Team size: 6

What are the most significant cases, projects, or transactions that you and your legal team have recently been involved in?

One of the most significant projects our legal team has been involved in over the past year has been the strategic integration of artificial intelligence into key legal processes.

We have successfully introduced AI-supported solutions across several core activities of the legal function, including legal research, drafting of legal documents, contract management, and contract analysis. This transformation has significantly accelerated our service delivery and improved overall efficiency.

In particular, the implementation of AI tools for contract storage and management has streamlined internal processes and considerably reduced the time required by colleagues outside the legal department for contract filing and retrieval. At the same time, we have introduced structured self-service solutions, enabling employees to independently analyze a defined set of standard contracts using AI-based tools. This has not only sped up internal workflows but also reduced repetitive requests to the legal department, allowing the team to focus on more complex and strategic matters.

In addition, the use of AI-enhanced legal databases has fundamentally improved the speed and quality of legal research, enabling faster access to relevant information and more efficient analysis.

How do you approach managing legal aspects during periods of instability or crisis to ensure the organisation’s resilience?

Managing legal aspects during periods of instability or crisis requires a highly pragmatic and business-oriented approach, combined with strong governance structures.

A key success factor is the ability to act quickly while maintaining legal certainty. In dynamic situations – such as rapidly changing regulatory environments or geopolitical developments – it is essential to assess risks in real time and translate them into clear, actionable guidance for the business.

At the same time, resilience depends on understanding the legal frameworks across different jurisdictions and being able to apply them effectively under time pressure. This includes ensuring that organisational and contractual measures can be implemented swiftly while remaining compliant with local legal requirements.

Another critical aspect is maintaining the role of the legal function as a business enabler. Even in crisis situations, the objective is not only to mitigate risks, but also to support the organisation in continuing operations and making informed decisions. This requires close alignment with management and a clear prioritization of the most relevant legal issues.

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

The role of in-house counsel has evolved significantly, requiring a broader skill set that goes far beyond legal expertise.

Today, the most important attributes include strategic thinking, business acumen, and the ability to communicate complex legal issues in a clear and pragmatic manner. That is definitely one of my team’s strengths, and we regularly receive praise for it.

Equally essential is a strong understanding of risk management and regulatory environments, particularly in a global context.

In addition, successful in-house lawyers must act as facilitators, enabling business initiatives while ensuring compliance and integrity. This requires collaboration, adaptability, and a solution-oriented mindset. In-house counsels are often seen as naysayers who point out problems but fail to offer solutions. And yet, even in this respect, we regularly receive praise.

Ultimately, the modern in-house counsel combines legal excellence with strategic leadership and a deep integration into the business.

What do you think is the greatest innovation you have enacted in the past year?

We have implemented structured self-service capabilities that enable employees to independently review and analyse a defined set of standard contracts (e.g. NDAs) using AI-based tools. These solutions are fully integrated into our global contract management platform, ensuring a seamless and user-friendly experience across the organisation.

Where external contracts meet predefined criteria, they can be directly uploaded into the system and processed using AI-driven data extraction, allowing key contract data to be captured and structured automatically. This significantly reduces manual effort in contract filing and enhances data quality and accessibility.

Overall, this approach has not only accelerated internal workflows but has also substantially reduced repetitive requests to the legal department, enabling the team to focus on more complex and strategic matters.