are experiencing. Compliance culture shows its strength in particular in difficult times.

Based on your experiences in the past year, are there any trends in the legal or business world that you are keeping an eye on, of which you think other in-house lawyers should be mindful?

The main topic by far is AI. Our legal and compliance department has completed the test phase for a legal AI tool and is considering the strategy for continued use, including the challenges of the right “prompting” and testing the results. The possibility to summarise presentations, case law and email chains, analyze data and translate conversations is a big help in a fast-moving global company operating across many business units and countries. We have our own tkGPT which uses tk-specific content. Further, the use of AI is not a topic only within the legal department but also within our businesses, such as for lessons-learned projects, etc. thyssenkrupp has published Guidelines for introduction of AI systems. The guidelines are based on a transparent target determination for introduction of AI tools, open communication regarding use of AI, personal responsibility, discrimination-free use of AI (and its results) and prohibition of final automatic AI decisions. These rules lead to an increased amount of test and experimentation phases for AI products.