What would you say the most significant cases and or transactions that your legal team has been recently been involved in?

The most significant transactions relate to coming out of Covid. It shows the resilience of the team which translates well into managing the whole business. We are an assets leasing company and contracts are a fundamental part of our business. Most of those contracts were not really catered for a situation presented by Covid. Therefore, the way we have been handling the customer relationship and the contracts in place, alongside the Covid crisis, has been most exciting, but also most valuable for the company.

We have shown quite an extreme resiliency working for the aviation business. For example, the aviation business was continuing to perform well, but the rest was probably at around 10% of normal capacity rates. We are still able to find solutions for its customers and it still collect the correct rental fee. It is this batch of commercial transactions that I would highlight as having been instrumental in the last few years.

How would you feel that the pandemic has changed the work of in-house counsel and the function of general counsel?

I am not sure the pandemic has changed the function, but it has certainly made the function more visible. Covid has raised new compliance issues. For instance, we have faced situations where we had customers on the verge of bankruptcy and other stressful situations. The commercial relationships have been put to the test during that crisis. Therefore, coming out of this, defending the interests of the companies that you work for in the best possible way is important.

What do you feel are the pros and cons of an in-house legal role compared to a private practice one?

It is far more positive. Again, I am referring to Covid where the decision-making cycle is much shorter than it usually is. Having to rely on outside counsel is not the way to go because outside counsel will never have the time and the possibility to understand the company. You need a good holistic view of the company you work for. That means you need to have an intimate relationship with your manager and the rest of the team. It is also a very personal thing and working in-house you benefit from those sorts of relationships.