How do you feel the pandemic has changed the world of work for in-house counsel and the function of the general counsel?

The main change arose from the introduction of a remote working system. We started to work at liberty by working from home or any other location, not limited to the office premises. My role as a manager also has been changed while supervising my team virtually. Whilst introducing new approach and tools to communicate with clients in virtual settings using Zoom or Microsoft Teams, I often found it much more difficult to explain a document or situation under the remote work environment than the traditional office setting.

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

The Fiera Milano legal team has been involved in a range of fascinating and complex cases and transactions. We handled a merger of incorporating a 100 percent subsidiary in Fiera Milano. With an international organiser, our team was also involved in joint venture agreement for a new event in Singapore starting from 2022. Whilst drafting the shareholder agreement with our 51 percent partner in a JV company, we renegotiated almost all our third-party exhibitions organisers agreements. In addition, we worked on the agreement for a start-up project exhibition in 2022 in the eco-mobility sector.

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

In-house lawyers need to make more time to listen to their partners’ concerns while moving out of the box to find more effective solutions.