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

When choosing this or that life route, I always focus on positive collaboration with people, regardless of age, status, gender. I am convinced that every individual brings the greatest value, and that everyone should be happy. That is why I highly support people in their own persistent paths to happiness; I value when someone strives to develop, when they have an internal impulse. I find it rewarding to support people who have a goal and look for ways to realise it, who are talented and creative. This is how I encourage young creative people who take the first steps in art – write their own poetry, paint pictures, create cloth collections, master new paths in medicine, or are just looking to find themselves. These young people inspire me with the energy of positivity and optimism, especially when we rejoice together at a joint successful start, exhibitions or a new medical skill.

Another area that is largely determined by my professional activity is standing by women in need of legal support and providing assistance from the outside. I care about each individual matter of each such women, I try to experience it myself to better understand their needs, and the best way to help them. This is primarily through legal counselling, psychological support built on empathy, looking for new goals and achievements. It is wonderful when after several such steps (although they often do not happen without despair, crying, depression) a woman changes completely – externally, emotionally, socially. So, the mechanism of mutual understanding and support works. And the main result is increased self-belief. I know many successful women who have gone through this difficult path, who became my friends and worthy life examples.

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

The character and professional qualities of any lawyer are something that must be formed, developed, and improved every day; your inner psychological comfort and, in general, professional success of the entire company depend on it. Without a doubt, a high professional level and constant self-development of a lawyer are obvious qualities. But for me, a wise balance of professional potential with such traits as emotional intelligence, such as the ability to feel and understand another person – be it a colleague, a client, or a business partner of a company, is extremely important.

Sometimes, I like to compare an ideal psychological type of a modern lawyer with the physiology of a fish. Do you know why? Because the fish has a unique receptor, the so-called lateral line — linea lateralis — which determines behaviour of the fish, helps it to coexist harmoniously and safely in the environment, navigate in it, perceive signals, feel what is happening around, get warning signs of a danger, overcome obstacles in the event of a sea element and change the direction of its movement in time. Similarly, in our profession, such a ‘sideline; is your intuition, which sometimes forces you to act ahead of time, the ability to feel organically in the environment, quickly make the right decisions, always act quickly, represent the company at the highest level and constantly take care of its image. At the same time, teamwork and professional team building are important. Therefore, communication, empathy, and openness are extremely important, as is a sense of responsibility, which is linked to high self-discipline.

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

I would like to see more law firms to have different view in respect of fees other than the traditional hourly basis by: (i) ensuring the optimal use of their team and resources; (ii) work with us to find cost savings and efficiencies on an ongoing basis; (iii) ensure that we receive monthly, or even weekly updates on the costs incurred against budget – prior approval to be sought for any outside agreed scope of work; (iv) ensure there are efficient communications between all the relevant members of our team and theirs; (v) issue invoices that are accompanied by detailed narratives; and (vi) continually work to improve their service by holding regular performance feedback meetings and implementing any required improvements.

In terms of responsiveness, I would like to see efficient emergency response from some law firm —during weekend, public holiday, working hours to accommodate our management requirements. Finally, we would like to see further consideration in respect of issues that arise in commercial conflicts, especially when instruction is sent to a different office within the group.