Team size: Nine

How do you approach managing legal aspects during periods of instability or crises, and how does your legal strategy align with the broader business strategy to ensure organisational resilience?

Managing legal issues always requires careful judgement, whether the organisation is operating in a period of stability or facing a crisis. Much of an in-house lawyer’s role involves solving complex problems, managing disputes, and protecting the organisation from legal claims by customers, suppliers, or other third parties. A crisis may increase the urgency and complexity of these challenges, but the need for sound legal judgement and practical decision-making remains constant.

In a crisis, my role is to provide calm, practical leadership and help the business make informed decisions in a fast-changing environment. I start by identifying the most important legal and regulatory risks, assessing their impact, and working closely with senior management to agree on the best way forward.

My focus is on protecting the organisation’s legal position, reputation, and commercial interests while ensuring the business can continue to operate effectively. I aim to find practical solutions that manage legal risk without creating unnecessary barriers to achieving business objectives.

I believe the legal function should be a trusted business partner, not just an adviser on legal issues. By working closely with colleagues across the organisation, I ensure that legal advice supports the wider business strategy, whether the priority is maintaining operations, managing financial pressures, meeting regulatory and/or contractual obligations, or responding to stakeholder concerns.

Ultimately, my objective is to help the organisation navigate uncertainty with confidence, make sound decisions under pressure, and emerge from the crisis stronger and more resilient.

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

I believe the most overlooked mindset is having a true ownership mentality.

For me, this means that an in-house lawyer does more than answer legal questions. They take responsibility for understanding the issue from every angle by asking the right questions, understanding the commercial context, and identifying the practical outcome the business is trying to achieve.

An in-house lawyer should not simply provide legal advice and move on. They should stay engaged, follow up with the internal client, and help ensure that the matter is implemented and brought to a successful conclusion. This means anticipating potential issues, coordinating with the relevant stakeholders, and remaining accountable until the issue is fully resolved.

At the highest level, successful in-house lawyers are trusted business partners. They take ownership of the outcome, not just the legal analysis, and are committed to helping the organisation achieve its objectives while managing legal risk.