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

IEX is a securities exchange that, since its inception, has been committed to advancing fairer, more transparent markets. Over the past year, our team was deeply involved in IEX’s successful effort to obtain regulatory approval to launch an innovative options trading platform designed to protect investors and promote meaningful competition in the options market. Following extensive engagement with regulators, a rigorous review of the proposed rules and technology, and consideration of hundreds of publicly filed comment letters, the Commission approved IEX’s options proposal in a comprehensive 89-page ruling. The approval was widely praised by a broad range of market participants, including pension plans, institutional investors, and U.S. Senators from both political parties, as a private-sector innovation that will lead to fairer, more efficient options markets, and deliver tangible benefits to investors.

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

Leading legal and compliance teams for a highly regulated national stock exchange requires constant readiness for periods of instability and a focus on operational excellence. We achieve this through proactive planning, rigorous simulation exercises, robust enterprise risk controls, and continuous monitoring. We approach this responsibility proactively, investing in advance planning, scenario analysis, and mock simulations to identify potential risks before they materialise. Just as importantly, resilience at IEX is not siloed, but rather our legal and compliance teams work hand-in-hand with our technology and operations teams to ensure that regulatory requirements, system design, and real-time decision-making are fully aligned.

General counsel often speak of the need to be strategic to reach the pinnacle of the profession. What does being strategic mean to you?

To me, being strategic starts with a deep understanding of the business itself, including how the business model works, what differentiates it in the market, and the long-term strategy the organisation is pursuing. It means taking the time to fully grasp the company’s operational goals, growth priorities, and risk appetite to best provide counsel. From that foundation, our team focuses on determining how the legal function can best support and enable those objectives. This includes anticipating legal and regulatory issues before they arise, translating often complex requirements into practical guidance, and helping teams move forward confidently while staying aligned with both regulatory expectations and the firm’s broader strategy.

Based on your experiences in the past year, are there any trends in the legal or business world that you are keeping an eye on that you think other in-house lawyers should be mindful of?

Over the past year, I have observed two significant and somewhat competing trends in the legal industry. The first is the growing use of artificial intelligence to assist in the preparation of legal analysis. When used thoughtfully, these tools can enhance efficiency, support issue spotting, and help lawyers work more effectively. That said, their use must be prudent and cautious. Any outputs must be carefully reviewed, sources must be verified for accuracy, and professional judgment must remain central. AI can be a powerful aid, but it does not replace creativity or original thinking. Despite technological advances that should be driving efficiencies, we have seen a marked increase in outside counsel billable hours. Rather than shifting toward value-based or outcome-driven models, a large part of the industry remains anchored to the traditional billable hour. Too often, the focus remains on time spent rather than results achieved, even as outside counsel record fewer hours at significantly higher hourly rates.