Team size: Seven

What impact did the pandemic have on the pharmaceutical and medical technology industries and your company in Ireland?

Optum has had a very active two years. The pandemic has accelerated many innovations and market changes that would otherwise have taken longer to develop. It accelerated the development of new products which required significant legal support. This combined with Brexit and a change in the EU medical devices landscape was challenging to navigate.

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

Given the EU’s plan on digital transformation and IP protection, technology and AI will be at the forefront of the support we provide. The repercussions of Brexit will only become apparent over the next few years, and this will also have an impact on the legal role of an in-house lawyer.

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

Our legal team not only supports Optum’s business in the UK and Ireland but also in charge of Optum’s International Employee Assistance Program (EAP) which spans from Brazil to Australia. The roll out of virtual counselling system for our EAP customers on a global scale stands out as well keeping up with the significant increase in demand of EAP counselling across the globe. In addition, Optum UK successfully brought to market its first medical device, which required significant legal support as well as change in quality management systems. Supporting the NHS throughout the pandemic was and still is critical to our UK business which adapted to suit the most pressing needs and with it its legal support. One of the key considerations our team worked on was adequate protection of intellectual property rights of changing products, while navigating the needs of the NHS.

As we enter the next decade, what skills will a corporate legal team need to succeed in the modern in-house industry?

The ability to use technology in the provision of legal services will be key, whether this is through self-populating contracts or clever contract review technology. A focus on legal operation and with it increased efficiency in terms of legal support will be necessary as well as the ability to be commercially aware and be as business oriented as possible will be critical.