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How do you suggest in-house lawyers build strong relationships with business partners?

In-house lawyers must understand the concerns and needs of internal clients and business people and address them accordingly. In doing so, they must not forget or neglect legal concerns. While internal clients wish to get approvals and clearances and have strong interests to neglect legal requirements, in-house lawyers are required to keep legal concerns in mind and to explain and address them in easy and understandable terms.

What “legal tech” products do you currently utilise, and do you foresee implementing more of these in the near future?

We currently use SimpleLegal, PKULAW and Practical Law.

When selecting a law firm, what criteria do you evaluate the potential firms by?

When selecting a law firm, we search for relevant experience and expertise in the matter. Price is of course an important matter, but we trust that expertise and experience are able to keep prices in a reasonable and acceptable range. Last but not the least, chemistry with the lawyer in charge is another important factor.

What would you say are the unique qualities required to be successful as an in-house lawyer in your industry?

A successful in-house lawyer in our industry has to have a technical understanding of construction law, architectural law and regulations, as well as matters related to land, real estate and public bidding. Technical knowledge is however not enough. A successful in-house counsel must be able to simplify complicated legal matters for creative clients, and this is a completely different sensibility. In doing so, intuition, tolerance, understanding and intelligence are very important.

In what ways do you see the in-house legal
role evolving in your region over the next few years?

In order to serve internal clients, it is important that important decisions can be made and accompanied locally. Ideally, the responsibilities and competency of the legal function should be identical with that of the local management. Otherwise, local management cannot be serviced well, decisions are delayed and legal spending increases. It is also important to identify areas of risks which are common and intrinsic to the core business of the company, study and analyse its effects and possible impact on the company, anticipate possible reactions of the company in future business situations and translate the results of such study/anticipation into internal policies and procedures.

What are the most important considerations you have when recruiting new team members?

Based on strong credentials, work experience, and references, legal recruitment should take the following issues into consideration: Intercultural fit: Considering the amount of time we spend at work, one may want to make sure that we hire people we would like to spend time with when discussing general issues of life and culture which do not directly relate to work. Intersubjective plausibility and the ability to imagine the motivations and thoughts of colleagues from other cultures and jurisdictions is, in this respect, of paramount importance. Such international awareness allows different points of views and can help lead the best course of action in an international business environment. Curiosity: Curious people are usually more adaptable and often can gain better appreciation for the business. They are also willing to explore cultural differences and overcome deadlocks in communication by their strong drive to deliver results and overcome obstacles.

If you had to give advice to an aspiring in-house lawyer or general counsel what would it be and why?

Collaborative work with outside counsel: Instead of reducing legal spending by all means, it would appear important for general counsel to find outside counsel that they trust, get them to know the company, and build the relationship by giving the outside counsel repeated business. External counsel have a distinctive role to play in protecting and advancing a company’s legal interests. Sticking to the art of law: Being the leader of a business function, general counsel have to manage their department, oversee outside counsel and control their relevant budgets; they furthermore have to engage in HR and career development and many administrative actions. This can take a toll. In order to avoid burn out, standstill and a feeling of being lost, it would appear important to continue practicing law at some level. Business decisions are enhanced when there is an akin lawyer at the table. And it is important for any artist who enters into administration or management to continue performing his or her art. At the end of the day, this is what keeps us alive and makes us confident. Develop strong relationships with C-level executives: Engaging the highest function of the management is important to anticipate trends and establish legal as a business partner of the entire firm. If physical proximity cannot be achieved, general counsel should try to schedule regular meetings or calls. Calendaring in the corporate world can be a challenge, but close connection with one’s main audience is important. No artist should ever get out of touch with his/her audience.

FOCUS ON… From my perspective, the in-house profession is in a constant relation and/or tension between the antipodes of excellence and service. In order to simplify matters and make them amenable to internal clients, it is important to establish procedures and guidelines which provide outsiders with the correct application of law to specific business situations without prior knowledge or deeper legal thought. At the same time, it is important to handle these rules flexibly and to train business partners in the application of the said procedures and the legal thinking behind them. Otherwise, bureaucracy and red tape may prevail and kill business and initiatives. In cases of extraordinary assignments (such as corporate transactions), it is important to compose the right teams of external lawyers, internal specialists and decision makers or leadership to ensure efficiency. In doing all of those, it is important to keep fit and not lose touch with legal developments.