Could you share an example of a time when you came up with an innovation that improved how your legal team works and did not come at a large expense?  

As a general counsel for a diversified services company like Quess Group, one of the major challenges I faced was managing the contracts and agreements that our legal team had to review and draft for various business units. The process was manual, time-consuming, and prone to errors. I decided to look for a solution that could automate and streamline the contract lifecycle management through cloud-based platforms that offer contract management software as a service. This tool can be customisable to suit our organisation requirements, and also has the AI capability and natural language processing to analyse, generate, and store contracts. It also provides features such as templates, workflows, approvals, reminders, e-signatures, and analytics. Over and above, it also provides a customised inbuilt deviation approval process with meta data extract for the contractual clauses. We also gained more visibility and control over the contract performance and compliance with monthly dashboard including management reporting, based on access level. 

The platform also enabled us to collaborate and communicate better with our internal clients and external parties. We could also track the status and progress of each contract and communicate with the stakeholders in real time. The platform also integrated with our existing systems in a phased manner. Technology and tools can be very helpful for general counsel to manage their function and day-to-day activities more efficiently and effectively. We also introduced other technology and tools for litigation management, notice management, real time management dashboard for contracts, and litigation and compliance. 

This innovation was a game-changer for my legal team. It improved our efficiency, productivity, and satisfaction. It also enhanced our reputation and value as a strategic partner for the business. 

What are the most significant cases or transactions that your legal team has recently been involved in? 

As a general counsel, I have been involved in many significant cases and transactions during my career. 

Managing litigations effectively is a key skill for in-house counsel. Litigations can be complex, costly, and time-consuming, and they can have a significant impact on the reputation and performance of the organisation. Therefore, in-house counsel need to have a clear strategy and plan to handle litigations in the best possible way – working out the legal strategy for complex commercial transactions, amicably resolving commercial disputes and extensive experience in managing litigations including IPR issues, debarring or blacklisting orders, quashing of FIRs and labour and employment law matters.  Our dedicated litigation team is so conscious and confident in tracking, drafting, managing all the litigations, and constantly going beyond their role to identify right opportunities for settlement amicably or successful closure to minimise organisation’s risk and protect interest. We also introduced cloud-based software to track the court records and alert the internal system and external legal counsels to manage our litigations effectively. 

A strong business enterprise has an extreme focus on compliance, risk assessment and governance. I have been fortunate to develop one for Quess and its group companies. A general counsel must mitigate business risks; I am very passionate about being a problem solver. The major role we play is not only handling litigation, but we also do a lot of preventive lawyering to ensure that a highly effective lean machine is operated across the company to prevent disputes from arising in the first instance. 

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

Being an in-house lawyer or a general counsel can be a rewarding and challenging career path. Being a budding legal professional can be both exciting and challenging. You have the opportunity to learn, grow, and make a difference in the world through your work. You get to work closely with the business and provide strategic and practical legal advice. You also have to deal with a variety of legal issues and stakeholders and balance the risks and opportunities for your organisation. However, you also face many obstacles and uncertainties in your career path. 

There is no one formula for success in the legal profession, but there are some tips that can inspire and guide you along the way. Some of these are: (i) choose your specialisation, as law is a vast and diverse field; (ii) learn the business acumen and be proactive in understanding the problems and suggest the desired outcomes while minimising legal risks; (iii) keep learning and developing the knowledge as the law, technology and business models are constantly changing and evolving, especially in the digital era; (iv) network and build relationships with your peers, colleagues, clients, and other professionals and communicate effectively; (v) as a young budding legal professional, you should uphold the highest standards of ethics and professionalism in your work. You should respect the law, the rules of conduct, the code of ethics, and the values of your profession and manage conflict of interest.