Focus on the role of the in-house legal team today

The role of in-house legal teams has changed profoundly over the years, having been especially affected by the recent pandemic, the consequences of which can still be felt everywhere. Communicating, solving problems, taking risks and advising different entities of corporations is not the same as it was a few years ago and this has also meant positioning lawyers no longer as experts waiting for requirements by different areas, but as actors who must seek to participate in all aspects of their work environment.

In Chile today, legal managers must become facilitators of the company’s life, maintaining their responsibilities, but adapting them to a different form of relationship, of doing business guided by the ability to make co-workers understand that the lawyer’s mission is to solve their problems, and not provoke or bureaucratise them.

Chile’s legal teams can often err on the side of excessive protocols, actioning guidelines and distancing them from the reality of the company, but this is not acceptable in new business dynamics, considering the dizzying pace of innovations and globalisation. In this sense, the real estate world in which I work still suffers from bureaucracy and difficulties closely associated with the lack of certainty to be able to execute long-term projects and it is precisely the legal teams that must try to help through their work. It is very common for lawyers to be the ones who make processes slower, when in fact they must strive to be facilitators, direct lines to resolve doubts and accurately understand risks, either to advance along the correct paths or avoid dangerous routes for the company.

The professional life of legal teams that have been entrusted to be within the company cannot wait to be summoned, but must anticipate, propose and participate, assuming workloads that often cannot be outsourced. The confidence of company heads to know that they have lawyers integrated into their processes is vital to avoid risks, but above all it is crucial for professionals who can understand how to better help and generate value for the company, in areas not yet explored.

None of the above implies less preparation or thoroughness, since the work of the legal team must always be professional and expert, but we should not wait for the rest of the company to seek the wisdom of legal counsel, rather, reality forces us to seek to be part of their problems and especially of the solutions and the creation of value for it.