Short biography

Andrea Megale is Head of Legal Italy at BBVA, leading a team of lawyers supporting the bank’s corporate and investment banking activities. His work sits at the intersection of multiple legal systems and business cultures, combining Italian law, English-law documentation and cross-border transactions across Europe and the Middle East. Alongside his responsibilities in Italy, he recently played a leading legal role in the establishment of BBVA’s Abu Dhabi Global Market branch.

What are the most significant cases, projects, or transactions that you and your legal team have recently been involved in?

The past year has been one of rapid growth for BBVA. The legal team grew with the business and supported a number of strategic initiatives.

A major focus was the establishment of BBVA’s new branch in Abu Dhabi. We supported the project from the set-up phase through to the first transactions originated by the branch. It required close coordination across different jurisdictions and regulatory frameworks.

In Italy, we coordinated the legal work for the launch of the bank’s real estate finance and certificates businesses.

How do you approach managing legal aspects during periods of instability or crisis to ensure the organisation’s resilience?

Every period of instability is different, but the legal team’s role remains the same: bring clarity when the business needs to move quickly.

That means identifying the issues that really matter, distinguishing legal risks from commercial choices and helping decision-makers focus on what is essential. In an international organisation, good coordination is just as important as good legal analysis.

What do you think is the greatest innovation you have enacted in the past year?

Artificial intelligence has become part of our everyday work, but I believe its greatest value lies in changing how lawyers spend their time rather than replacing legal analysis. We have increasingly incorporated AI into legal research, drafting and knowledge management. The real benefit is that it frees lawyers to focus on the areas where experience, judgement and human interaction make the greatest difference: negotiating, solving complex problems and advising the business on difficult decisions.

What do you think are the most important attributes for a modern in-house counsel to possess?

Technical excellence remains essential, but it is no longer enough on its own. Today’s in-house lawyers need judgement, adaptability and the confidence to engage with colleagues from very different professional backgrounds. Much of our work involves translating complexity into practical decisions that senior management can act upon.

Leadership also matters. I have learned that the quality of a legal team depends less on having all the answers yourself than on creating an environment where talented people are encouraged to think independently, challenge ideas respectfully and continue developing professionally.