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

Downtown Real Estate, together with our equity partner Straco, acquired the shares of a company detaining the long-lease rights on the building TdO 87, a property located on the Avenue Toison d’Or 87 in Brussels, which houses the Belgian Buildings Agency headquarters. Legal and corporate structuring of the transaction was a key driver and headed by Legal, together with outside counsel. We are preparing a thorough renovation aimed at improving the comfort for the tenant and the sustainability of the building.

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

Being cross-functional: building fluency in finance, development, HR, operations and strategy. Being proactive: preventing legal risks by building frameworks and processes that keep the business safe and fast.

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 impact of AI, especially in the due diligence process and when drafting standardised contractual documents.