Team size: Five to Ten

How do you ensure the legal function supports business resilience during periods of uncertainty or disruption?

In periods of uncertainty, the first discipline is to focus on what we can control. We cannot choose the shock, but we can choose how we prepare for it and respond: clear priorities, reliable information and decisions taken in the right forum.
In these circumstances, the legal team can concentrate on the quality of its advice, the rigour of its processes, the compliance of every decision and the consistency of what is communicated. By focusing on these areas and taking part in strategic discussions from the outset, the legal function helps set a clear direction and maintain it, even under pressure.
That discipline rests on strong governance principles. When circumstances change by the day, a clear framework — who decides, on what information and with which safeguards — protects both the company and its decision-makers, and prevents the company’s direction from being driven by emotion.
Finally, a crisis calls for greater proximity to the business, not less. Operational teams are affected first. The legal function must stand alongside them, understand what they face and offer pragmatic solutions rather than raise objections too late.
When events spiral, the organisation naturally turns to the legal function. It must be a source of calm that the rest of the organisation knows it can rely on: well organised, available and consistent in its advice.

How do you see AI and automation reshaping the legal profession, and how are you leveraging technology in your own legal team?

AI will absorb high-volume, repeatable work such as first-level contract review, routine queries and compliance monitoring. It is already proving its value in analysing large volumes of documents, for example in compliance investigations and litigation. Lawyers will spend more time on judgement, negotiation and strategic advice. For the profession, and especially for in-house teams in smaller companies, where resources are limited, this is an existential question: an in-house lawyer who does not master this technology will be left behind.
At Claranova, we made a deliberate choice: we expect every employee, and therefore every lawyer, to develop practical proficiency in AI. My team’s daily mission includes using AI models to build tools that strengthen our legal operations function.

What is the most overlooked skill or mindset that today’s in-house lawyers need to succeed at the highest level?

Courage, supported by the ability to translate. An in-house lawyer must first understand how the business creates value and speak its language. Then comes the courage of one’s convictions: giving a clear recommendation rather than a list of risks, and being willing to take a position. When the leadership team weighs several strategic options, the legal function must define the range of what is possible and keep the best interests of the company at the centre of the discussion. Delivered with clarity and empathy, such candour earns influence and, with it, the right to be heard when it matters most.