Team size: Seven

Looking forward, what technological advancements do you feel will impact the role of in-house legal teams in the future the most?

Artificial intelligence (AI) is having, and will continue to have, a positive impact on legal teams. It is providing terrific solutions for administrative and repetitive type tasks, and “self-help” for non-lawyers. This is increasing the quality and time efficiency of teams and is allowing lawyers to concentrate on more complex and creative work, which is making the life of lawyers far more interesting and fulfilling. It is also reducing cost. As a junior lawyer, l worked on countless due diligence and discovery projects, spending weeks pouring over rooms of documents, and the cost to clients was incredibly high. I remember thinking – there must be a better way for clients and for lawyers to do this! AI is already starting to provide efficient solutions to these types of projects, and the technology behind them is only going to improve. AI is also improving practice management, in helping legal teams manage workflows efficiently, prioritise work and provide quality advice with limited resources.

What is a cause, business related or otherwise, that you care about, and why?

I am very passionate about mentoring and encouraging women to stay in law – and to progress into senior positions. We have recruited incredible female lawyers from top tier law firms, where they were not given the flexibility to be the working parents they wanted to be. Providing these lawyers with a little bit of flexibility allows then to both see their children, and work in their own time, which tends to make then happier and more productive.

What would you say are the unique qualities required to be successful as an in-house lawyer in your industry?

Because the regulation of virtual assets is in an infant stage, the ability to think creatively to solve problems is key. The other key quality is the ability to work collaboratively. Because of the nature of the industry and it being so new, problem solving often occurs not only interdepartmentally, but with a variety of third parties as well. Also, there is constant change – what worked yesterday might not work today – so the ability to be able to deal with that, and to be agile, is essential. It makes it a very interesting environment for entrepreneurial lawyers.

What can law firms do to improve their service to the legal department?

Not charge by the minute! Everyone deserves to be paid for work they undertake – but law firms often prioritise the money that they are going to make over the case itself. I often find that when we receive invoices, that I am disappointed with the cost incurred with law firms versus the value gained by business. So, a review of the billing framework needs to be considered.